NewRetirement How NewRetirement Showed Me I Could Retire 5 Years Earlier Than I Thought (My Scenario Plan!) OMG! Imagine finding out the big playground party starts way sooner than you expected! That’s how I felt using NewRetirement! I put in all my grown-up savings info, my plans, my wishes… and their magic calculator showed me … Read more
Travel Hacking / Consulting How I Booked a $1000 Flight for $50 Using Credit Card Points (My First Hack!) I’d diligently collected points from a Chase Sapphire Preferred card sign-up bonus. Researching frantically, I found a United Airlines flight to Hawaii normally costing $1,000. By transferring my Chase points to United MileagePlus during a transfer … Read more
IdentityIQ IdentityIQ Alerted Me to Potential Fraud FAST: My Real Identity Scare Story Imagine getting a scary alert that someone tried opening a credit card in your name – terrifying! That happened to me, but thankfully IdentityIQ sent me a notification almost instantly! It felt like having a super-fast guard dog barking at danger! Because … Read more
App Development & SaaS (Software as a Service) How I Built My First App With No Coding Skills (Using No-Code Tools) I had an idea for a simple project management app for personal use but zero coding ability. Discouraged, I stumbled upon no-code platforms like Bubble and Glide. I chose Glide because it could turn … Read more
E-commerce & Dropshipping Explained How I Launched My First Shopify Store for Under $100 (And Got My First Sale) Facing layoff fears, Maya needed a side hustle fast. With barely $100, she grabbed a Shopify free trial, bought a $14 domain, and listed handmade resin coasters she already crafted. Photos were taken on her phone … Read more
Computershare / EquatePlus Navigating Computershare: How I Finally Figured Out How to Sell My ESPP Shares My cheap ESPP stock sat in Computershare like treasure locked in a tricky box! I wanted to sell some, but the website felt like a maze with confusing signs. Where was the “sell” button?! After clicking around, feeling lost … Read more
Stride How the Stride App Helped Me Find Thousands in Tax Deductions as an Uber Driver Wow! Like finding secret pockets full of money in my driving job! Being an Uber driver meant lots of confusing grown-up tax stuff! Then I found the Stride app! It automatically tracked all the miles I drove for work … Read more
Personal Shopping/Styling Services How I Made My First $100 Helping a Friend Shop for a Wedding Outfit My friend was stressed about finding an outfit for her cousin’s wedding. Knowing my love for fashion, she offered to pay me if I helped. We spent an afternoon shopping; I pre-selected options based on her style and … Read more
myFICO Why I Paid for myFICO (Even Though Credit Karma is Free) – The Real Score Difference! Ever wonder why the free credit score on apps like Credit Karma looks different from the score your bank sees? It felt confusing! I learned most lenders use FICO® scores, the ones myFICO.com provides directly! Paying for myFICO … Read more
Selling Crafts & Handmade Goods (Etsy, etc.) How I Made My First $100 Selling Crafts on Etsy (My Simple Start) I started small, listing just five hand-painted mugs I’d made as gifts. Taking photos with my phone near a window, I wrote simple descriptions focusing on the unique designs. I shared my new Etsy shop … Read more