40 Gerakan Uang Cerdas yang Dapat Anda Lakukan Sekarang

Jika Anda menghadiri acara Moms &Money kami di bulan Mei, kutipan dari panelis Shaang Saavedra ini mungkin terngiang di kepala Anda:

“Uang itu seperti pisau,” katanya. “Jika Anda menggunakannya dengan buruk, itu bisa membunuh Anda. Tetapi jika Anda menggunakannya dengan bijak, itu akan memberi Anda makan selama sisa hidup Anda.”

Kedengarannya menakutkan. Intinya, bagaimanapun, adalah bahwa uang hanyalah alat yang dapat Anda pelajari untuk dimanipulasi. Semakin banyak Anda belajar, semakin baik kemampuan Anda untuk menggunakannya dengan cara yang sesuai dengan tujuan Anda.

NextAdvisor didirikan satu tahun yang lalu bulan ini, dalam kemitraan dengan TIME, untuk membantu pembaca mengambil alih kepemilikan uang mereka selama salah satu masa paling menakutkan dalam ingatan baru-baru ini. Sudah apa-apa tapi sederhana. Setelah satu tahun pengangguran jangka panjang, pengeluaran stimulus yang belum pernah terjadi sebelumnya, dan banyak jurang keuangan, survei nasional terbaru kami menemukan mayoritas orang masih merasa cemas tentang uang mereka. Banyak dari kita telah menghadapi warisan diskriminasi, rasisme, dan ketidaksetaraan yang meliputi sistem keuangan kita dan transaksi uang sehari-hari. Sementara itu, pasar perumahan menjadi gila.

Melalui semua itu, kami telah berfokus pada tindakan kecil dan terpisah yang dapat Anda lakukan sekarang.

"Kamu baru belajar," lanjut Saavedra. “Anda baru saja mendapatkan data tentang bagaimana Anda berperilaku di masa lalu. Dan kemudian sedikit demi sedikit, kami mengambil satu langkah kecil berikutnya. Kami melakukan hal-hal yang sedikit takut untuk pindah ke pola pikir baru.”

Tahun lalu, kami membawa 50 gerakan uang pintar. Sekarang, berikut adalah 40 cara lain yang disetujui ahli untuk mengambil alih keuangan Anda hari ini—bahkan jika Anda melakukannya dengan rasa takut. Saatnya untuk bergerak.

Ilustrasi oleh Elisa Faye

Beli dana indeks

Jika Anda memiliki $500 untuk diinvestasikan sekarang, dari mana Anda akan memulai? Jawaban kami:dana indeks. Ini adalah kelompok besar saham yang dirancang untuk melacak seluruh pasar. Dengan strategi ini, Anda tidak bertaruh pada satu perusahaan — Anda mendapatkan bagian dari semuanya. Hal baik lainnya tentang dana indeks adalah mereka membawa biaya nol atau sangat rendah di setiap pialang besar. Dan dalam penelitian demi penelitian, dana indeks mengalahkan kinerja pemetik saham berbiaya tinggi. Buat itu mudah.

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Mulai aliran pendapatan pasif

Menghasilkan uang saat Anda tidur tidak harus menjadi mimpi pipa. Mendapatkan penghasilan pasif lebih mudah hari ini daripada sebelumnya, dan banyak kontributor NextAdvisor kami melakukan pembunuhan. Jika Anda ingin meningkatkan kehidupan finansial Anda dan Anda tahu bahwa memotong pengeluaran hanya akan membawa Anda sejauh ini, mulailah memikirkan cara untuk menambah penghasilan. Berinvestasi di pasar saham, baik sendiri atau melalui 401(k), dihitung sebagai satu. Berikut adalah tujuh lainnya yang mungkin belum Anda pertimbangkan — disajikan oleh kontributor Jannese Torres-Rodriguez, yang telah menghasilkan uang untuk setiap satu.

