Its Educated Money

07/26/2023

I've been getting a lot of questions about its Educated Money, that I wanted to address since its been quiet on this page for a few months!

Through starting the financial coaching business, I had so many reach out and I knew it was exactly the type of work I wanted to be doing! I also realized I was limited in the help I could provide and found another route I felt would be even more impactful!

I can't share publicly just yet, but I am SO excited as I'll be able to share more soon! I know people have had questions so I wanted to go ahead and address that I will be closing out Its Educated Money, BUT I will be back in the financial space and able to help on a whole other level!

More to come, but I'm beyond excited for this new career opportunity and blessed to be able to do something I truly feel is my passion and calling.

Thank you all for your support, referrals, and business through Educated Money. In the short time I started it, there was such a great response and that's why I know what I'm doing is exactly where I'm supposed to be! More to come, but wanted to share what I could to answer some questions! ❤️ Until then, thank you so much for your support!! 🥰

02/19/2023

Unfortunately I have to cancel the tax lunch & learn scheduled tomorrow 😞 I've been sick this weekend and lost my voice, so sadly I can't lead an hour long seminar. I debated this all day but I don't want to waste anyone's time or do a last minute cancellation tomorrow knowing it's probably not possible.

I will plan to post some content around FAQ's this week and if you have any specific questions or want more information feel free to reach out!

Thanks for your support and I'm sorry this one isn't going to work out! ❤️

02/16/2023

Tax season is here!!

I know so many would rather run the second they hear the word "tax" and want nothing to do with it. But at the same time, I also get tax questions ALL the time!

I also know it's not taught to us even though we ALL have to do them.

I genuinely believe we should all be able to have the opportunity to learn and have a general understanding of our taxes and the tax return. It helps so you're either not over paying your taxes, or to keep you from feeling overwhelmed or frustrated at this time every single year.

I decided to host this free tax lunch & learn so I can help us all better understand our taxes and make it less scary and confusing! I promise, it's not so bad!

I hope you'll join and share the event with your friends! Head to my stories or fb page for the event details, I've also linked the sign up page (through Eventbrite) in the comments! I hope to see you there!!

02/09/2023

High Yield Interest Savings Accounts (HYSA) went up AGAIN!

This is always one of the first things I recommend to anyone I talk to, if you have money in a traditional savings get your money into a HYSA, now! You can open an account in minutes and it's worth every second!! FREE money!!

The interest rates on a HYSA fluctuate with the market, so as the fed raises rates, the savings rates go up, as the fed lower rates, the savings rates go down. With rates on the rise you're getting a FOUR percent savings rate. It's incredible!

The best part, it's just like your regular savings, FDIC insured, safe and is held as cash so you are not investing it. You can deposit and withdraw (some limit to 6 withdraws per month) at anytime.

These are just some of the banks that offer HYSA and their current interest rates.

If you don't have your savings in a HYSA you're losing out on so much!! Get it switched over ASAP!! 🤑💰

02/07/2023

I'm officially hosting my first FREE event! A virtual tax lunch and learn on February 20th at 11am CST.

See the Eventbrite link in comments below for more details and to sign up!

And don't forget to Share Share Share!!!

I get asked tax questions alllll the time, so I know so many of us need more understanding! It's officially tax season so let's get those questions answered!!

I hope to see you there!! Let me know if you have any questions!

02/06/2023

I'm officially hosting my first FREE event! A virtual tax lunch and learn on February 20th at 11am CST.

See the Eventbrite link below for more details and to sign up!

And don't forget to Share Share Share!!!

I get asked tax questions alllll the time, so I know so many of us need more understanding! It's officially tax season so let's get those questions answered!!

I hope to see you there!! Let me know if you have any questions!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/532340152727

Finally learning what we should have learned in school about the [not so scary] tax world and answering your questions about how taxes work!

02/02/2023

One of the questions I get asked the most, when can I start investing!?

These are just starting points but if you can cross off everything on this list you should be close, if not ready to start investing!

If you carry a balance on a credit card, most interest rates are in the 20% range, so that should be one of your first priorities to pay off. We LOVE utilizing credit cards, there are so many great benefits and rewards, however you have to be able to pay them off every month and not carry a balance, otherwise you are going to be paying extremely high amounts of interest that negate all the benefits and rewards.

