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Find the information, motivation, and tools you need to get control of your finances and win with money.
Money Stress And Financial Anxiety | How To Prevent It
The coronavirus pandemic has increased awareness on a huge issue that many Americans deal with daily, money stress and financial anxiety. Now, more than ever, most people are stressed due to the possibility of a layoff, a salary reduction, or growing debt. To help you navigate these feelings, let’s tackle five common causes of money…
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15 Great Financial Goals In Life
When you look back at the last ten years, do you feel you have made financial progress? Or could your situation be better? Many of us go through life wishing it could be better. However, we lack a plan to move in the right direction. This list of 15 great financial goals in life will…
Bad Money Advice During The Coronavirus Crisis
With the coronavirus pandemic shutting down normal business operations, there has been no shortage of financial experts showing up in the news telling people how to face a layoff. To my dismay, I have watched many of them in national television share really bad money advice, especially encouraging people to get into more debt. If…
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What To Do If You Lose Your Job During The Coronavirus Crisis
The loss of a job is a horrible experience that I do not wish on anybody. It immediately alters your finances, relationships, and identity. Although I have never lost a job myself, I have experienced first hand the overwhelming effects of unemployment. To help you navigate a layoff, especially with the coronavirus pandemic, I want…
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Positive Outcomes Of The Coronavirus Pandemic
At first, I was hesitant to write this article, afraid of backlash. But I feel strongly about discussing the other side of the story, the positive outcomes of the coronavirus pandemic. There are many silver linings we should not ignore amidst this crisis. But, before I get into them, let’s establish what is tragic and…
Tax Debt Relief: How To Resolve Debt With The IRS
There are two people you should never owe money to, your mother-in-law and Uncle Sam. We’ll discuss family debt in a different post, but if you owe taxes to the IRS, you must make it a top priority to pay them back. The IRS has the power to impose hefty fines and garnish your wages…
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How To Budget If You Get Laid Off During The Coronavirus Crisis
With the Coronavirus crisis affecting pretty much every business in America, many of us are wondering if we’ll still have our jobs tomorrow. Instead of letting uncertainty take over our lives, let’s take a proactive stand by learning how to budget if you get laid off. Many people believe that if you lose your job,…
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Should We Pull Our Money Out Of Banks?
Two questions are keeping Americans awake today. Number one, do we have enough toilet paper at home? And number two, should we pull our money out of banks? Ok, I am joking about the first one, but in times of crisis, a little sarcasm can be relieving. Now, in all seriousness, should you freak out…
How Much To Spend On Groceries Per Month
Figuring out how much to spend on groceries is tricky. Setting a realistic budget will depend on factors such as your income, family size, city of residence, diet preferences, whether you have pets or not, etc. A good range is to spend between five to ten percent of your income on groceries. As a working…
Coronavirus And Your Finances: 10 Steps To Reduce Financial Stress
What started as a health scare over the Coronavirus has turned into an unprecedented health and financial crisis. The state of emergency caused by Covid-19 feels surreal to me, like the type of story that we only see in movies. And as we face many unknowns, I would like to encourage you to stay focused…
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Our Family Grocery Expenses For February 2020
Hello everyone! I am super excited to share with you our family grocery expenses for February 2020. One of my big financial goals is to save money on groceries since, after our mortgage, this is our most significant family expense. The progress of my big goal to save money on groceries has been astonishing to…
Should You Teach Your Teenagers To Never Get In Debt?
Let me ask you something. Is it irresponsible to teach your teenagers to never get in debt? The other day I was talking about how I am teaching my kids, who are 13 and 15 years of age, that they do not need credit cards or finance cars to do life. But one person told…
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Debt-Freedom Challenge | Online Workshop
Hello everyone. My name is Yezmin Thomas. I’m a journalist, a financial coach, and also the host of the Smart Finances Podcast. Today I am here to share with you a massive goal of mine. I am on a mission to end financial suffering in America! I know. I know. You’re going to tell me,…
Money Can Buy Happiness. This Is How.
I don’t understand why this phrase is thrown around all the time. “Money cannot buy happiness.” It’s said almost like money is a bad thing. Why have we believed that lie? Last I checked, an ice cream cone is around $2. Our mortgage costs money. Tickets to get into Disney World cost a lot of…
How To Balance Your Credit Card Purchases, Cash Purchases, And Your Debt.
