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One of the saddest ironies of personal finance and wealth-building is that being poor is a very expensive state of affairs, while being wealthy tends to open doors to more wealth and more savings. It turns out that inertia isn’t just something that applied in the 12th grade physics tests I struggled through—it’s observably applicable […]
I’d like to start this blog post by stating the obvious: Nobody’s perfect. I pride myself on being excellent with credit cards: I regularly use my points to take free vacations, I’ve never carried a balance, and I’d consider myself relatively savvy (all right, much savvier than your average credit card user). Today, I’m going […]
Ask your average American who comes to mind when they think “personal finance,” and they’re likely to report one name above the others: Dave Ramsey. Ramsey is a jovial-but-punishing, debt-be-damned crusader whose teachings have infiltrated the middle class – and with good reason! He preaches the most stringent fiscal responsibility that (probably) works best for an […]
Let’s clear the air immediately on this one – I realize there’s an inherently judgmental tone when discussing spending “mistakes.” After all, it’s your money, not mine, so at the end of the day, who am I to call something that you’re doing a mistake? Here’s why I’m dubbing these decisions “mistakes” – because I think you’ll […]
This blog post was brought to you by my partner, Betterment. Paid client. Views may not be representative. See App Store & Google Play reviews. Learn more. Investing involves risk. Performance not guaranteed. Source: Betterment Retail Investor Survey, 2026. My friend recently got a new job that more than doubled her salary. “Dude,” she texted […]
As my standard legalese: I am not a licensed tax professional, and this is not tax advice. Please consult your friendly neighborhood CPA and do your due diligence. This is intended to be a starting point for your #TaxSzn research. As I was reminded repeatedly by TurboTax’s 2023 ad campaign called “Don’t Do Your Taxes,” […]
If you’re a high earner in the market for an investment strategy that sounds more like a Transformer than a legitimate wealth-building option, then boy, do I have good news for you: The Mega Backdoor Roth IRA might be a contender for your tax-advantaged lineup. Before we talk about the “how,” let’s talk about the […]
The sky was falling in the second half of 2022. So much so that, last July, I published a piece called, “No, We’re Not in a Recession, But Somehow this Economy *Feels* Worse.” It was my attempt at parsing the hard data (low unemployment, relatively calm credit markets, and strong consumer spending) with a panicked […]
Thanks to Betterment for partnering with me on this emergency fund guide. Ah, the emergency fund—the cash cushion, the oh, sh*t account, the rainy day fund. The emergency fund is the foundation of a functioning, healthy personal financial system for most people. So how should you think about it? The purpose of the emergency fund […]
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Before I was a person with way too many opinions about personal finance, I worked professionally in user experience strategy, design, and writing—a field that I’ve joked saw me ascend the ranks to Associate Manager of Turning That One Button Blue So More People Would Click It. Why am I telling you this? Because when […]
“Freedom without discipline is chaos.”—Cullen Hightower I heard from a reader the other day who’s in marital gridlock about the best way to manage their newfound high income. When they earned less, she said, they were in agreement about their strategy: They used dedicated savings accounts for discretionary purchases and a rollover strategy, in which […]
There’s something stressful about consumption. It demands forethought, analysis—but it’s so often disguised as entertainment (#TargetRun! Women be shoppin’, amirite?) that we forget how much effort it takes. A few weeks ago, I was reminded of the year’s most acute variant of this feeling: “What’s on your list for Black Friday?” The question prompts a […]
Before I was a person with way too many opinions about personal finance, I worked professionally in user experience strategy, design, and writing—a field that I’ve joked saw me ascend the ranks to Associate Manager of Turning That One Button Blue So More People Would Click It. Why am I telling you this? Because when […]
As my standard legalese: I am not a licensed tax professional, and this is not tax advice. Please consult your friendly neighborhood CPA and do your due diligence. This is intended to be a starting point for your #TaxSzn research. As I was reminded repeatedly by TurboTax’s 2023 ad campaign called “Don’t Do Your Taxes,” […]
If you’re a high earner in the market for an investment strategy that sounds more like a Transformer than a legitimate wealth-building option, then boy, do I have good news for you: The Mega Backdoor Roth IRA might be a contender for your tax-advantaged lineup. Before we talk about the “how,” let’s talk about the […]
During my junior year of high school, I found myself in an unexpected situation where I had the highest grade point average in several of my classes. It wasn’t thanks to any sudden stroke of genius (my prefrontal cortex still had a way to go), but an accidental shift in my approach to studying. You […]
This blog post was brought to you by my partner, Betterment. Paid client. Views may not be representative. See App Store & Google Play reviews. Learn more. Investing involves risk. Performance not guaranteed. Source: Betterment Retail Investor Survey, 2026. My friend recently got a new job that more than doubled her salary. “Dude,” she texted […]
During my junior year of high school, I found myself in an unexpected situation where I had the highest grade point average in several of my classes. It wasn’t thanks to any sudden stroke of genius (my prefrontal cortex still had a way to go), but an accidental shift in my approach to studying. You […]
Last year, writer and activist Gabe Dunn came on The Money with Katie Show and said something insightful: “I can see some of [these personal finance experts] who, even if they started out as a ‘waitress’ or ‘a child of immigrants’…I know how quickly you can lose perspective. And it’s very quickly.” Their point was […]
tl;dr “We make the mistake of assuming that joy is like cash—that if we don’t “spend” it today, it can be invested (and grow larger) for the future. We assume there must be a payoff—otherwise, why delay it? Unlike with money, investing a bunch of joy for later doesn’t compound—it just guarantees you’ll enjoy less […]
¹must be willing to jump through a litany of loopholes and degrade oneself before the transfer portal gods. In the last week, I’ve seen a slew of headlines on the tails of American Express’s first-quarter earnings report, revealing that Gen Z and millennial users are accumulating their pricey, premium cards like student loans are in […]
Advertising Disclosure: This content is not sponsored or endorsed by any of the card brands described here and is accurate as of the posting date, but some of the offers mentioned may have expired. Money with Katie is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites. This compensation […]
Last updated Oct. 2021 Check out the Sapphire Preferred card here Disclosure: This content is not sponsored or endorsed by any of the card brands described here and is accurate as of the posting date, but some of the offers mentioned may have expired. Money with Katie is part of an affiliate sales network and […]
Last updated Oct. 2021 Check out the Sapphire Preferred card here Disclosure: This content is not sponsored or endorsed by any of the card brands described here and is accurate as of the posting date, but some of the offers mentioned may have expired. Money with Katie is part of an affiliate sales network and […]