I don't consider low interest loans (in my opinion anything under 7%) to be necessary to be paid off UNLESS it is causing an issue with your cash flow and you're not able to save at the end of the month, then it should be a priority. Otherwise, typically you can earn 9-10% investing so it can end up being a better return to keep paying the monthly loan and invest (rather then focusing on paying the loan off).

You NEED an emergency fund, this should be your #1 priority. Depending on how you earn your income (salary vs contractor vs business owner, etc) the minimum you should have is 3 months of expenses saved, before you start investing.

You should also be contributing to a retirement account, and if you have an employer match you should be contributing at least the amount of the match into your retirement.

If you can check all these off, you should be comfortable to start looking into investing! Of course it is different for everyone and every situation, but this is a good starting point!

Let me know if you have any questions! And if you want help figuring out where you're at, or to create your personalized plan to start investing- click the link in bio to schedule a free 15-min Q&A call!

01/31/2023

Learning and investing in knowledge and yourself will always give you the biggest returns!

01/26/2023

I posted recently about taxes and got a ton of feedback! Clearly taxes are not taught to us and is a topic most steer clear of- yet every single person has to do their taxes either themselves or by hiring someone.

My question is - does anyone want to learn about taxes? Or do you just want someone to prepare them for you and you don't care how it gets done? (there's no wrong answer here, ha!)

I am considering hosting a FREE virtual tax event where I talk through the concepts of a tax return, how your tax liability is determined and what it means to be paying taxes as a w-2 or 1099 employee. I would also allow time for a Q&A session, IF people are interested. So please comment below or DM me, I'll also add a survey in my story where you can answer! If there's interest I'll create a sign-up and officially announce a date and time. So make sure to let me know!!

Here's the disclaimer- I will not be providing any personal tax advice, I will not provide tax services, and I am not a CPA. I have work experience preparing tax returns for individuals, partnerships, corps, non-profits, etc. so I understand tax forms and can offer insight on how they work, and help you to make sense out of filing taxes. But again, I will not offer any tax services, I will not offer any tax advice on your personal taxes, and I am not a CPA - this is strictly for educational purposes.

01/25/2023

Weekly Money Challenge! I love these because they are meant to act as one simple thing you can do right now to help create new, positive habits.

A lot of the time we get stuck in activities that cost money, ie; going to the movies, dinner dates, concerts, etc. and these can be great and fun, but we forget we can ALSO and more frequently, do fun things that don't cost a penny!

Find a new walking trail or park (yes it's freezing in KS, but it's still good for you to get outside, and even better for you when it's cold, so bundle up!! We try to do a few walks outside every week even in the winter and it's some of our best talks and quality time!)

Find a new recipe to cook or bake with ingredients you already have in your pantry.

Have a game/trivia night, or find questions online and play the question game.

Make it a fun movie night with popcorn, your favorite drinks/snacks, make it feel like an experience at home.

There's ton of ideas on this one, share some in the comments and include what activity you'll be doing this week to connect with yourself or your family/friends!

01/24/2023

The forbidden word, Budgeting.

Anyone have a better word to use? I feel like people are already triggered when I say the word, but it is SO powerful when used the right way.

When my husband and I first got married he detested the idea of a budget, absolutely not, no way. And I felt like I was "restricting" him by asking him to be on board with it.

Today, he is my biggest advocate for budgeting. He is on board 120% and will tell you how much it changed our lives.

The problem is if you've used a budget that was restrictive, or made to feel guilty, or was unrealistic for your lifestyle, you probably didn't get the results you were wanting.

We have to shift our mindset to understand that budgeting is there for us to feel more free, to have more power over ourselves and our money, to bring confidence in our purchasing decisions.

The amount of time and space you are holding onto in your mind because you don't know what to do with your money, you don't know where it goes, or you don't know how you could ever afford that vacation- all of these thoughts are simply because you don't know.

The benefits of simply knowing, the benefits of creating a plan, of aligning your dreams with your money are endless.

Shifting your mindset can truly be life-changing. If you want help getting started to have your money work FOR you, rather than against you, click the link in my bio to schedule a free 15-min Q&A call with me!