It seems as though some people are born with self confidence and others have to work hard to build theirs up. I fall into the building category. When I was younger it was tough building self confidence. I was always comparing myself to others and always looking at the negatives, like what I lacked, as opposed to what I brought to the table.It really became a problem in my early 20’s when I started to go into credit card debt. Buying things made me feel good about myself, so I kept buying … [Continue Reading...]
Start Investing
The Ultimate Guide To Finding The Best Online Broker
When it comes to investing, there is no one size fits all approach. This is a problem when you are trying to find the best online broker. Unfortunately no one can claim to be the best online broker for every investor.Some investors are young and only have a little money to invest. Others are seasoned and have a large amount of money to invest. Then there are active traders and buy and hold investors.As a result, trying to figure out the … [Continue Reading...]
M1 Finance Review: The Future Of Investing Is Here Now
It’s not often that Wall Street comes out with something new and earth shattering. In many cases it is the same product in new wrapping paper to make it look new and exciting. But every now and then, something comes along to change the game and disrupt it. Right now the disruption is M1 Finance.What is M1 Finance you ask? They are a new hybrid robo-adviser that is changing the way people invest their money. And the change is a good … [Continue Reading...]
How Investment Diversification Will Make You Rich
What is your investment strategy? Do you even have one? Or do you just invest in whatever is hot at the moment, hoping you will crush it and be able to retire in a few weeks? Sadly, this investing strategy is ripe for failure. The only true way to "crush it" in the market is to use investment diversification to your benefit.You might point out however that you’ve picked a hot stock here or there in the past and did end up crushing it. While … [Continue Reading...]
Build Wealth
51 Extraordinary Ideas To Make More Money Starting Right Now
One of the more frequent questions I get from readers of my blog is “what are the best ways to make more money”? It seems as though everyone is looking for ways to increase their income these days. The good news is that there are many creative ways to make money. And thanks to technology, you can start making money today. It just all depends on how much extra money you want to make.So if you are finding yourself asking any of these … [Continue Reading...]
36 Incredibly Fun Facts About Money I Bet You Didn’t Know
I love money. I love the smell of it. I love the feel of it as I swim around in it à la Scrooge McDuck. OK, I don’t roll around in it. But I really do enjoy it. I love learning about it too. When FXX was running a “The Simpsons” marathon last summer, I knew I couldn’t miss the $10 trillion dollar bill episode. It is easily my favorite.While the story is fictional, it made me consider, “What are some real facts about money that would be fun to … [Continue Reading...]
13 Incredibly Easy Ways To Make $1,000 Fast
Are you in need of some fast cash? Are you looking to make $1,000 fast? Maybe make $500 quickly? Regardless if you need the money to pay your rent, to buy the latest gadget, or just to build up your emergency fund, you can make $1,000 fast.You just have to think outside the box. And that is what this post is all about. I’ll show you 13 different ways you can easily make an extra $1,000 a month without doing a lot of extra work.Don’t … [Continue Reading...]
Achieve Your Goals
15 Killer Action Steps To Building Self Confidence
It seems as though some people are born with self confidence and others have to work hard to build theirs up. I fall into the building category. When I was younger it was tough building self confidence. I was always comparing myself to others and always looking at the negatives, like what I lacked, as […]
15 Inspirational Life Lessons To Remember Every Day
The great thing about life is that every morning is another chance to be the best you that you can possibly be. As we go through this journey of life, we pick up little nuggets of inspiration along the way. In my 39 years, I’ve come across many of these nuggets. I take these life […]
11 Simple Tips to Improve Your Life Instantly
This post is written to wake you up. You are the driver in this vehicle we call life, and we all know how dangerous sleeping at the wheel can be. Being the careful, yet adventurous, powerful, and fun-loving driver that you are, you get to go down roads unimaginable, at whatever speed you desire. The […]
Retire Well
3 Best Retirement Calculators To Achieve Your Dreams
Read any article about retirement planning and they will give you a number that you should use as your savings goal. While on the surface this is great to have, the reality is that it has nothing to do with your personal situation.What would be more beneficial to you is an easy retirement calculator that could help you determine exactly how much you need to save for a comfortable retirement.After all, you probably ask some of these … [Continue Reading...]
The Surprising Average 401k Plan Balance By Age
I’m a competitive person. I like to challenge myself to be the best I can be. And in many regards, I compare my progress with others. A few years ago, I compared myself to others in terms of how much I had saved for retirement.While it is natural to want to a benchmark for how much I should have saved for retirement by age, I realized there are a handful of problems going this route.Today I will talk about what the average 401k plan … [Continue Reading...]
How Much Money Do You Need For Retirement? Discover Your Answer Here
I have come across a handful of magazine articles answering the question, how much money do you need for retirement? Sadly, most people have absolutely no idea how much they will need in order to retire. They see the magazine headlines talking about $2 million dollars and think saving this amount of money is impossible. So they give up before they even start.Don’t do this.You don’t need $2 million for retirement. In many cases you need a … [Continue Reading...]
Thanks again for visiting Money Smart Guides. My goal for Money Smart Guides is simple: to help you become a master of your financial future. You do this by learning to overcome your debt, making smarter spending choices and start investing for your future. When you succeed, I succeed. By teaching you about personal finance, you can take the steps needed to secure your financial future. As always, if you have any questions or want help with any personal finance issue, please 
