The Financially Free Blog
How to File a Tax Return Extension
The Internal Revenue Service recently announced that the due date to file your 2020 federal income tax returns has been automatically extended from April 15, 2021 until May 17, 2021! This means you do not need to complete any forms or do anything in order to get the additional 1 month extension on your federal taxes. Some states have followed suit and given the same 1 month extension but other states have not so make sure to check your state deadline.
From Nesting To Investing: What You Need To Know About Your Baby and Money
Nikki Boulukos and Carissa Jordan first met a decade ago as young analysts at Goldman Sachs. Ten years later, they happened to reunite in the same New York City suburb as friends and neighbors raising their young children. Nikki and Carissa founded Benjamin Talks with a mission to make all kids financially fit, no matter what their circumstances. Read on to hear their expert advice on all things family & finance.
3 Ways Teachers Can Prepare Financially for Summer
The summer should be an opportunity for teachers, and other school employees, to relax! No more grading papers and tests, no more lesson plans to write, and thankfully, no more asking students to turn on their cameras for Zoom class. But as much as you were looking forward to the last day of school, if you aren’t financially prepared for the summer, you’ll just as quickly start counting down days until the first day of school! So if you’re a teacher, what can you do financially to prepare for the summer to make sure you get the break you deserve?
5 Time-Friendly Ways to Reduce Your Grocery Bill (No Meal Prep Necessary!)
Unlike other expenses that you can go without if needed (like streaming services, takeout, or buying new clothes), groceries will always be a part of your budget. It’s inescapable. For that reason, focusing on getting your grocery bill under control can pay dividends for years to come. A lot of (still great) advice about cutting food expenses such as meal prepping and meal planning can be time consuming. Here are other ways to save without carving out more time from your schedule:
How to Pay Down Debt on a Low Income
The Financial Gym Client Mackenzie Stewart shares with us how she approaches paying off her debt on a less-than-ideal income. Mackenzie breaks down both concrete steps as well as how to shift your mindset in order to conquer those debt repayment goals.
5 Steps to Improve Your Financial Fitness in 2021
As fall 2020 approached winter, I put increased emphasis on self-improvement. The year from hell needed some sort of silver lining, right?
S. Corp vs LLC: What is the difference?
Some big questions that freelancers, self-employed workers, entrepreneurs, and individuals who dream of starting a business always ask themselves; should I incorporate? How do I do that? When will I know if it’s the right time? What type of corporation should I be? And down the rabbit hole they go. It can be overwhelming! My goal here is to help pull back some mystery surrounding two very common business types. Let’s get into it.
Financial Gym Client Woman-Owned Businesses
One of our favorite parts of our community is getting to learn about all the amazing things our clients are doing. To round-out Women’s History Month, we have decided to share some of the businesses owned by women in our Financial Gym community.
Healthcare Considerations for Those with Developmental Disabilities
In our previous blog post, we covered the financial opportunities and challenges for people with developmental disabilities. However, proper healthcare coverage is another crucial part of becoming financially healthy. There are details to consider for people with developmental disabilities, like Medicare, Medicaid, special state services, access to specialists, and long-term care.
What You Should Learn From Finance TikTok and What You Absolutely Shouldn’t
TikTok has brought us many things, from quarantine olympics to happy, happy dogs to Dadosaur. Now it’s bringing bite size financial literacy to the masses, or at least to those who frequent finance TikTok. But not all finance TikToks are created equally, so here’s our thoughts on what you should learn from financial TikTok and what you absolutely shouldn’t.
How to Handle Pay Gap & Inequality in the Workplace
As part of our Women’s History Month series, we want to shine a light on the gender wage gap and discuss ways to address workplace inequality throughout your career.
4 Important Things to Know About Medical Debt
Millions of people in the US have medical debt. It is particularly easy to find yourself in because healthcare in the US is more expensive than anywhere else in the world, the system is difficult to understand, and the pricing for procedures and services is often opaque. On top of that, many of us find ourselves uninsured or underemployed at some point in our lives and have to pay large amounts of our healthcare costs out of pocket.
6 Ways to Teach Your Kids About Money
Teaching financial literacy to children can be a daunting task, but introducing fundamental financial concepts now can set them up for a stable future. Instilling the building blocks of saving, spending, and making money early on can help increase prepare your children to be financially wise.
Certified Financial Trainer™ Columbus Tells His Personal Debt Story
My personal debt story began when I first started undergrad. I did not know anything about managing my finances, and I was easily persuaded to sign-up for my first credit card.
The Black Vintner
Although everyone on our team has a passion for personal finance, many of our teammates' life goals are what drives our passion!
Story from a Client: Saving for a home by moving back to your childhood bedroom
In this article, our client Caitlin Crews shares her decision to save money for a home by moving home during the Covid pandemic.
Message from the CEO - Help for a Community I Love
We are thrilled to introduce the Giving Broadly x Financial Gym Scholarship! In partnership with Dana Cowin of Giving Broadly we are sponsoring a limited number of six month Financial Gym memberships (a value of $600) on a first come, first served basis to those in the restaurant community. Whether you are an owner or a busser or everything in between, our Financial Trainers are here to help you create a solid foundation for now and in the future.
Everything you need to know: The Home Buying Experience
One of our awesome clients, Mary Whiteside, put together this awesome guide after purchasing her first home that features everything you need to know when purchasing a home for the first time.
Down Payments 101: How much will you need to put down to buy a home?
Home ownership is one of the most common goals our clients share, and as Covid has reshaped what we need and want from our living spaces, interest in buying homes has only increased.