The start of the new year is the most popular time to set new intentions, goals, and resolutions. Sticking with a change is another story: only 7% of people keep up with their resolutions for 12 months or more. Part of the challenge with keeping resolutions is that many people rely on their willpower. However, taking a one-time action can help you change your behavior and achieve your financial goals—no willpower required.

Traditions are one of the most enjoyable parts of the holiday season. They give us something to look forward to and make us feel more connected to the family and friends who share the tradition with us. While so much else about the holiday season feels like a drain on our wallets, traditions can spread a lot of joy without costing much.

Here are some of our favorites!

For better or worse, much of our financial lives run on auto-pilot. The end of the year is a natural catalyst that can prompt you to reassess aspects of your finances that might otherwise remain on the back burner. To start preparing for the best 2024, make these financial moves before the ball drops.

Between gifts, food, hosting, and decorating, a lot of money is changing hands during the holiday season. You can make that work to your advantage by offering a product or service that people are willing to pay for to ease their holiday stress. Here are seven holiday side hustles that can put cash in your pocket quickly.

The holidays are the most wonderful time of the year, but for many, the pain of a New Year’s Eve hangover is nothing compared to the credit card hangover they feel when their December credit card bill arrives. Here are five tips to get maximum enjoyment out of the holidays without the unfortunate aftermath.

Many clients say they would like to spend less on dining out. This simple goal can be more complicated than it seems and it’s worth it to first look at your dining habits and then assess if they are aligned with your values.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to explore how you can use gratitude and the power of your mind to transform your financial reality and bring more abundance into your life.

Ten years ago, I had a crazy idea to create a company focused exclusively on working with a population of people that I knew the financial services industry was not serving properly. When I was a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch, I was instructed to not even meet with a prospective client unless I knew for certain that they had over $250,000 in investable assets, otherwise they wouldn’t even count as a new client. This advice never sat well with me, especially as I met people who were looking for guidance and didn’t want to have to figure it out on their own.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are still the most popular times of year to shop. Whether you’re buying for others or just for yourself, the lure of a great deal is hard to resist. While there is nothing wrong with snagging some buys at a discount, those purchases can easily add up to more than you were expecting. Here are some tips to make the most out of the deals without getting carried away.

The holidays are the busiest—and often most expensive—time of year to travel. The top tip for scoring affordable holiday travel is to book it early, but if you’ve missed that boat, you’re not completely out of luck. Here are four tips to make it home for the holidays, even if you’re on a budget.

Putting your money to work for you is a common financial goal. We get it—you work hard for your money so it’s only fair that your money works hard for you too! But optimizing your finances doesn’t always mean shooting for the highest return on every dollar. In fact, that’s a good way to destabilize your finances because a higher potential reward also means higher risk. Instead, think about what level of return is reasonable for the purpose of your money. 

Whenever people are suffering, it’s natural to want to help. Donating money is one of the most popular and effective ways to provide assistance, especially for a cause that’s not geographically close to home. But the opportunity to help also comes with challenges including analysis paralysis, scammers, and budget constraints. Here are five tips to confidently give to causes you care about.

We all love free money. And while an employer match on your 401(k) isn’t exactly free money—it’s actually compensation for your hard work—it sometimes feels that way. To make sure that you are getting the most out of your employer match, you do need to know a thing or two about it.

This month, millions of borrowers are making their first federal student loan payment in three and a half years. During this time, you may have moved, bought a house, purchased a car, had kids, adopted a pet, paid off debt, taken on new debt, lost a job, and gotten a new job. Even without any of these big changes in your life, your financial landscape probably looks a lot different than it did in March 2020. If you find that your student loan payment is stretching your budget, it’s time to consider other options.

Most W-2 employees can only dream of setting their own pay, but as a freelancer, you can make it happen. It’s an amazing opportunity, but also a lot of responsibility because you are the only one who can give yourself a raise.

When you need help keeping track of your finances, your first instinct might be to try a budgeting app—and for good reason! These apps can display your whole financial picture in one place, help you understand your cash flow, and illuminate your spending trends. There are many great options out there so we reviewed a handful of the most popular tools to help you choose.

With federal student loan payments resuming next month, it’s time to make a plan to adjust your budget. Here are four ways to do just that.

Between travel, get-togethers, and other social events, summer is hard on our credit cards. While we kick back and relax, they work overtime to pay for our fun. If you worked your credit cards a little too hard this summer, fall is the perfect time to give them a break with these five tips.

Most financial journeys are not linear—they have ups and downs. As such, your motivation will ebb and flow too, and that’s ok! When you are ready to get back on track, try these tips to boost your motivation.

If you’re confused about where you stand with student loans, you’re not alone. Over the past year, so many programs have been announced that it can be hard to keep track of them all, never mind understanding whether they apply to you. Here’s a roundup of three federal student loan initiatives that you should know about: