Morning!
Had a calendar item pop up to post about this today, and then realized what good timing it was coming off our post last week on women who earn more than their spouse!*
This new book isn’t exactly focused on that, but after reading it I’m sure anyone who’s not already earning more will be at the end of it if they implement the tips ;)
It comes from financial expert and Today show financial editor Jean Chatzky, and is called: Women with Money: The Judgment-Free Guide to Creating the Joyful, Less Stressed, Purposeful (and Yes, Rich) Life You Deserve.
Here’s a clip off its Amazon page:
Ask successful women what they want from their money and they’ll tell you: independence, security, choices, a better world, and–oh yes–way less stress, not just for themselves but for their kids, partners, parents, and friends. Through a series of HerMoney Happy Hour discussions (when money is the topic, wine helps) and one-on-one conversations, Jean Chatzky gets women to open up about the one topic we still never talk about. Then she flips the script and charts a pathway to this joyful, purpose-filled life that today’s women not only want but also, finally, have the resources to afford.
Through Chatzky’s candid three-part plan–formed through detailed reporting with the world’s top economists, psychiatrists, behaviorists, financial planners, and attorneys, as well as her own two decades of experience in the field–readers will learn to:
1. Explore their relationships with money,
2. Take control of their money, and
3. Use their money to create the life they want.Women With Money shows readers how to wrap their hands around tactical solutions to get paid what they deserve, become inspired to start businesses, invest for tomorrow, make their money last, and then use that money to foster secure relationships, raise independent and confident children, send those kids to college, care for their aging parents, leave a legacy, and–best of all–bring them joy!
Sound like something you’d like to read? For free? :)
Her publisher sent me a couple of review copies and if you want them they’re all yours… Just answer this question below in the comments or by emailing me, and you’ll be entered to win one:
What’s the one area of your finances that stresses you out the most?
Leave your answer by the end of the weekend, and we’ll be sure to announce the winners on the following Monday, April 1st (and won’t be mean and prank anyone ;)). U.S. addresses only, sorry!
To learn more, click here: Women with Money: The Judgment-Free Guide to Creating the Joyful, Less Stressed, Purposeful (and Yes, Rich) Life You Deserve.
And btw – I’m sure this book would help *anyone* with their money more, not just women! So don’t be shy about entering it if you really want it! (Or want to gift it to someone!) And remember that you can find almost all these books we feature here at your local library too 👍
It’s a beautiful world we live in :)
UPDATE: Giveaway now over! Congrats to our two lucky winners, Melinda B and Amanda B!
******
*A heartfelt thanks again to everyone who chimed in and shared their experiences and struggles on last week’s “earning more” post! My inbox exploded with comments and emotions, and it was all very eye opening – and inspiring! – to see. So thank you so much for taking the time and pouring it all out there!
**Links to book above are Amazon affiliate links
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My biggest money stress is saving enough for my kids college. I want them to enter the working world without debt, but it’s hard to dedicate enough $ to those funds after everything else is paid and funded.
Totally! It’s not easy being Super Mom!! :)
My biggest money stress is my student loans. I work for the government so I qualify for PSLF, but is it still going to be around by the time I have 120 qualifying payments? The interest is astronomical and I currently don’t make enough to pay much more than my minimum payment.
Good at managing money.
Terrible at earning money.
I’ve never been able to turn my competence/reliability at work into a decent salary.
That is a tricky one :(
I’m in the same boat and only recently (midlife) began to advocate for myself with some success. That process is uncomfortable as “likeability” takes a hit.
I currently work a job that will provide me with a pension (will it still be there when I retire? Who knows!). I won’t be able to retire and pull from social security. How do I plan for retirement when my options may disappear before I even get there?
That’s what IRAs and other investments are for! :)
The one area of finances that stresses me out the most is trying to pay off student loans and sav e at the same time.
The one are of finances that stresses me the most is feeling like it will never be enough. It is likely that we will need to support not only my parents but also my husbands, and then it’s also likely at some point we will be stuck supporting a siblings family as well (for anonymity purposes I wont say on which side of the family). We both work and save as much as possible (half our income), but I am very aware it could all come crashing down.
That is a big one!! But what can you really do more than saving 50% of your incomes – that’s incredible!
My biggest money stress is worrying about saving enough for retirement & medical costs in retirement. I think I’m doing ok with my retirement accounts but worried about having enough to cover medical costs in future. Fortunately I’m pretty healthy right now and hope that continues! I am thinking that I’ll always think I don’t have enough though!
For those in good health and that have access to a high deductible health plan, I recommend getting into a HDHP and maxing out your HSA every year.
I have done this consistently since it was first offered and now have $69,000 saved specifically for medical. So far I have been able to cover all my medical expenses out-of-pocket letting the HSA funds stay invested and grow.