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Temukan “kesenjangan kebebasan” Anda

Anda juga dapat menyebut nomor ini sebagai "kesenjangan antara pendapatan bulanan Anda dan pengeluaran bulanan Anda", tetapi itu tidak menyenangkan. Plus, kesenjangan kebebasan benar-benar langsung ke intinya. Strategi di sini adalah menghitung jumlah uang yang tersisa setiap bulan setelah semua tagihan Anda dibayar. Ketika Anda mengetahui angka itu, katakanlah $750, Anda dapat dengan sengaja menggunakan dana tersebut untuk mencapai tujuan Anda. Mungkin $250 digunakan untuk melunasi utang, $250 untuk tabungan, dan $250 untuk berinvestasi dalam dana indeks. Semakin besar kesenjangan kebebasan Anda, semakin banyak yang dapat Anda lakukan — dan semakin besar kekuatan yang Anda miliki untuk membangun kekayaan dan pada akhirnya mencapai kemandirian finansial. Penghargaan untuk Mahlet Amaha, kontributor NextAdvisor dan pencipta @blackwomxnarewealthy, untuk pergantian frasa.

Luangkan waktu satu jam untuk menyebutkan penerima manfaat Anda

Kami menyebutnya obat gerbang perencanaan perkebunan. Membuat surat wasiat adalah sesuatu yang 60% orang dewasa AS belum lakukan, mungkin karena itu bisa menjadi proses yang menakutkan. Anda tetap harus melakukannya, kata Jill Schlesinger, kontributor CFP dan NextAdvisor. Tetapi jika Anda ingin mengalahkan kemenangan hari ini, ada cara yang lebih mudah untuk memulai. Menamai penerima manfaat di akun keuangan Anda — seperti 401(k)s, 403(b)s, tradisional dan Roth IRA, akun pialang, dan polis asuransi jiwa — seringkali mudah dilakukan secara online dalam 15 menit atau kurang. Ada ketenangan pikiran yang dipertaruhkan:bahkan jika Anda tidak memiliki surat wasiat, menyebutkan penerima manfaat akan memastikan bahwa aset Anda terhindar dari pengesahan hakim dan langsung diberikan kepada siapa pun yang Anda tunjuk.

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Unduh YNAB (atau salah satu aplikasi lain ini)

Anda akan menerima bantuan apa pun yang bisa Anda dapatkan, bukan? Jika aplikasi yang bagus dapat membantu Anda melacak uang Anda dengan lebih mudah, atau mengintegrasikan manajemen keuangan ke dalam rutinitas harian Anda, manfaatkanlah. Beberapa favorit kami adalah Personal Capital, yang memungkinkan Anda melacak kekayaan bersih Anda secara gratis dengan grafik dan bagan untuk membantu Anda memvisualisasikan tujuan Anda, dan Acorns, yang merupakan cara yang relatif mudah untuk mulai berinvestasi. Tetapi favorit mutlak di antara kontributor dan pakar kami adalah Anda Membutuhkan Anggaran, atau YNAB. Ini membantu Anda dengan penganggaran berbasis nol, cara yang sangat efektif untuk memotong pengeluaran dan meningkatkan pendapatan tambahan. Dan Anda bisa mulai dengan versi gratis.

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Cari tahu apakah Anda dibayar rendah…

Apakah Anda bersedia melakukan percakapan yang canggung? Ketika kontributor NextAdvisor Erin Lowry bertanya kepada tujuh pakar karier dan negosiasi rahasia untuk menegosiasikan gaji yang lebih tinggi, mereka semua menyetujui satu hal:Anda harus dipersenjatai dengan informasi tentang berapa banyak yang dihasilkan kolega dan rekan kerja Anda dibandingkan dengan Anda. Dan terkadang satu-satunya cara untuk mengetahuinya adalah dengan bertanya. Menemukan cara untuk melakukan percakapan ini dapat membantu Anda mengetahui apakah Anda dibayar rendah dan memberi Anda data yang Anda butuhkan untuk membuat kasus Anda. Lihat karya Lowry untuk skrip salin dan tempel yang akan membantu memecahkan kebekuan.

