Happy Tuesday, friends!
After 10+ years of studying personal finance, and 5+ years of interviewing money experts on our podcast, we have finally whittled down the perfect list of money saving advice…
Do this 👇👇 and you will be RICH:
1️⃣ Find the cheapest city to live in, and move there.
2️⃣ Bike everywhere, never buy a car.
3️⃣ Don’t go to college.
4️⃣ Get the highest paying job possible, even if you hate it.
5️⃣ Never eat out, or go on vacation.
6️⃣ Don’t give any money to charity.
7️⃣ If you get married, don’t have a wedding or buy your partner anything expensive or fancy. Oh, and don’t have kids… they cost too much.
(We should also note that following this exact list brings misery and sadness in life. But hey, you’ll be rich, and that’s the end goal, right?)
OK, ok… we’re kidding! 😜 Just wanted to remind everyone that while there’s a TON of money saving tactics out there (and most do actually save you money), if you take any advice or list *too literally* you may forfeit important milestones and sacrifice enjoyment in life.
There is no one-size-fits-all path to wealth. You get to design your own life.
Something to keep in mind this week… Money is not the only component of living a rich life. 😎
TO DO
Action of the week — Grab Some FREE Amazon Credit!
Amazon is offering their free gift card promotion again, and it’s in perfect timing for Father’s Day!
If you are a *first-time* Amazon gift-card buyer and spend $50 on Amazon gift cards, you’ll get a free $10 Amazon credit!! Use this code: USEGC222 at checkout. Also, if you reload the gift card with $100 or more, you get another $10! Woohoo! 🥳
👉 Grab it here on Amazon 👈 **expires June 24th**
ECONOMY
Is a recession coming?… Ask a stripper. 👠
I almost spit out my coffee when I read this news headline last week: “Strippers say a recession is “guaranteed” because the strip clubs are suddenly empty”
Huh?! Strippers can predict recessions? 🤔
Actually this isn’t the first time people have used strange indicators to measure the health of the economy. Here are a few other funny metrics and signs people have invented over time:
- Baked Bean Sales Indicator: It’s believed that a spike in canned goods purchases means people are bracing for hard times ahead.
- Baby Diaper Rash Indicator: When diaper sales go down, and rash cream increases, apparently a recession is coming because parents change their kids less to save money.
- Japanese Haircut Indicator: According to data collected, women cut their hair shorter before & during financial downturns to lessen the times needed to visit the salon.
- The First Date Indicator: Match.com noticed a strong pattern as users seek more companionship during hard economic times (misery loves company).
Are any of these actually true?
Well, it’s easy to collect data from the past and develop fun theories about the future. But the truth is most (if not all) indicators are just individual red flags. 🚩 Some have more merit than others, but there’s no single definitive sign that predicts recessions.
The best we can do is prepare for the worst, but remain optimistic about the best. (and not take any one news headline as official news that we’re all doomed)
Relevant resources:
- The Yield Curve Inversion: One of the most robust recession indicators people pay attention to.
- HTM Episode 503: We talk about recessions, and prepping for one.
- How to prepare for a recession: Whether one happens or not, it never hurts to solidify your financial footing!
- Stock market crashes (what to do and *not* do): Make sure you stay the course and remember your long term wealth building plan!
INVESTING
Nerdy chart of the week… 🤓
Over the past 20 years, the S&P 500 has returned an average of ~9.4% return each year.
BUT, do you know what your return would be if you missed just 10 of the best days of growth over the last 20 years?
This JP Morgan graph shows shows us… 👇👇👇
If you missed out on the 10 best days of market growth, your return shrinks in half!
And what were the 10 best days in the past 20 years?
I’m so glad you asked. Here they are 👇👇👇
Notice anything interesting about when these days occurred?
They happened during the biggest stock market crashes. (and if you go back further than 20 years, all the other best S&P 500 days happened during massive downturns as well)
Key takeaways:
- The best gains happen right after the worst losses.
- Missing just a few days of good gains impacts your portfolio more than you think.
- It’s best to remain invested during high volatility. That’s when the good days happen — don’t miss any!
- Before putting your money anywhere, understand the differences between saving vs. investing, and risks associated with each!
ICYMI
Noteworthy news and cool discounts!:
Loan Forgiveness 🙅
The Department of Education is cancelling $5.8 billion in student loan debt for borrowers who attended schools known as Corinthian Colleges. It’s not clear if/when more student debt relief will come, but it’s great to see these ~560,000 former Corinthian students getting aid.
Budgeting 💵
Bloomberg blew up the internet last week with this article: One-Third of Americans Making $250,000 Live Paycheck-to-Paycheck. 🤯 Goes to show increasing your income doesn’t necessarily solve bad spending habits. Lifestyle inflation is a real thing, mkay!
Sports 🏀
Congratulations to Lebron James, who just achieved Billionaire Status! Lebron is the first NBA player to reach this 1B+ milestone while still working (Michael Jordan was retired when he joined the billionaire club).
Flight Deals ✈️
I thought I knew everything about Google Flights… until Shannon posted this step by step flight search article in our FB group! It covers map view, price tracking, blank search queries, and other tips to find cheap flights! Thanks Shannon!
Saving 🛒
This awesome (and free) app called Flipp scans all the weekly ads in your area and neatly compares them item by item so you know where the cheapest things are. Try typing “steak” in the search bar and it shows all the current ads for steak.
COMMUNITY
Missing Money — really works!! 💵
We received a handful of responses from people finding missing money after last week’s email. Congrats! Many people found OVER $100!!!!
Other helpful tips from readers:
- Remember to search under previous addresses
- Search your friends/family members names to find them money, too! (then ask if you can have half when they claim it 🤣)
Have an awesome week ahead! Catch y’all again next Tuesday.
Best friends out 🍻
*****
* Advertiser Disclosure: How to Money has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. How to Money and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.
* User Generated Content Disclosure: Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