I expect to have $125K – $150K triple tax-protected saved by the time I retire in 5 years.
Now, if I just had some idea WHAT health plan options might be available then, I could make some firmer plans for early retirement.
Wow! Now that’s a hack!
Struggling with wanting to do all of the things! Save for a rental property investment, save for life circumstances, save for kids future, invest in our brokerage account, pay off student loans, buy a new-to-us car.
So long as you’re indeed *saving it* at least you’ve got 80% of it down :) It all increases the net worth!
I’m most stressed about retirement (I’m 30) because the future seems so uncertain when it comes to planning. We’ve already paid off student loans and pay off our CC balance every month, and have money saved for regular travel. I know we should probably contribute more to those retirement accounts but knowing what ballpark amount to shoot for is really tricky!
Wow, just reading everyone’s responses here is stressing me out! You’re brave, J!
Since I love anything free…
What stresses me out the most (right now) is what I shared in your post last week—not having full control now over my finances and having someone else who is also making financial decisions, with access to “my” money (and his). That, and right now we are selling (if we ever get it on the market) his condo. It’s been tough with the new big house mortgage and that mortgage and condo fees on our back…not to mention doing all the “necessary” upgrades to it so it will sell. I said “you bought it with that old kitchen and ugly carpet…you just need to find a schmuck like you to buy it!” Hey-o! I’ll be here all week, try the veal. Anyway, if you can’t tell, the improvements weren’t my decision! I keep worrying that the thing will end up staying on the market another 6+ months and/or the sale price will end up losing money and then some, due to the improvements…which will really set us back. I had thought when we moved in December it would be maybe until February when it was listed…and you see where we are now. It will be April. We’ve been making do but it will catch up with us, for sure.
On the plus side, you’re good at cracking me up with those comments ;) “find a schmuck like you to buy it!”- almost spit out my drink!
My biggest money stress is my debt at the moment, but retirement also looms large in my mind. I am saving for it, it just never feels like enough.
What stresses me out most about my finances is….doing taxes. And planning for taxes in retirement. I’m trying to educate myself in advance about tax efficiency during the distribution phase so I’ll know how to navigate it all.
My biggest financial stress is our debt. Going back to school added quite a bit and then there is a small hole we dug for ourselves during that time that we need to dig out of. We are better with our spending now but it’s frustrating seeing how long it will take before we can really start saving.
My biggest money stress….now that my husband are both recently retired I’m worried that we will not be smart enough to pull out our savings in the MOST financially smart and tax advantageous way..
Do you follow MadFientist.com? He’s got a LOT of great posts around this sorta stuff.
My biggest financial stress is our debt and the fact that my husband is horribly underpaid at his job so we are not making the headway we had originally planned to make.
My biggest stress is making sure I can help my daughter with college until she finishes (three more semesters to go!). I don’t want to see her racking up too much in loans but I also don’t want to stress my finances and not have enough in my emergency fund because I am helping her.
Right now the aspect of finances that stresses me out the most is having a husband who is a chronic spender. To me, any extra or unexpected money should go toward a specific goal (investing, mortgage payoff). To him, it’s just surprise spending money. We’ve developed a great budget, but it’s still a struggle to get on the same page sometimes.
My future fear is the knowledge that in the next 10-15 years I will most likely be taking care of my parents financially, possibly also physically. I’m only 26, that “adult” reality really freak me out!
I think your husband needs an “allowance” ;) Only call it something much more cooler and subtle like “blow money” account haha…
Health care is the financial area that stresses me most. It’s the one area I cannot control. I can control where I live, what I spend on food and clothes, and what kind of car I drive. But if, God forbid, disease or accident requires me to undergo extensive hospitalization and perhaps some sort of long-term care, I could lose everything that I have worked for all my life. There is long-term care insurance, but when I met with a financial advisor (a great perk paid for by my workplace–anyone who signed up got advice and a retirement projection), she said that after 50, just forget it, it costs way too much. So in an uncertain world I am stressing over the most uncertain and potentially expensive area of all.
Agreed – that is scary(ily unpredictable) :(
What is stressing me out about finances at the moment is taxes. I’m never prepared and always so unorganized. One would think I’d learn but I don’t.
What’s the one area of your finances that stresses you out the most?
Retiring early, believe it or not. I feel like my wife and I have done enough to prepare our retirement accounts, but there is so much more research to be done about how to sustain ourselves with the smartest, cheapest (in the tax sense), and least hassle investments until such time as we can access our retirement accounts. I have absolutely every intention of “retiring” early, and I need to figure out how to better prepare for the gap between retiring and age 69.5. It stresses me out on the daily.