The other day I was asked a great question. How do I find a balance between my credit card purchases, my cash purchases, and my debt? I remember about 15 years ago when I was just getting started using credit cards, applying for an American Express card. When it showed up in the mailbox, I…
Check it out! How To Balance Your Credit Card Purchases, Cash Purchases, And Your Debt.
How To Uplevel Your Finances And Pursue Your Daydreams
Can you afford to quit your job today to pursue your daydreams? I am seriously asking you if you could walk into your boss’s office tomorrow and put your two weeks’ notice. Why? All for the sake of pursuing work and a lifestyle that is more satisfying to you. Maybe you want to make a career…
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The Smart Dollar Challenge
Can $1 buy your financial freedom? We’ll get to that in a minute, but before let’s get caught up! For the last six weeks, I have been working day and night, like a madwoman, on a new project that has me fired up. I am incredibly proud and excited to share this with you because…
My Financial Rock Bottom Story
What is it like to hit rock bottom, financially speaking? I had my infamous moment in the midst of the 2008 Recession. In this episode, I tell you all about it; the fear, the same, the pain, the loneliness. But I also learned why I had to live through this dark time in my life.…
When “Life Gets In The Way”, Really?
Do you find yourself saying things like “life got in the way, and I couldn’t get to…?” I used to feel like that, too, until I realized that by thinking that way, I was not only making myself a victim of my circumstances. But most importantly, I understood that I was wasting a huge opportunity…
Intro To Smart Finances Podcast
Hello everyone! I am back with season two of my podcast. Like all good things evolve and change, my podcast has too. I am calling this season “Smart Finances”, and I am dedicating this show to all the hard-working and high achieving moms who are struggling to figure out how to stop stressing about life…
How To Pay Off Credit Card Debt For Good
If you are looking for information on how to pay off credit card debt for good, I have life-changing advice for you. But let me start with a warning, this is going to be nothing like the crappy advice that you have probably already come across on the web. And by crappy, I am talking…
Meal Planning for Beginners
A Step-by-Step Guide To Save Money And Time On Groceries The other day, I was watching videos on YouTube looking for ideas to start meal planning and save money because my grocery shopping, and bill, are a disaster. Honestly, I spend a lot of time and money at the store, and I can’t seem to…
How To Eat Healthy On A Budget
Buying groceries on a budget is a big challenge for me. After our mortgage, food is the biggest expense in my budget. We average about $1,100 on supermarket purchases per month for a family of four and two dogs. I think it’s too much! That’s why its crucial for me to find ways to eat…
What Percentage Of Your Income Should Go To What?
How do you know if you are spending too much money on rent, food, or gas? Without a guideline to keep you in check, it is impossible to tell. To give you a better idea, in this post, I share with you recommendations on how to distribute your income and what percentage of your money…
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10 Rules Financially Smart Women Must Live By To Win With Money
It doesn’t matter where you are today, financially speaking. What is most important is knowing where you want to go. And objective information is the most reliable tool to help you move you towards your dreams. That’s why today, I want to share with you ten rules that financially smart women must live by to…
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7 Tips To Improve Your Financial Wellness
Talking about money is one of those topics that can be really hard for many people to address, especially when you are trying to improve your financial wellness. It certainly was tough for me to talk about money a while ago, after the 2008 Recession. We found ourselves in a challenging situation with a sudden…
How To Do A Monthly Expenses Snapshot
One of the primary sources of financial stress is uncertainty. Not knowing if we’ll have enough money to cover all our bills when they are due can be debilitating. But I want you to feel empowered and not stressed. That’s why, in this post, I will show you how to do a monthly expenses snapshot…
$5,000 Paid Off in Credit Card Debt by Going Cash-Only
I know what you are thinking right now. Should I transfer my credit card balance to another card at zero percent interest? If you really want to get out of credit card debt then you need to stop playing the balance transfer game. Instead, do what I advise my financial coaching clients to do, pay…
Check it out! $5,000 Paid Off in Credit Card Debt by Going Cash-Only
How to Save Money and Stop Living Paycheck-to-Paycheck
I know that feeling. You get your paycheck, take care of a couple of bills, and before you know it, all the money is gone. You had great intentions of saving some cash this month, but it didn’t happen. And the story of living paycheck to paycheck repeats itself month after month until today. I…
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Net Worth And Budgeting Journal
Are you ready to take a massive step towards creating that lifestyle you keep daydreaming about? Learning to organize your income, track expenses, and save money is essential to make your dream life a reality. As a financial coach, I love to create and share useful tools, and my Net Worth and Budgeting Journal will…
