Category: Managing Money

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
Is it Worth Opening a Credit Card Just For the Bonus?
Over the past several years, my interest in credit card rewards has grown tremendously. As this has happened, I've also backtracked on a couple of positions I held earlier on. A key example of this evolution is how I went from thinking I'd never want a credit card that charged an annual fee to applying...
A Crash Course in Starting and Growing Your Retirement Savings
Want to know why most younger adults don’t think much about saving for retirement? Probably because there’s a lot to think about. Furthermore, many mistakenly believe that they should wait until they’re making big bucks (whenever that will be) to begin setting money aside. Admittedly, with so many different types of retirement accounts, IRS rules,...
American Express logo
The Lucrative Amex Offers I've Used So Far ($800+)
It’s now been about a year and a half since I took the plunge and decided to apply for the Platinum Card from American Express. Since then, I’ve been making use of plenty of the card’s perks, from the included credits to the hotel status and airport lounge access — in addition to some of...
5 Tax Time Retirement Savings Options You Should Know About
As someone in their 30s, it can often be difficult to remind myself about the importance of saving for retirement. After all, imagining myself more than double the age I am now seems like an eternity away. But if thoughts of living out my days penniless don’t inspire me to start saving, I’ve found that...
moving boxes
The Hassles of Moving: What We Did Right and What I'd Change Next Time
It's now been six full years since my wife and I moved to Springfield, Missouri — a place neither of us had been to before we decided to relocate. In that time, we've lived in just one apartment, which also happened to be the only apartment we viewed during our exploratory visit to SGF in...
Moving boxes in empty room
Packing and Tossing: Decluttering as We Prepare to Move
A couple of weeks ago, I shared that my wife and I would be moving to a new apartment next month. While this move marks an upgrade for us, it's also a downsize as we'll be going to a one-bedroom unit from our current two-bedroom floorplan. Because of this, as we've been getting an early...
apartment kitchen
My Moving Dilemma — Is it Still Downsizing if it Costs More?
Over the past several months, I'd imagine that most people have been spending a lot more time in their homes. In turn, I'd be willing to bet that little things that may have only slightly irked them about their abodes previously have since been upgraded to full-on annoyances. That's kind of been the case for...
a pile of paper money
Money at 35: Assessing and Appreciating My Financial Life
Yesterday, I turned 35 years old. I find this significant for a couple of reasons. First, it means that I've advanced to yet another box on most demographic surveys. Second, and likely more importantly, it means I'm now halfway to aging out of this website moniker! Kidding aside, this minor milestone comes at a time...
2021
My 2021 Goals — Personal, Professional, and Money
Welcome to 2021 — it doesn't seem that different, does it? Half-jokes aside, while the ghost of 2020 continues to haunt the start of this year, there is some hope on the horizon. And now that the year is officially underway, I figured it was time to share some of what I hope to accomplish...
shoppers holding bags
10 Shopping Tools to Try This Holiday Season (and Every Day)
What’s that sound I hear? Could it be jingle bells? Nope, sorry — it’s just the sound of cash registers scanning away as the holiday shopping season is officially upon us. Given the current circumstances, fewer people are cruising around town looking for deals and are, instead, doing the majority of their shopping online. Luckily,...
Make This World Better
5 Ways to Be More Generous (When You Can)
In the past, I've covered all kinds of what I call "money milestones" on this site. These range from having an emergency fund to starting investing, to buying a house and beyond. However, perhaps one of the biggest money milestones is having the means to be generous. Given the rough year that nearly all of...
stacks of money and a piggy bank
The Top 3 Banking Accounts Options I'm Currently Keeping My Cash In
As I've bemoaned several times on this site before, I have too many bank accounts. That's because, when I review these products for Dyer News, I like to get hands on and really test them out for myself — not to mention keep up with the numerous updates. Truth be told, I actually don't mind...
Featured Articles
How Chase Just Got Me to Keep My Sapphire Preferred Card
A couple of weeks ago, my wife received replacement cards for our Chase Sapphire Preferred in the mail. This served as our reminder that, if we did want to downgrade the card as we'd been talking about for years, now would be the time. See, I'd convinced her to get the card while it was...
How Utilization Impacts Your Credit Scores: My Real-Life Example
You may already know that Credit Utilization is the second-largest factor FICO considers when determining your credit score. Specifically, it makes up 30% of your score, topped only by Payment History at 35%. But what does that look like in practice? Well, I recently got the "opportunity" to see firsthand. In April, I elected to...
Travel Tuesday: Allbirds Weatherproof Hightops - How They Compare to Mizzles
As I've mentioned more than a few times before, after purchasing a pair of water-resistant Allbirds Runner-Up Mizzles a few years back, they quickly became my go-to travel shoe. That's because they're not only comfortable but also help protect my feet from wet weather while on the road (there are few things I hate more...
This New Hardshell Carry-On Luggage Option Has My Attention
Welcome back to another Quick Tip — and the latest edition of our occasional, unofficial series Things Kyle Wants to Buy. When I returned from my most recent trip, for some reason, I had hardshell luggage on my mind. That's strange because my current soft-sided luggage has served me well and, moreover, I've traditionally not...