I hope there’s a little *excitement* in that planning too!! Just think of all the freedom you’re going to have once it arrives! Even if you want to apply it to hacking your finances even more! ;)
As a federal worker who does not receive overtime, I struggle to work 60+ hour stressful weeks and then not come home tired, thinking I “deserve” to order in or buy something online. My straight salary is what I have to work with, and it needs to cover expenses, student loans, and retirement – not new shoes or pizza. I know that, but I have trouble making the right choices sometimes.
My biggest financial hurdle is paying off the mortgage before retirement. Retirement is about 7 years away and we still have 15 years left in the mortgage! We’re trying to pay extra, but we also are saving for retirement. We don’t go out much, cook meals at home, bring lunch to work. Yep, doing everything possible to get to the finish line, retirement, without debt!!! Would love that book. Please and thanks!!!
I’m stressed that our money isn’t invested the optimal placed.
What’s the one area of your finances that stresses you out the most?
Debt. No doubt about it. I want to be debt free. That will really feel like freedom when I am not paying anyone for the right to borrow their money!
My biggest financial stressor is my student loans. I have law school debt but I don’t make a “lawyer salary,” so I’m on income based repayment for what feels like will be forever. I know this will affect my future, in that I doubt I’ll ever be able to buy a home if I decided I want to go that route, and having kids with six figures in debt sounds like a total nightmare move, let alone getting anyone to marry me (and my debt). This hangs over my head every single day, taunting me, and making me regret my decision to go to law school (and not leaving the program when I realized that practicing law wasn’t for me). *Sigh*
I’m sorry you’re having to deal with that – that sounds miserable :( But remember you can still live an awesome life (even full of love!) with or without debt!! Even though it’s not optimal! :)
I just wrote a post about money stresses yesterday! My biggest stress is not having enough money after retirement. I don’t want to worry about going back to work, not having enough for medical care and not living the way I want (proper long term care) when I get old.
Retirement! Do I have enough? How do you know when you have enough? Will I ever feel comfortable about what we have to retire?
My biggest financial stress worry is not being able to change the pattern of bad money choices. I feel like I try and become organized and I get my budget together and then I just nickle and dime myself to death with poor choices. The massive amount of student loan debt, the six figure credit debt and car loan debt, as well as medical bills is just enough to keep us spinning our wheels… Whew that was cathartic…
Haha good..
Also – have you ever tried working with a money coach before? Maybe a session or two with them could help you figure it out faster? :)
The biggest financial stressors in my life are debt and just general monthly budgeting.
I am a recently divorced parent. The divorce got unnecessarily really really ugly and, therefore, really really expensive. I was doing a or decent job of tackling credit card debt, but no one has money sacked away for divorce, so all my lawyer’s fees went on plastic and we’re borrowed from my parents. Thankfully, through work, I was able to put my credit card in a debt management plan with, like, 1% interest, but it’s still a good chunk every month. On top of that, despite their assurances, I feel pressure to pay my parents back for both the many thousands of dollars in divorce fees and their portion of my student debt.
Don’t get me started on student loan debt!! I graduated in 2007, so I should be free and clear, right? Wrong!! I was young and love-blind, so I graduated and moved abroad. For three years, I sometimes had my loans in forebearance, I was often in default, and occasionally I’d make a payment. I think, at the time, I thought that if I ignored then long enough, they’d go away. (Spoiler: they don’t!!) Now I work a job (with some intentionality toward it) that qualifies me for PSLF, but looks like that won’t happen, either.
I was going to tell you about my first six months using YNAB and my love affair with it, but this is already too long. Briefly, coming out of a really abusive situation where no one was driving the finance car, it feels so good to begin to learn about, take intentional action around, and have fun with managing my money.
Thanks!!
GOOD!! I’m glad there’s a happy ending there as i was getting really sad for you!! :)
so true about this too — “no one has money sacked away for divorce”.
that needs to be an epic blog post or book or something, dang…
My biggest financial stressor is saving enough for retirement
My biggest financial stress is that I’m torn between paying off debt and saving for the future. I don’t want to lower my take home pay for my 401k if I have the chance to pay off my debt. And I need enough take home to pay for home projects. None of them are cheap! Yet I would love to be able to max out my 401k, etc, to ensure my retirement in the future.
The one area that stresses me out the most is investing.
Taxes, tax time stresses me out because we always have to pay in and I always worry that I didn’t hold enough back and invested too much. Luckily my accountant knows this and when he gives me an estimate before tax time he shoots high.
My current biggest stressor is spending money to fix my house to make it sellable
My biggest financial stress is learning to say no to things I want now and save for them. I was debt free last March but now have thousands in credit card debt again. It’s also hard to save for retirement when you don’t make enough to live on. Fortunately, I do have a small emergency fund but that’s it.
Well if you can do it once you can do it again!! I have faith!!
