Category: Side Hustles

Travel Tuesday: Do You Have a Favorite Travel Outfit?
As is often romanticized, there once was a time when people really dressed up for air travel. These days, though, comfort is the name of the game. Whether that means donning attire that lends itself to sitting in a plane seat for hours on end or something familar and fun, many among us have go-to...
Fincon Money Nerds Unite
FinCon 2025 Recap: Takeaways, Successes, & Random Thoughts
Last year, I returned to in-person FinCon events after being absent for a few years. Soon after that event in Atlanta wrapped, I had purchased my badge for the 2025 conference in Portland, Oregon. When I did so, I realized pretty quickly that this was to be a big one. Not only was it the...
collage of Black Friday deals
Black Friday Deals 2024: Offers on Products I’ve Reviewed
Last week, I looked at some of the Black Friday sales that were already underway for various products I've reviewed over the years. Well, while several of those deals are still in place, others have joined the party. So, with that, here are some of the discounts, special offers, and other deals available in a...
Money Nerds Unite - FinCon Atlanta 2024
FinCon 2024 Recap: Returning to the Conference After 5 Years
It's hard to believe but, prior to the last week, it had been five long years since I attended a FinCon event in person. After going to my first event in 2018, I attended the 2019 conference in Washington D.C. — and then, well, you know. Even though FinCon had since returned, I was unable...
FinCon Schedule Oct 23-26, 2024 Atlanta
FinCon 2024: The 9 Sessions I'm Most Looking Forward To
In 2018, I attended my very first FinCon when the event was hosted in Orlando, Florida. The following year, I had an even better time staying on-site in Washington D.C. and left the conference excited to attend again in 2020... Okay, as you can probably imagine, that didn't happen. Moreover, for one reason or another,...
YouTube shorts on a phone
YouTube Shorts Are Getting Longer - Is That a Good Thing?
On the surface, the premise of YouTube Shorts is fairly simple: vertical videos that are less than 60 seconds. However, the Shorts platform largely functions as its own ecosystem despite being a part of the main YouTube app. Now, the company is making some changes that reflect that reality — including making Shorts a little...
Current Rewards music app
Current Rewards (Current Music) iOS App Review
Some time ago, Instagram introduced me to an app called Current Rewards — also known as Current Music (and not to be confused with the neobanking app Current). For a time, I got pretty into it and even purchased the Mode Phone, which took the Current Rewards concept to a new level. However, after using...
#FinCon21 logo
#FinCon21 Recap: My Virtual Experience
And just like that, another FinCon is in the books. As I mentioned in my preview, although this year marked the return to an in-person event (taking place in Austin, Texas), I made the last-minute decision to go virtual. Of course, with approximately 20% of conference attendees choosing this option, there were plenty of tools...
#FINCON21
#FinCon21: My 11 Most Anticipated Presentations
For weeks, today has been on my calendar as the day I was going to dive into the FinCon 21 schedule in order to prepare my annual look at the panels and presentations I was most looking forward to. Ironically, today also ended up being the day I canceled my trip to FinCon 21. Well,...
FinConX logo on computer screen
FinCon X Recap: A Different Kind of FinCon
For most people, 2020 has left little to look forward to. If you're anything like me, the year has been one canceled plan after another. That's why I wasn't at all surprised when the final decision not to hold FinCon 2020 in Long Beach, California was made. Yet, another announcement that accompanied this news did...
a single dollar bill
In the Interest of Transparency: My Personal Finances and Approach to Money
When I first started writing about personal finance, it's safe to say that I didn't really know what I was doing. That's why I mostly took the approach of sharing what I was learning in regards to finance as well as sharing experiences I had already acquired. Additionally, I've often strived to give context for...
iPad Pro and stand
Pros and Cons of Using an iPad for Productivity
A few months ago, during a bout of the quarantine blues, I began watching a lot of videos about the iPad. Previously, while I thought such a device might be fun, I never really saw much of a need for it. That was until I started to see more people talking about the enhanced keyboard...
Featured Articles
Travel Tuesday: The Club ATL Grab & Go Pantry Lounge Review
Last week, I set off for San Francisco from my home in Springfield, Missouri. But, since I was flying Delta, I of course needed to make a stop in Atlanta before my flight back in the correct direction. Over the years, I've spent plenty of time at ATL, so when something new pops up, I...
4 Daily Games I Play That Somehow Make Me Feel Smart
Remember a few years ago when Wordle took the world by storm? Well, after that, it seemed that several other daily games popped up as well. Over time, the lineup of games I actually bother to play daily has evolved — but there are a few that I keep returning to. That's probably because, even...
Hotel Vandivort Review: Springfield, Missouri's Four Diamond Boutique Hotel
When it comes to my Travel Tuesday hotel review series, I often wonder what travels might be featured in my latest installment. That's when it hit me that: instead of looking to other cities for adventure, I could feature a property found right here in Springfield, Missouri.  Hotel Vandivort is a unique boutique hotel we’d...
I'm 40 and Finally Figured Out How to Properly Shave My Face
For a good portion of my mid to late 20s, I made my living pretending to be in high school for television. As it turns out, part of the reason why I could pass for younger is that I can't grow a beard to save my life. Unfortunately, this lack of growth also means that,...