Budgeting & Cash Flow

Are you on the lookout for a tool that simplifies your financial journey? Discover our insightful Rocket Money Review, your guide to mastering budget management and more. In the complex world of personal finance, Rocket Money app emerges as a beacon of hope. But does it really deliver on its...

Did you ever feel like you are making decent money but can't keep up? You are not alone. We all occasionally envy the homes and cars of our friends and acquaintances. But what does the phrase "keeping up with the Joneses" mean? What is the origin of the...

Are you fed up with traditional budgets that seem designed to suck the joy out of life? You're not alone. In fact, according to a Nerdwallet study startling 84% of people who try strict budgeting, spend more than they budgeted anyway. The good news? There's a better way to...

The average car buyer pays $2,300 more than they should because they don't understand the dealer's cost structure. Over 30 years as a financial planner, I watched clients make this mistake repeatedly. The gap isn't about car price negotiation skills. It's about information asymmetry. You must know the dealer's...

You’ve heard the common advice a thousand times: "stop buying lattes," "track your spending," "cut subscriptions." And while that's not wrong, it's also not the reason most budgets fail. In my nearly 30 years as a financial planner, I saw that budgets don't break because of a $5 coffee....

58% of small business owners say inflation is their biggest challenge in 2025—a record high. Meanwhile, 51% struggle with uneven cash flows, and 39% carry over $100,000 in business debt. Without a budget calculator, you're reacting to expenses instead of controlling them. Jumpt Directly To: Using The Business Budget Calculator Understanding Business...

Let's start with the hard truth: the 50/30/20 budgeting rule is a beautifully simple idea that is failing millions of Americans. In late 2025 I had a client, a sharp 30-year-old nurse I'll call Leah, sit across from my desk, utterly defeated. 'My rent alone is 45% of my take-home...

You've found it. The perfect apartment. One bedroom, $2,200 a month, 15-minute subway ride to campus. Location? Perfect. Rent? You can swing it. Then you read the fine print on the landlord's application: "Co-signer required. FICO score 700+. Annual income must be 80 times monthly rent." That's $176,000 a...

The data from 2025 tells a stark story. According to Bankrate's November 2025 report, 8 in 10 Americans didn't increase their emergency savings all year. By year-end, 1 in 3 Americans had NO emergency savings at all, with the median for those who did sitting at just $500 (down...

The return tracking shows "Delivered," but your bank account is empty. Days stretch into weeks, and frustration turns to anger. It's a maddeningly common problem that can make you feel powerless against a corporate giant. Salt on the wound, you still haven't received your Amazon refund yet. As a consumer advocate...