Biggest stress by far is saving and investing enough money for retirement and especially weighs on me since my pattern does not work.
My biggest financial stress is the credit card debt I am tackling. It keeps me at a job I would love to leave far longer than I like, mainly because I take repaying the debt very seriously since I accepted the spending in the first place. The stress is compounded because of my pending divorce and continued struggles with unauthorized transactions surrounding it.
Ugh…
Why are people so horrible to those they once loved?!
Two things come to mind…The financial area in my/my families life that stresses me out: that we still havent sat down to create a will. Its been on our forever to do list, but there are a few things we cant come to an agreement on – so we just delay.
Also, since i handle all the finances of our household, that if something were to happen to me, my husband will just hand over the reigns to a financial advisor and get screwes over.
What’s the thing you guys can’t agree on? You don’t often here about that, at least here in the $$$ world… very curious to know (if you don’t mind!).
Awesome giveaway! Hmm..what stresses me most about money? I will say it is paying down my debt, and creating wealth for my retirement.
My biggest stress at the moment is finding a way to earn enough that I live in a way that aligns with what I value the most.
My biggest financial stress is trying to earn more at the job I currently have. My job will provide a pension, go working for the government, but that also means they usually pay not too well along the way. I feel like I’m trading my present for my future.
Well J, I have worked for 46 years and at 1st we really had to scramble to get that first down payment our house.Since then I made enough money to never be concerned about how much I had. Now semi-retired, I still have enough money now but for the first time in my life I am actively managing our money rather than putting it in places and then ignoring it. It makes me regret that I did not start managing money many years ago. As a lucky Canadian, I will not be entering your contest. Bev
Thanks for stopping by and playing though! :)
Recently it’s been retirement saving. We save a lot each month, but that just started in the last year (we’re in our early 30s). Wish I could have those 20s back to save more!
It’s also tough because it’s hard to know what to shoot for. I know the 4% rule and the $1,000 rule, but when I go into retirement calculators for detailed planning, they range from saying I need $2 million to $5 million or more…and who knows what’s going to happen with Social Security by the time I retire!
Those calculators are bonkers – i can’t even stand the haha…
My biggest financial stress is “comparing and despairing”. I KNOW that the Joneses next door are having sleepless nights due to their credit card debt and their over mortgaged house… But I still covert their Instagram holidays and fancy cars. Ugh! So silly!
haha… at least you’re keeping it real with yourself!
My biggest stress is my debt. Ugh.
I am the “breadwinner” in our home and we have a new baby to provide for – there is a lot of pressure for me to perform at work to provide for my family. My husband is a wonderful father and takes the lead on child care but I take the lead on finances and budgeting. The one thing that stresses me out the most about money is making the time to do financial planning. It seems so overwhelming and where to start! (aside from following great financial blogs like yours).
Might be time for a money coach or advisor? Even just a session or two might really help with that outside perspective :)
I’m not sure I can pick just one area that stresses me out. I currently have young kids, so we are putting so much of the money that use to go to paying off school loans and saving for retirement (up & above the minimum payment & company match) just to cover day care. I have such limited funds left over and struggle with where it should go. Then, as soon as I get 3 months of expenses saved up, we tend to have one or another thing pop up that nearly depletes it. That goal alone seems like a never ending roller coaster. Thanks for all your wonderful posts! Keeps me confident that some day I’ll make good progress on our family financial goals!!
Good! I’m glad! And remember that it’s all just a phase too! As we all get older and wiser – and hopefully more raises/promotions over time – that expenses to income ratio should change more in your favor :) So hang in there!! And just do your best!
My biggest financial stress, thank God is wanting to invest more – but nervous to take the plunge outside of having a 401K and a Roth IRA. I’m so grateful these are my currently my biggest “stressors”…I feel as time continues to pass by, I am missing out on the magic of compound interest with more aggressive investing.
I recently started dating someone who’s job involves futures trading and some small scale real estate investments. I’m hopeful to continue on my own path of financial education and apply this to my own life, to contribute to this new relationship and move towards a teamwork approach to managing finances as a couple!
That person you’re dating needs to slip you tips amongst your cuddling ;)
My biggest stress is deciding what to spend now and what to save for the future. I want to save as much as possible for the future but don’t want to make too many sacrifices now while my kids are young. We’re debt-free and doing all the responsible retirement/college savings but always feel “YNAB-broke” and find myself resenting unexpected expenses (ALL the kids shoes! Every 3 months!) or unsure of what to say “No” too (sports camp, dance classes, eating out, weekends away, etc.). Can we afford it? Yes. Will be able to retire early? No. (maybe 60) But do I want to sacrifice a bunch of time/memories/activities with my kids now just so I can selfishly retire as soon as they are out of the house? That’s the struggle.
