Financial and Lifestyle Resources for Vermont

Have you ever dreamed of retiring early and going swimming with tropical fishes? Are you simply looking to increase your savings? Mr. Money Mustache is a finance blogger who writes about how he and his wife managed to retire in his 30s by lowering their expenses and saving 50% of their income. But how? Here are five of his tips to help you cut costs, save money, and achieve financial independence that much sooner—whether you want to go snorkeling or have any other retirement plans or financial goals.

Getting a new job is exciting. Finding a new job? Not so much. If you’ve experienced anything like my six-month job search in Vermont, the process can get stressful, tedious, and exhausting. But there are ways to make it easier. Now that pandemic restrictions have eased, Vermont’s job market is finally opening up and employers are actually struggling to find workers. From firsthand experience, here are some of my personal tips for finding a job.

April is Financial Literacy Month, and I’m taking the concept very literally with some finance book recommendations. There are many books on finance out there, of course, but here are a few of the best books about personal finance, money management, and our financial system that I’ve read.

Buying a home is one of the largest financial decisions you’ll make, if not the largest. As a result, it can be a complicated, time-consuming, and stressful process. Though it might not feel like it during your search, eventually the right home will appear, your offer will be accepted, and you’ll find yourself in contract to buy a house. (Having just become a first-time homeowner after a year-long search, this is a promise I feel comfortable making.) While it is a relief to finally be under contract, you’re not quite out of the woods. Here is what you can plan to do between going into contract and closing on your new home.

Although Black History Month ends on February 28, we can continue to recognize and reflect on Black history in the United States. Here are ten books by Black authors that I have read and would recommend for learning about Black American history, culture, and experiences.

How much would you pay for a budgeting app that helps you save money in the long run? As we did with the best free budgeting apps, we’ve created an overview of some of the more popular personal finance apps available for a monthly fee: You Need a Budget, Simplifi, Mvelopes, and Acorns. We’ll cover how they’re best used, highlight a few handy features, and outline the pros and cons for each. But before we get into the details of each budget app, we have to address the elephant in the room…

Budgeting can feel hard. Although the concept and the steps are simple enough, it can still be intimidating to figure out where to start or know if you’re budgeting correctly. But it doesn’t have to be. As with everything in our digital age, there’s an app for that. Actually, there are several personal finance apps to help you manage your money. (And that’s just one type of budgeting tool you can use.) But what’s the best budgeting app for saving money? To help you save time (and money), we’ve created an overview of some of the more widely used money management apps out there, starting with a few of the best free budgeting apps on the market. We’ll cover how they’re best used, highlight a few handy features, and outline major pros and cons to help you choose for yourself. Let’s log in.

How do you think about money? In many ways, our psychology of money determines what we do with it. Before you can build better spending habits, you may need to change the way you think about money. For all the budgeting tactics and money-saving life hacks there are, they may not help you stop wasting money if you don’t have the proper money mindset. Whether you’re just starting to independently manage your finances or are looking to escape a money mentality you inherited from your family, here are seven ways to adopt a healthier mindset and a wealthier savings account.