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…dan tahu nilai Anda

Untuk setiap dolar yang dihasilkan pria, rata-rata wanita menghasilkan $0,82. Kesenjangan lebih lebar untuk Latinas, wanita kulit hitam, dan wanita asli Amerika. Bagi Vanessa Menchaca-Wachtmeister, seorang profesional teknologi yang berhasil menggandakan gajinya dalam dua tahun, statistik itu mengilhami pola pikir negosiasi yang agresif. “Pengubah permainan yang sebenarnya melihat melalui perasaan perempuan bahwa saya tidak layak atas uang saya dan berusaha keras dengan negosiasi saya,” kata Menchaca-Wachtmeister selama acara Latina Women on FIRE yang diselenggarakan oleh NextAdvisor. “Saya menggambarkannya di kepala saya seperti ini:bagaimana laki-laki kulit putih lurus yang memiliki dunia menerima tantangan ini?” Baca terus untuk taktik negosiasinya.

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Hapus Robinhood

Ketika aplikasi perdagangan kontroversial ini menjadi salah satu unduhan Apple paling populer tahun ini, kami tahu kami harus mencobanya. Jadi kami meminta editor kontributor kami Farnoosh Torabi, seorang jurnalis keuangan dan pembawa acara podcast “So Money,” untuk menulis tentang pengalamannya menggunakan Robinhood selama enam bulan. Kesimpulannya:aplikasi ini mungkin menyenangkan dan mudah digunakan, tetapi penekanannya pada perdagangan jangka pendek daripada investasi jangka panjang akan merugikan Anda. For investors with time and compound interest on their side, Torabi says a low-fee brokerage such as Vanguard offers a surer — and frankly, easier — path to long-term wealth.

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Calculate your FIRE number

Retirement isn’t an age anymore. It’s a dollar amount. Specifically, it’s the amount of money you need to have invested in order to live off your returns and become permanently work-optional. And there’s a relatively simple formula that helps you identify yours. We asked contributor Rita-Soledad Fernandez Paulino — a married mother of two who didn’t start investing until she was 33 — to show us how she calculated her FIRE number (which stands for Financially Independent, Retire Early) and how she’s using it to retire early at 47. 

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Refinance your mortgage — there’s still time

Mortgage rates have been historically low for nearly a year, and plenty of people have taken advantage. But there are still 14 million homeowners who can save at least $250 a month by replacing their current mortgage with a new one at today’s low rates, according to a recent study from the mortgage data firm Black Knight. Experts predict that mortgage rates will stay low for the rest of the year, so you don’t have to rush into it. Start by learning how refinancing works.

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Check your housing budget using the 28/36 rule

We love a rule of thumb. There will alway be exceptions, but it’s nice to have an expert-approved guideline. When it comes to determining how much home you can afford to buy, the 28/36 rule comes highly recommended. The idea is that your monthly mortgage payment (which you can estimate using a mortgage calculator) shouldn’t be more than 28% of your monthly pre-tax income, nor should it be more than 36% of your total debt. Unexpected costs are practically guaranteed when you’re a homeowner, so knowing that you can comfortably afford your monthly payments will help you shop for a home with confidence.

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Check your credit report for free

Want to know what the credit-reporting agencies really think of you? You can find out for free, and it’s worth a look. Your credit report is a summary of all your interactions with the financial system:the debt you owe, the credit cards you’ve opened, your record of making on-time payments, and more. It’s this report that determines your credit score, which in turn determines what kind of a deal you’re going to get the next time you want to borrow money. Because of a special COVID-19 provision, you can check your credit report from each of the three reporting agencies for free every week until April 2022.

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Increase your credit limit — and your credit score with it

Raising your credit score doesn’t have to take a long time. One of the quickest ways to boost it is to manipulate your credit-utilization ratio, which accounts for 30% of your credit score. The ratio is found by adding up all the debt you owe and dividing it by the amount of credit you have access to. The lower, the better. So if you’re carrying a $2,000 balance on a card with a $10,000 credit limit, you have a credit-utilization ratio of 20%. But if you raise your credit limit to $20,000, that same balance is now 10% of your total credit. For customers in good standing, raising your credit limit can be as easy as filling out a form online or making a single phone call.

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Have a money talk with your partner

We hate to jump to a worst-case scenario. But if you’re married, this story by NextAdvisor contributor Dasha Kennedy is not to be missed. In it, Kennedy shares her regret that she never talked about money in her marriage, a lack of communication that ultimately led to a financially devastating divorce. “Failing to have conversations about money and marriage is a surefire way to find yourself discussing debt and divorce,” Kennedy writes. Now she’s making it her mission to help more women become financially empowered.

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Invest for a child in your life

We call them the million-dollar babies. This year NextAdvisor talked to two moms who are investing for their children so early that they’ve basically guaranteed the kiddos a multi-million dollar retirement. Compound interest is the key here:over a long period of time, even a relatively small investment will grow exponentially. Contributor Mahlet Amaha plans to invest her Child Tax Credit of $2,000 a year into a brokerage account in her name with her 2-year-old son as the beneficiary. Even if she stops when he’s 18, that $36,000 contribution will multiply to a shocking $8 million when her son is 65. Check out the math. Then read financial advisor Dominique Broadway — whose 18-month-old daughter Dawsyn is on track to be a millionaire by 16 — on how you can get started, too.

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Subscribe to a money newsletter

Let good money advice come to you. Email newsletters are thriving, and some of our favorite financial brains are offering free news and inspiration straight to your inbox. We like “Jill on Money,” written by NextAdvisor contributor Jill Schlesinger, for its highly relatable reader questions. For a more interactive experience, the Wall Street Journal offers an email “money challenge” with once-a-week prompts. Read more for our 10 favorites. (The NextAdvisor newsletter isn’t bad, either.) 

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Use your airline miles

If you’re gearing up for travel again, you know that airfare prices are rising back to pre-pandemic levels. And it may have been a while since you last checked in on the balances of your miles and points programs. We crunched the numbers on Delta, American Airlines, United, and Southwest right now, and found that miles accrued with those four airlines range in value from 1.2 to 1.6 cents. With that in mind, you can learn how to scope out a trip that will maximize your miles’ value.

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Learn about crypto…

For most financial experts, investing in cryptocurrency is too speculative to recommend without a long list of caveats. But everyone agrees you should learn about it. The rise of digital currencies has the potential to upend our financial systems and the way we interact with money every day. So if you’re “crypto-curious” and wondering whether there’s a place for it in your long-term plan, the first step is to know what you’re buying. Learning about blockchain, the technology that underlies every cryptocurrency, is a good way to start.

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…and then ask yourself these questions

If you’ve turned from crypto-curious to crypto believer, you might be looking for a way to add it to your investments. This is where financial experts suggest some ground rules. Because the value of crypto is volatile and without a long track record, the pros we talked to recommend limiting it to no more than 5% of your portfolio — and that’s only if you’ve checked some other boxes already, like contributing to traditional retirement savings and getting out of debt. Then, you’ll know you’re ready when you can answer these four questions.

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Call your car insurance company

Every once in a while, it pays to go through your fixed monthly expenses and see where you can shave off some savings. So if you haven’t called your auto insurer in a year or more, give this strategy a try:call them and ask about getting a low-mileage discount. Many of us aren’t driving nearly as much as our policies assume. You may not even have to call. Jannese Torres-Rodriguez says she was able to update her yearly mileage on her insurer’s online portal and get immediate savings. “I think there’s a lot of room for negotiation,” she says. “The last thing they want right now is to lose your business.”

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Negotiate a bill

Did you know you can negotiate your internet bill? The rent? Medical bills? Plenty of financial transactions are negotiable if you know who to ask and the right way to ask it.  That’s a lesson we learned after the pandemic hit last year, when many banks and lenders became willing to agree to more favorable terms for customers affected by COVID-19. Erin Lowry, author of the Broke Millennial book series, talked to three people who negotiated a bill last year and asked them exactly how they did it. These are their tips.

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Start an emergency fund…

Personal finance is personal, but some things are non-negotiable. Setting aside money for emergencies — or opportunities — is the building block of financial wellness, according to every expert we’ve talked to. The idea is to keep a few months’ worth of expenses in a high-yield savings account, where it can collect interest until you need it. Sudden expenses will throw a wrench in your money plan from time to time, and your emergency fund is the best way to keep you on track.