Note: I grew up in a very frugal household but then my parents retired early and now travel extensively, have a 2nd home, etc. I have some resentment about this and don’t want my kids to feel the same.
I love that phrase “YNAB-broke”! I get paid from work on the 25th of each month but am always “YNAB-broke” until the 2st of the following month when my YNAB budget kicks in!
Never heard of YNAB broke – that’s hilarious!!
And I agree the struggle is real with kids! But I try to remind myself that all they REALLY want deep down is our *time*, so as long as i’m giving them that i know i’m at least doing 80% a good job :)
My biggest money stress right now is asking for and earning what I’m worth, as well as saving as much as possible for an early retirement.
Biggest stressor is definitely just knowing what to do with my money. I listen to all these podcasts and hear about real estate investing, stock market, 401k, etc., and I feel paralyzed! It doesn’t help that I grew up with a “if you have it, spend it” mindset.
I am concerned about saving enough for retirement knowing that social security will likely be a distant memory by the time I will retire. I would love to know if I’m doing enough and how to engage a trustworthy financial advisor instead of always working with my “work supplied” advisor.
Here’s a list of money coaches in our community that might help?
https://directory.rockstarfinance.com/coaches/money-coaches
I’ve been in sales for most of my career (I’m 36 and have been in sales for 10 years) and my biggest stress is that I’ll never land another client and earn another penny. You can earn a decent living with a pretty low success rate, but sometimes you just want to give in to the self doubt that creeps in in this line of work.
My biggest money stressor right now is saving up to buy a house in a (very) expensive market.
My biggest money worry is twofold: paying off my own student loans and saving for my children’s college expenses. It seems like I can only do one or the other at a time, even though they seem like the same thing (but with a big difference – interest!).
I’m a decent saver and budgeter, and intellectually I get that investing is the thing to do with excess savings, but I am having a terrible time jumping off that cliff. I’m clinging to the security of federally insured dollars. I know how ridiculous that is, and knowing that stresses me out.
I am the exact same way and have the exact same worries.
At least you HAVE that extra money and it’s cash!! that’s 80% of the solution! Now to just figure out what makes you the most comfortable with it :)
My biggest money stress is my non-existent emergency fund.
As a “high functioning” (hate that term) autistic who is doing good just to hold down a menial job and still lives her parents my biggest financial stress is how the bleep am I gonna support myself when they are gone.
Oh woww…. that is something completely out of my realm here but I hope so bad that you do find a good solution/plan!! I wonder if there’s any good blogs around this stuff – there has to be, right?
ONE area?? How to choose just one – ha ha. I guess my first would be figuring out how to account for my spouses spending in retirement – it’s a bit unknown at this time [he has his own business, and is a spender at heart – but he’s come a long way]. After that – the insurance issue everyone seems to worry about. And lastly – hoping that my kids (currently teens) will be self reliant and fully successful by then.
My stressor is saving enough to start early retirement within 4 years.
I’d love to read this one!
What stresses me out most about personal finance is the possibility of caring for my parents in their older years. If I were only thinking about whether I myself will be prepared, not worried. But add my parents into the mix, whom I would definitely want to care for if they needed it, and the numbers get skewed and anxiety starts setting in.
Definitely how to manage savings and investments. It’s just incredibly overwhelming.
What stresses me out the most about my finances: I’m great at saving, but not so great at understanding how to invest and maximize my savings to include cash, 401k, and stock!
As you can see from the comments, you are definitely not alone here!
My biggest money stress is the cost of healthcare.
I think my biggest stress when it comes to money is saving enough of it. Every time I get a nice nest egg set aside, Murphy hits.
My biggest stressor is student loans! I don’t have credit card or other bad debt, but still feel like I’m drowning. I work in the non-profit sector in part out of passion for what I do but also because of the Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. So, I make very little and am not able to pay down the loans completely, but if I stick with it I can also have my debts paid off in a few years. I’m constantly worried that I’m trapped in this job or sector and can’t move to the private sector and make more money or that whoever is in office will rescind the PSLF and I’ll not only make the USD equivalent of two pennies and a hug but will have this massive debt I can never pay off.
My biggest stress would be tackling my debt, both consumer and student loans. I’m constantly trying to think of ways to make more money, questioning if I’m focusing on the best debt first and constantly re calibrating my budget and spending. It’s an easy rabbit hole to go down!
My biggest money stress is saving for retirement. I’m doing it, yet every time another alarmist article (“You need one gazillion dollars to retire!”) comes out, I wind up second-guessing myself.
i wish those damn articles would stop!!! they do so much harm than good!
I stress over the balance between short-term and long-term savings. Sometimes I find myself too invested (pun intended) in my retirement goals that I forget about saving for things that bring me happiness in the present (ie I haven’t been on an international trip in ten years). Finding the right balance is hard!
