With hundreds, if not thousands, of banks, credit unions, stock brokers, and finance-related apps, how do you pick which ones to use? There are plenty of lists online for the best savings accounts, credit cards, and finance apps. What I’ve found useful, though, is to hear what other people are actually using. For example, […]
Read More >>Other Posts By David Carlson
Working with a Debt Lawyer: What to Expect
One thing I pride myself on is laying out all the options. Everyone has a unique financial situation, and they owe it to themselves to consider all their options. Unfortunately one-size-fits-all advice is what some big personal finance authors and personalities push, which can be unhelpful at best and harmful at worst. For example, […]
Read More >>Options for Dealing With Parent PLUS Student Loans
As of June 2019, there were approximately 3.5 million Parent PLUS student loan borrowers, with approximately $100 billion in outstanding loans. While this is only a small portion of the 40 million plus student loan borrowers and $1.6 trillion in outstanding student loans, Parent PLUS loans do have different repayment options and requirements than other […]
Read More >>10+ Ways I’ve Made Side Income
With technology today there are literally thousands of ways to make side income. But what actually has worked for people? To be clear, it’s not always necessary to have experienced something to write about it. There are likely many bloggers and journalists covering the NFL who never played football, for example. With that being […]
Read More >>How Much Money Would You Need to Live off Dividend Income?
Dividend income is the ultimate passive income. As long as you own a share of a company that pays dividends, you receive a fully passive income. There is no income stream quite like it. You could argue that there is some work involved, such as making sure the company is performing well and the […]
Read More >>Tips for Blogging While Working Full-Time
I’ve been blogging for over seven years. I’ve been able to do this while also working full-time. Today I want to share tips for those who are considering starting a blog while working full-time. As I mention in my recent post 7 Years of Blogging as a Side Hustle – Should You Start a […]
Read More >>Why Privilege is so Important When Talking about Money
I went back and forth on whether or not to write this post. Ultimately I decided privilege, and how it impacts our personal finances – for better or for worse – was too important a topic to not address. Privilege has come up a lot in the media the past few years, especially as […]
Read More >>Should You Trust a Financial Advisor with your Student Loans?
During a recent student loan repayment webinar I was asked the question “can I trust my financial advisor with my student loans?” This is a really important question that I thought would be worthwhile to address in a post. It’s a question that will come up again and again, as a higher percentage of Americans […]
Read More >>7 Tips for Renters to Save for a Down Payment on a House
More people are renting than buying today compared to historical trends, but most renters eventually want to buy a home. If you are currently a renter but are looking to eventually buy a home, you need to save for a down payment. Depending on your cash flow, this can potentially take a long time. […]
Read More >>When You Should and Shouldn’t Refinance Student Loans
A few years back student loan refinancing wasn’t something that most people heard about. That’s not the case today. The student loan refinancing industry has exploded. According to LendEDU, private student loans now total approximately $100 billion. Driving the trend towards more and more private student loans includes: Cost of College – As the […]
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