Andy | Saving to Invest

How Your FICO Credit Score Actually Works in 2026 (and How to Raise It)

The average FICO Score in the US just dipped to 714, the second straight year it's fallen. At the same time, a record 48.1% of Americans now carry a score of 750 or higher. Credit is splitting into haves and have-nots, and where you land affects almost every rate you're…

10 Fast and Easy Ways to Get, Save and Make Money Now

Nowadays every extra dollar counts more than ever. Despite a paycheck from working a regular job, once taxes and other fixed expenses are accounted for, it is getting harder and harder to make ends meet. Since there are only twenty four hours in day, physically working more (provided you can…

Gold Price Outlook for 2026: What’s Actually Driving the Rally (and How to Think About Buying)

Gold traded around $4,121 an ounce on July 10, 2026, up about 22.8% from a year earlier. It's also down slightly over the past month, which is the point: gold moves, and I'm not going to pretend I know where it goes next. What I can do is lay out…

Apartment Rental Tips for 2026: What to Check Before You Sign a Lease

The national average apartment rent was $1,742 a month in June 2026, up slightly from May, according to Apartments.com's rent report, while the Census Bureau's rental vacancy rate has climbed to around 7.2–7.3% — one of the highest readings in years. That combination (rents drifting up, vacancies also up) means…

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Budgeting Pitfalls in 2026 — Why Most Budgets Fail and How to Fix It

Inflation was running around 4.2% year-over-year as of May 2026, the highest reading since 2023. If your budget's numbers are from last year — or longer — they're already stale, and that gap is usually where the "I don't know where my money went" feeling comes from. Budgeting itself doesn't…

Am I Being a Cheapskate or Just Frugal?

In an argument with my wife over our holiday spending on gifts, travel and entertainment, I got accused of being a cheapskate because I refused to put aside money/budget worries during the holiday season. “What’s the point of saving if we cannot spend the money on the ones we love?”…

Stock Market Volatility in 2026: Why Now Is Still Not the Time to Sell

The S&P 500 hit an all-time high of 7,621 in June 2026, then slid more than 4% before clawing back some ground — closing around 7,533 in mid-July. Nasdaq fell over 1% in the same stretch, dragged down by chip stocks. Nvidia is off more than 10% since its May…

Car Repairs – 5 Tips to Avoid Getting Ripped Off When Servicing

A recent encounter during a routine car service reinforced my cynicism when it comes to mechanics and the auto repair industry in general. I had forgotten about the challenges of dealing with mechanics and the auto center sales staff, thanks to driving a company car which was covered under a…

How to Choose a Health Insurance Plan: 10 Tips for 2026–2027 Open Enrollment

Choosing a health plan is now a five-figure decision. The average employer family plan costs $26,993 a year in premiums, with workers paying about $6,850 of that from their paychecks, per the latest KFF employer survey. Pick the wrong plan and you can easily leave a few thousand dollars on…

What a Strong or Weak Dollar Actually Means for Your Money in 2026

The U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) — a measure of the dollar against a basket of six major currencies — has been trading around 100 to 101 in mid-2026, after the Federal Reserve held its benchmark rate at 3.50%-3.75% at its June 17 meeting. That's a meaningfully stronger dollar than the…

10 Car Buying Tips to Getting a Great Deal

After driving the same family car for the last 7 years, my wife and I decided it was time to get a new car that provided better fuel efficiency and some of the nice to have modern features. Not having bought a car for quite some time meant that I…

Dividend Reinvestment Plans (DRIPs): How They Work and Whether They’re Worth It

A dividend reinvestment plan (DRIP) takes the cash dividend a stock or fund pays you and automatically uses it to buy more shares — instead of depositing it in your account as cash. It's been around since the 1960s, and most brokerages now offer it as a free, one-time setting…

Facing Higher Taxes? Four Strategies That Actually Move the Needle in 2026

Tax bills go up for a lot of reasons — a raise, a bonus, selling an investment, or just bracket creep as your income grows. Whatever the cause, there are concrete, legal strategies that reduce what you actually owe, separate from whatever political debate is happening in Washington about future…