Before buying a home, you are usually advised to get pre-approved for a mortgage first, which serves two important purposes — it lets real estate professionals and sellers know that you are serious about your intentions to buy a home, and it provides you with a good idea of how much of a mortgage you can actually afford.

When it comes to the financial products that empower you to take care of the things that matter most in life, there’s no shortage of available options. Each product has its own strengths and purpose, and your financial situation and personal goals play a large role in deciding what the best choice is for you. In this article, we’re going to cover a few good reasons you might consider taking out a personal loan.

The holiday season is approaching, giving you a chance to bring joy with a well-thought-out gift while also making an impact in your community.

Today, we’re seeing more women leading change than ever before. Opportunities that women have historically been left out of are now within reach. Empowering women benefits society as it helps economic prosperity, security, and safety.

It’s that time of year where you get to pick your health benefits for the new year. It’s important to remember to diligently choose next year’s health benefits, to benefit your needs and your pockets.

If you have a Health Savings Account (HSA), you might be surprised that many common purchases are HSA-eligible expenses.

Understanding our personal finances --- how to budget, save, pay off, spend, and invest wisely -- is essential for everyone, including your employees. Financial wellness is a growing concern of employees and the Culture and HR managers that we speak to on a daily basis. We have complied free resources so you can create a free financial wellness week for your employees.

2020 has been a wild ride in too many ways to count, but last month the Payroll Tax Holiday threw us for another loop. In short, the tax holiday is the result of a presidential memorandum that allows for the deferment of payroll taxes from September 1 to December 31st. During this period, some workers who earn less than $104,000 per year will see a 6.2% increase in their paychecks, since they will not be required to pay social security taxes.

During this pandemic, I’ve seen quite a few of my clients add a furry family member into their homes, and who can blame them! There are countless studies about the relationship between pets and humans. Having a pet is known to provide emotional benefits as well as to improve one’s physical and mental health, and we all could use a little extra help in that department during the pandemic. About 40% of Americans own a dog and 29% own a cat which means pets are definitely an important part of many American households.

Election day is quickly approaching in America. Millions of Americans are heading to the polls or sending in their mail in ballots to do the ultimate civic duty of voting for their government representation. In an effort to demonstrate how closely aligned personal finances and politics can be, we’ve rounded up a few issues that impact voter’s wallets for you to consider while researching the candidates on your ballot.

Life insurance offers your family financial protection if you die and are no longer there to provide for them. When you're looking for a policy, you want to make sure that you're getting the best possible coverage at the best possible price. That's where term life insurance comes in. Term life is essentially a no-frills life insurance policy; it ensures your loved ones have a financial safety net without breaking the bank.

Read on to learn everything you need to know about term life insurance.

With only a few weeks left until the 2020 presidential election, the stock market has been on a bumpy ride for the last several weeks. Typically, in election years, October tends to be a lackluster month as the country prepares for uncertainty related to a potential power shift.

It’s the most wonderful time of year for a lot of people. But for your wallet? It can be the most stressful time of year. This year, retailers are rolling out the holiday marketing even earlier than usual. Whether you’re shopping early sales or trying to get ahead of long shipping times, keep in mind these smart holiday spending tips.

In honor of World Mental Health Awareness Day, we are sharing a personal story from a client who used shopping as a coping mechanism for her depression.

Welcome to parenthood! Your new bundle of joy will brighten your days and make life have so much meaning! It truly is a new chapter that will alter your life forever. But, how are your pockets doing?

Here at the Financial Gym, we realize that we all make mistakes. No one makes perfect money decisions 100% of the time. Even our trainers make mistakes sometimes! Here are some money mistakes that two of our LA-based Financial Trainers, Hector and Garrett, have made.

It is officially a new season and a new month which means it is the perfect time to conduct a financial refresh! It is easy to put your financial health to the side, especially given all that we have going on in our world right now, but checking in with your financial wellness is extremely important. Below are 6 ways you can take a few moments to review your overall financial health and make sure you’re setting yourself up for ultimate success!

Many individuals will more than likely say that it’s hard to save money. And it’s true, it is hard, especially when much of America is living paycheck to paycheck. Setting funds aside for a rainy day seems pointless and even scary when you feel like you need every cent right now, but we can’t express enough how important it is to build strong saving habits.

One question we trainers have been hearing a lot is whether it still makes sense to pad your travel fund even if we have no idea when you’ll be wheels up again. Do you really need to put hundreds of dollars aside for travel when we don’t know when it will be safe to hit the road again?

Credit cards are a few things. They’re a means to an end in a tough time, they’re a necessary tool for getting a job done (think renting cars or hotel rooms), and they can even help us travel more for way less when we use points and miles.

You may or may not know that there is a retirement crisis in America: According to a 2018 UnidosUS report, “only 31% of Latino workers participate in an employer-sponsored retirement plan, compared to 48% of all other workers ages 21 to 64” . Some states are working towards closing the gaps of this disparity by implementing retirement savings programs, some of which automatically enrolls workers into an individual retirement account.