After reading everyone’s comments, my stressor pales in comparison. So in case I win, please pick another person more deserving.
Thanks to everyone for their vulnerability and openess.
yess!! hearts are pouring out today!
As a single mom with two jobs, my financial mentality is one of deficiency even though I get bills paid. I have great credit and stay mostly debt free. However, my house needs significant work, I have insufficient retirement, little savings, and a fear of investing. I’m likely to be 80 years old with $10K in cash stashed under my mattress.
What stresses me out currently is hoping that I provided my young adult children with sufficient guidance as they begin their careers and manage their money. I want them to learn from our mistakes and make good choices. I have always stressed to them to decipher between “wants” and needs”. I know my daughter would benefit from reading this book……hope I win.
Biggest stressor is the unknown cost to take care of my mother. My mother is an amazing woman who raised two pretty kickass women on her own. My sister and I have already demonstrated we can and will work together so that is nice not to worry about but my mom has no retirement no savings and is on disability so it will land squarely on us. Want her to have a great life as she gave up a lot for us but with unknown health costs and assistance…it’s unnerving. Really it’s my absolute lack of control that scares me.
You’re gonna make me cry!!! I’m sure you two will handle it just fine!!
My biggest money stress isn’t mine, but my sister’s. She doesn’t seem to worry about it, but then she also doesn’t have a savings account, a reliable car, a full-time job, health insurance, and so on. She does bemoan her financial state, yet does too little, too late when it comes to her finances. Everyone in the family has bailed her out previously, but those days are gone. At least, I hope they are. She wants to be financially secure, but not enough to actually do anything about it.
Sometimes we gotta figure it out on our own :(
My biggest money stressor is probably trying to make sure that my husband and my boys know what money is, the state of their finances, and how to access the resources surrounding their money.
I recently told my husband a funny story how our mortgage provider (2 years now) sent me a letter saying that we were $0.0545 over escrow, so would we like to adjust our minimum monthly payment to be the same as now, for a 12mo difference of $0.00, or would we like to adjust to the same as now, for a 28yr difference of $0.00? If we didn’t respond, they would assume that we would like to adjust our minimum payment to be the same as now, with a 12mo difference of $0.00.
My husband didn’t recognize the name of our mortgage provider, and he didn’t know what escrow is.
I use an app called Rooster Money to track my boys’ allowance (base pay), and the odd jobs I am offering to pay them extra for, with pay rates. I believe managing their money and chores with an app gives them experience in 1) gig economy, where you choose a job and the pay rate, and work when you want to, 2) managing the funds you have, with buckets for spending, giving, short-term goals, and long-term goals (with interest set by me), and 3) the nearly all-digital world they are going to be in when they truly enter the job market. When I started using this system, I made sure both boys had the app installed and knew their logins, and could send me a text via the app to reset their login if they forgot it. They can make purchases online or in person using a debit card I set up for each of them with my bank, who sends me an email for any purchase over $0.01, so I take the amount out of their Rooster “account”. It’s a bit manual, but gives us flexibility and control, without paying an arm and a leg every month or year.
My boys (ages 15 and 11) recently told me that they have no idea how much allowance they have and they have no idea how to get more allowance and they have no idea how they could spend their allowance. My husband couldn’t answer their questions, even though he also has a parent account with the app and can approve/deny purchases and add/remove funds…
If I die, my men are all going to starve and be homeless, and that stresses me out.
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry here, but i’m definitely saving that note about the Rooster app for my growing boys, haha… You are too awesome.
What stresses me is to exercise the discipline not to buy too many of my wants.
My biggest stress with money is how hard it is to make larger purchases. I have several big projects that need to be done (tree removal, replace bathtub, new shed). I know about how much they will cost and am 95% set on who I want to pick to do the jobs. But I just can’t seem to pull the trigger – I worry about if I will be taken advantage of, if they will do the job they way I want it done etc.
Your mission this week: PICK *ONE* and make it happen!!
Just one!!! You can do it!! :)
Logically, I would go: tree, shed, then tub.
Usually tree-work is for something that could be a liability were it to fall and cause damage.
Then, the shed because you need a place to put the construction supplies/replacement tub.
:)
My biggest money stressors are our retirement portfolio mix, and a personal loan that we have. We’re working on the first; we have an opportunity to do some Roth IRA conversions in the coming years, and the personal loan is zero interest, but it’s going to take so many years to pay off that it stresses me out.
What’s the one area of your finances that stresses you out the most? Being the sole provider for myself and my son stresses me out! I’m constantly running the numbers… do I make enough money, am I saving enough, what if one of us needs to go to the emergency room, what if I lose my job?!?! There is no margin for error. No safety net. It’s just me. And I’m responsible for this magnificent little boy and a happy childhood and braces and college, and and and. And it stresses me out.