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…and maybe one for your parents

For some of us, protecting our own financial wellness isn’t enough. We also want to support our parents or members of our communities when they need help. Jannese Torres-Rodriguez, a Latina money expert and a frequent contributor, had never heard of a “family emergency fund” before she wrote about them for NextAdvisor. What she discovered was a powerful financial tool that helps her and other women of color uphold their values of communal support without derailing their own money plans.

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Get renters insurance

This is one of those things that’s not required but strongly recommended. Renters insurance doesn’t protect the house or apartment you’re living in, but it does protect the belongings you have within it. A standard policy will protect you and your things “if someone becomes injured in your apartment, there is a theft or break-in, or other accidents occur. “For example, if your home is burglarized or your dog bites someone, your renters policy will kick in,” writes NextAdvisor’s Alex Gailey, at an average monthly cost of $42 a month.

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Say no to whole life insurance

“If your financial advisor is recommending you buy whole life insurance, you don’t have a financial advisor. You have an insurance salesman,” says Jeremy Schneider, the self-made millionaire behind Personal Finance Club. In all but a few scenarios, he and other experts say, it makes more sense to invest in term life insurance, which provides the same financial protection but at a much lower fixed cost. With the money you save, you can invest on your own at a higher rate of return than what a whole life policy would offer. Read on for more on life insurance and who needs it.

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Calculate your child tax credit

This one is for the parents:the stimulus package passed in March included a new and improved Child Tax Credit. Unlike the previous version, this one will be partially paid out in cash throughout the year. Families who qualify will be paid up to $3,600 per child for tax year 2021, with half of it issued before the end of the year. Since payments began going out in July, take a moment now to calculate how much you’re owed and what you want to do with the money.

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Bookmark this calculator

You have to see compound interest to believe it. This calculator on Investor.gov is the easiest way to visualize how money invested in the stock market grows over time. Enter a starting investment, any monthly contributions, and a time horizon — and you’ll immediately see a projection of how compound interest will multiply those investments over time. Play with the numbers and you can calculate the amount you want to invest each month to reach your FIRE number or any other goal. When you’re assuming a rate of return, keep in mind that index funds, which track the entire stock market, have historically delivered a 7% average annual rate of return.

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Open a Roth IRA

There are lots of accounts that will help you invest, but a Roth IRA has something special:any money you invest in it will grow tax-free forever, provided you meet a few conditions. That means all the compound interest you earn is yours to keep, without the capital gains taxes you’d incur with a regular brokerage account or on a trading app like Robinhood. NextAdvisor contributor Rebecka Zavaleta is our resident Roth evangelist. Here she explains why she loves them so much.

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Invest your contributions!

This is a beginners’ mistake that multiple money experts have flagged to us, so we’re compelled to share. Investing is a two-step process:first you contribute funds — such as to a 401(k), traditional or Roth IRA, or brokerage account — and then you invest those funds . Without that second step, your money is in “financial purgatory,” says Tori Dunlap, a 27-year-old who’s on track to have $6 million invested by retirement. If you’re stuck on choosing your investments, make it easy for yourself and buy a target date fund, which is based on when you want to retire, or an index fund, which tracks the entire market.

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Take an investing course

You have to learn it somehow. Investing in the stock market offers a clearly defined path to wealth — with persistence and the right accounts in place, a long-term investor who buys index funds is essentially guaranteed to come out ahead. It’s doable, but it does require some studying. We gathered up our favorite online investing courses and tutorials, so you can peruse them for yourself. There are lots of options, some free. See what method of learning might work best for you.

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Make a student loan payoff plan

Federal student loans have been in a glorious state of limbo for the last year due to the policy changes brought on by COVID-19. No payments are due and no interest is accruing until at least September 30, 2021. The reprieve has given millions of people breathing room in their budgets, while others have used the interest freeze to throw more payments at their principal. Either way, the freeze may be ending soon, and broader student loan forgiveness doesn’t look likely. Time to sit down with your loan info and make a plan.

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Follow a mom

A cool mom, though. As part of our “Moms &Money” digital event in May, we introduced you to 10 financially savvy online creators who talk about all things parenting. Dyana King, who goes by @moneybossmama, will teach you how to make a monthly budget and invest for your children. Nicaila Matthews Okome is a side hustle pro. And our friend Farnoosh Torabi is an all-around financial expert who’s written on how to not raise spoiled brats. Any of them will liven up your feed with good advice and cute family photos to boot.

