Finance Tips
Save Money Shopping Online with this Easy Trick
Would you like to save money shopping online? Who wouldn’t?! I recently discovered a shopping hack to save serious cash on online purchases in a matter of minutes! This is an insanely easy, quick money saving online shopping trick! I saved more than 80% on my purchase. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well I can assure you, this shopping hack is the real deal. Living in the age of the internet has it’s perks. Please, allow me to explain… How to Save Money Online Shopping If you’re an avid reader of this blog, you may recall my latest post was a quiz for finding the perfect, affordable little…
Average Cost for Tax Preparation: How Much Should You Expect to Spend?
As a CPA, here’s a question I get asked a lot: what’s a reasonable cost for tax preparation? The answer…. Well, it depends! Ok, so I know what you’re thinking. That wasn’t at all helpful! But before you stop reading, please give me a chance to explain. In this article I’ll share: The average cost for tax preparation The various ways you can go about preparing your tax return (plus discounts on tax software) The costs of using a professional CPA firm The benefits to using a professional CPA firm Ways to reduce the cost for tax preparation when using a professional CPA firm Disclosure: Please note that some of…
Free Budgeting Excel Template – Trust Me, You Need This!
Welcome back friends! In today’s post, I’m sharing my free budgeting excel template. My budgeting excel template was created by yours truly and is an essential part of my personal finance regimen. Additionally, this post will cover budgeting basics. I’ll teach you 1) what is a budget; 2) why you need a budget; 3) how my budget is designed; and 4) how to customize my free budgeting excel template to fit your own personal financial situation by way of example. Download Now! What is a Budget? According to consumer.gov, a budget is defined as a written plan detailing how much money you plan to make and how much money you…
Why Gifting Stock is a Great Option this Holiday
In this post, I discuss why gifting stock makes sense from a financial planning and investing standpoint and various methods you can use to gift stock. The Hunt for the Perfect Holiday Gift With the holidays right around the corner, everyone’s looking for gift ideas. Sure, gift guides can be helpful. But more oft than not, those recommended products are junky. Seriously! How many of us really need another coffee mug? If you’re anything like me, you want to give a timeless gift. Something valuable, sure! And something unique too! Perhaps something the recipient wouldn’t necessarily have thought of on their own. So what about stocks? Yup, you heard me correctly! Why not gift stocks? Benefits of…
Thanksgiving Dresses that are Affordable and Cute, Plus An Investment Idea!
Are you looking for the perfect Thanksgiving dress? In this post, I’ll share some of my favorite dresses from the last couple years and the Thanksgiving dress I intend to wear this year, plus how much I spent on each outfit. As a bonus, I’ll give you an investment idea based on the style of dress you select. Disclosure: Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links and at no additional cost to you, I may earn a commission. When you use one of my affiliate links, it helps me run this blog and keep all of this content free of charge for readers (like you). Please…
The Statement of Cash Flows: How to Read Financial Statements Like a Pro (Part 3)
A Crash Course in Balance Sheets, Income Statements, and Statements of Cash Flows Hello friends! The wait is finally over. Today we’ll be diving into part 3 of 3 of our financial statement analysis miniseries. In this module, we’ll be learning all about the statement of cash flows. I know you’re excited as I am! And for those of you who missed it, check out Part 1 of the miniseries: The Balance Sheet and Part 2 of the miniseries: The Income Statement. Let’s dive in! Part 3: The Statement of Cash Flows There are three sections to the Statement of Cash Flows: 1) cash flows from or used by operating activities; 2)…
The Income Statement: How to Read Financial Statements Like a Pro (Part 2)
A Crash Course in Balance Sheets, Income Statements, and Statements of Cash Flows Welcome back friends! Today we’ll be diving into part 2 of 3 of our miniseries on analyzing financial statements. In this module, we’ll be learning all the income statement. And for those of you who missed it, check out Part 1 of the miniseries: The Balance Sheet. Let’s jump in, shall we? Part 2: The Income Statement The income statement, also known as the Statement of Profit and Loss, shows a company’s income and expenses over a defined period of time. If you’re looking at a company’s annual 10K report, you’ll oftentimes see the income statement is shown over period…
How to Read Financial Statements Like a Pro (Part 1)
A Crash Course in Balance Sheets, Income Statements, and Statements of Cash Flows Recently, it occurred to me that many readers may not be familiar with the basic financial statements. As a practicing accountant and someone who’s been fortunate enough to receive an education from the country’s top-tier business schools, I am admittedly a little too familiar with them. Although I won’t bore you with the details of actually preparing these statements, it’s imperative for any investor to understand how to read financial statements on a basic level prior to committing his or her funds to a stock purchase. I’ll break my analysis into a 3-part miniseries. Part 1 will…