Do you get to spend quality time with him? If yes – at least you know he’s loved :)
My biggest financial stressor my (lack of) ability to earn money while struggling with chronic pain. I am lucky to have a nice nest egg, but I also worry about whether it is “enough” and wish I could pad it with some part-time income doing something I enjoy during the times I am feeling well.
What stresses me out the most about my finances: I’m great at saving, but not so great at understanding how to invest and maximize my savings to include cash, 401k, and stock!Always wanting to grow and learn more.
Thank you for all you do to help.
My biggest financial stressor is that I had 4 really low earning years, took 3 years off after a cross country move, and am working again, but again am not earning much and my employer doesn’t offer any retirement benefits at this time. I want to contribute more financially, because I worry about retirement constantly.
Trying to stick to a budget with my wife has been the most stressful area of our finances. I’m the natural saver and she’s the natural spender. I’ve yet to be able to figure out a good way to get her more on board and paying more attention to it all.
Try the “blow money” budget idea yet?
Yea, we each have a Blow $ fund and it doesn’t stop her from just doing as she pleases. The worst part is that it’s her debt we’re working on paying off (plus the house) and she started us on trying to fix the finances. Just very frustrating, but I can clearly see I’m not alone in being a bit stressed out.
Oh wow haha… you let us know when you find the magic trick then so we can share it around! ;)
My biggest stress is the possible major expense due to some calamity, like house damage or my family’s health, with no knowledge of how much it will all cost me until the very end.
Our biggest stress is retirement savings- we both got started on the ‘real’ career path a bit late, though it was fun being a dirtbag kayak instructor for a bit. We’re hustling to catch up and doing ok, but always want to do better.
Also balancing socking away money vs putting into house projects and two rentals is a constant second-guessing game. And then making time for the house projects (almost all DIY to make the money stretch) is literally a second, gruelling job.
My biggest financial stresses are trying to understand how to best invest the money we do save and trying to figure out how much I need to earn to support the balanced life I want to lead as a professional, wife, and mom. I would love this book to share with my children so they don’t struggle the way we have had to.
My biggest current $ stress is not knowing enough before buying our first house. Making mistakes in the process that could set us back in our FI journey!
My biggest money concern is my fluctuating paychecks. I am a commission only salesperson. So…basically I can go from a 12K paycheck to a $200 paycheck. Hard to plan when you never know how much you’ll have to work with.
Biggest money stress? I’m about to have my first kid! Negotiating that new path is for sure the cause of some sleepless moments lately!
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Laura
http://www.areweadultsyet.com
Congrats!!! At least the stress comes with a beautiful ball of joy! :)
The one area of my finances that stresses me the most: Wondering if deferring a lot of fun trips to the future is a mistake! Maybe I should do some of these trips soon even though my cash flow is low right now??
I think you should at least do *one* of them ;) All work and no play makes Liz C. a dull girl!
What areas do I stress the most about…being able to have enough money to retire and not having to work until I die. I don’t take many vacations in our house. I had spent the last ten years taking care of family members with dementia. Now, I am finalizing the estates. So, I am not financially fit by any means. I can make a decent wage in computers, but I have many years to catch up on, unfortunately.
My biggest money stress is paying off debt and trying to save for own child’s college education so he isn’t fighting student loans later.
Also, I highly recommend the book, Rich Bitch by Nicole Lapin.
My biggest money concern is balancing saving enough and investing for retirement and saving enough for purchasing a home and being able to fix it up how we want / when we want and have enough for issues that may arise and still making the family happy with what we can reasonably afford (this is the hardest and biggest stress of the whole scenario in my opinion).
My biggest money stress is not knowing if I’ll be able to pay my bills. I have a medical condition which may make me need to stop working before I have accumulated enough. Therefore I’m working hard to accumulate what I need ASAP.
Dang, I’m so sorry to hear that :(
My biggest concern is paying off the last of my debt, two cards down, two to go
My biggest money stress is not knowing how to use my money in retirement. I am 5 years away and I have several different investments. I don’t know what to draw on first, delay drawing on, etc. I have worked hard to educate myself on how to save for retirement and now that it’s approaching I don’t know what to do next.
Maybe a good time to consult with a financial advisor who specializes in that stuff?
My biggest stress is the bureaucracy around getting everything sorted. Overcontributed last year and figuring it out is really annoying
My biggest struggle is figuring out how to save enough for three kids for college while also staying on track with FIRE. It seems like you can never save enough!
The one area about my finances that bothers me the most.. is that despite making a good salary, having no debt and putting more money away than ever for retirement, I still can’t seem to build up an emergency fund or other types of savings accounts AND NOT TOUCH THEM! It seems as soon as I reach the goal, an expense or must-have purchase comes along and empties it out! Uggh…
What stresses me out more right now is that I don’t have three to six months of an emergency fund. I’m about 2/3 there to the three month but it will take years to get to six with my income.