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Save money with the $1 rule

Cutting expenses can feel like an exercise in self-torture. But one of our contributors found a way to pull back her spending without sacrificing the things she loves most. Meet the $1 rule. As debt coach Bernadette Joy explains, she gives herself permission to purchase something she wants if it will cost $1 or less per use. A $50 pair of sneakers that she’ll wear once a week for a year? That checks out. But a winter coat on sale for $75 that will be worn a few times a season? Tidak begitu banyak. See if her hack works for you.

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Get a big, fat welcome bonus

We don’t get too caught up in the complicated world of earning and using credit card points. But some offers are just a straight up good deal. That’s the case for the welcome bonus offered by the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, offering a 60,000-point welcome bonus for those who spend $4,000 within their first three months. If you have a solid credit score and you’d be spending that money anyway, check out our story on the creative ways you can use those points for free travel and hotel stays.

Start a joint account. Just one, though

For couples who live together and share expenses, a joint bank account can help you divide them equitably. But stop right there, says Suze Orman. When she talked with NextAdvisor for an interview last month, Orman spoke from personal experience in saying that couples should “never, ever, ever” combine their finances completely. Instead, she recommends just one joint account for shared expenses, with each partner contributing based on their income. Having your own money is empowering, says Tori Dunlap, the 27-year-old founder of Her First $100k. “It weirdly makes you more confident in your own relationship,” she says.

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Subscribe to a money podcast

Listen up. Money podcasts are the ideal one-sided relationship. You get to hear all the dirt about other people’s money mistakes, successes, and tips — all without divulging a thing about yourself. For our list of the best money podcasts, we found a mix of styles and topics. Tiffany Aliche and Mandi Woodruff’s “Brown Ambition” is a lively and often hilarious chat about careers, entrepreneurship, and more. “BiggerPockets Money” zeroes in on real estate investing. And our own Farnoosh Torabi interviews big-name guests every week on “So Money.”

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Make a “noodle budget”

“Drop down and get your noodle on” is not something you hear every day, but it makes sense when Tiffany “the Budgetnista” Aliche explains it. A noodle budget is how she describes the minimum amount of money you can afford to live on every month. It’s as if you’re eating Ramen for every meal. Knowing that number is a game-changer, Aliche says, because it clarifies what you need versus what’s nice to have. In times of financial distress or uncertainty, you can cut your spending down to that level, aka drop down and get your noodle on. You can also find a medium ground between your noodle budget and your regular spending — that’s called “getting a little bit of your noodle on.”

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Start a side hustle

One of the reasons Jannese Torres-Rodriguez is our favorite side hustle guru is that she doesn’t give you any excuses. You already know there are more opportunities than ever to make extra income right now — funds you can use to pay off debt, save, and even achieve financial independence. So what’s holding you back? We asked, you answered. Here, Jannese gives her response to six of the most commonly cited reasons why people don’t start side hustles, from “I don’t have time” to “I want passive income.” Plus, she made a chart with 15 ideas to get started. Melihat? No excuses.

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Speak with your dollars

Reflecting on the fight for social justice this year reminds us of the power of our collective voices. And when we spend money, we speak with our dollars. That inspired contributor Erin Lowry to research the most effective ways to support the things we care about in our everyday spending. Lowry recommends buying from local, small businesses, especially those that are BIPOC-owned. You can also find companies that support things you care about, like Patagonia, which pledges 1% of its sales to environmental causes. And if you’re on Amazon, use AmazonSmile to trigger a charitable donation every time you shop.

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Know your ‘why’

Your No.1 priority on the path to success is to be clear on what success actually means to you. That’s the advice of Katia Chesnok, a 32-year-old financial educator in Miami who paid off $40,000 in 18 months after reaching an emotional breaking point. For Chesnok, success means earning passive income and having enough money to support her parents. To zero in on your “why,” Chesnok recommends imagining your life in the future, after you’ve achieved your goals. What are you doing it for?

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