Might be an echo chamber here, but Student loan is the biggest stresser in my life right now. I think what adds to that stress, is that I want to make sure that it was worth it.
My biggest financial stressor (until recently) was getting my husband on board with a long term financial plan. It’s still (and may always be) a stress in trying to reasonably account for unforseen expenses.
The one area of my finances that stresses me out the most is trying to catch up retirement savings. There’s only so much time left, so I’ve got to get creative!
I’m digging your blog name :)
Job stability and market definitely makes me worried.
I try so hard to keep my family afloat. I work 2 jobs. I dont sprend freviously. I budget and meal plan but for some reason my savings account stays the same as well as my debt. My retirement is going good though. The financial aspect is so tough…
It is a grind at times :( Hopefully you catch a break somewhere and things start turbocharging!
My biggest money stress right now is childcare. Living in Washington, DC we pay $22k/year for one child. We will be adding another in early fall. While we can technically “afford it” because our other expenses like housing are low and we have no other debt, it is a huge stress to know that we will be paying $44k next year so we can both work. It will be tight the next 3 years while they are both in daycare.
And I thought my daycare expenses were high. Holy moly!! I hope you can at least find a place with a 2nd sibling discount to defray even a portion of that cost. Best of luck!!
My biggest money stressors are worrying about my daughter’s student loans (approx $100,000) and the student loans we cosigned on (approx $35,000). I worry that she won’t be able to pay and we’ll be on the hook for that $35,000. I’m also worried about having enough money to retire in the next 6-8 years. My husband has a pension but we know how those can disappear (even though he was paid way less with the promise of a pension). He also has a 457 and I have a 401k and an IRA but I still don’t feel comfortable with the amount we’ve saved so far.
The financial area that stresses me the most is health expenses and planning for life after work when I have to get a personal price for health insurance that I can only imagine will be huge.
Returning to school and accumulating student loans for the first time in my life.
I took out student loans and got hosed when they were consolidated and am now trying to pay off almost $80,000. I stress out constantly about trying to pay these off while working for a non-profit.
My biggest money stress is balancing saving for my retirement, saving for my kid’s future, and feeling concerned that my parents/in-laws will become financially reliant on me due to they haven’t saved enough for their own retirement. I never had much appreciation for a sandwich generation until starting to have it stare me in the face.
My biggest money stress is two fold… first diversifying my portfolio, investments and savings so that I can confidently paint a picture for my future between retirement , college tuitions (plural) which is happening right now. Second…ensuring I understand whether the goals I have in place today will truly sustain me now and in the future
Biggest money stress for me is retirement……. wanting to make sure that I put enough away to not burden daughter but still be able to help family with their finances.
HEALTH CARE! nearly 2000.00 MONTHLY for my husband and I and that’s just the PREMIUM because we are self-employed and over 50. No medications, healthy weight, healthy lifestyle. We will be working long long hours until we hit Medicare age and that’s a few years away. This doesn’t account for the healthy living items we need to stay off of medications ie: whole food items, time away from working for exercise and meditation, supplements, bioidenticals, etc.
ACK!!! That is incredible!!
Up until last month, the biggest area of stress I had with my finances was my student loans. BUT, they were paid off and now my husband and I are debt free!
So now the anxiety has switched to focus on worrying that we both have the same access to our money. I make significantly more than my husband, but that’s a recent development. We were used to splitting everything pretty much down the middle, but now that doesn’t make sense.
We’re still working through the kinks to ensure we’re paying bills on time and from the correct account, saving enough, and having a little bit of fun with our money.
Well that’s a huge amount of money that gets freed up now I imagine!! Congratulations!!
Feeling like I’m underpaid. I work for a nonprofit, and while I make more than the median US income, I also have several degrees and know lots of peers who make significantly more. It can be tough to remind myself sometimes that the value of a job is more than just the stated salary…but that doesn’t keep me from being mildly resentful that I’m underpaid for a job that I mostly like.
Totally :( Thank goodness we have people like you in this world though or else it would be worse off than it is now!!
Investments stress me out the most. I don’t fully understand the stock market. :)
I think just figuring out my long-term financial plan is what stresses me out the most.
Trying to get my wife interested in finances and getting her on board with early retirement,
Retirement stresses me out the most. I need to pay off my mortgage and student loans as well as have sufficient retirement income.
The one area of finance that stresses me out the most is joint finances with my male partner who earns less than me. I find it really hard to meet half way on how we value money and what we want to put it towards. Our views are very different and justifying our spends to each other doesn’t always work. Thanks!
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