Finance Management

Free Checking Accounts: Start With a Credit Union

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Free checking accounts should do more than avoid monthly fees. Compare credit unions, banks, savings options, Zelle, and ATMs.

Free checking accounts should do more than avoid a monthly fee. I have personally used every institution in this comparison, including PenFed, Navy Federal, First Tech/DCU, Alliant, Capital One, Ally, Schwab, and Fidelity. Some are still part of my financial system today. Others are accounts I have used in the past. My first recommendation for … Read more

Spend Money Locally and Keep More of It Yourself

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Spend money locally instead of national chains. Simple swaps that save you real money every month while keeping your cash in your community.

You are not imagining it. Your paycheck used to stretch further. The same grocery order costs more. The same night out costs more. And yet you keep hearing that the economy is doing fine. Here is the piece nobody explains clearly: the economy actually is doing fine, just not for everyone at the same time. … Read more

Finance Management Apps: Copilot, Fidelity, and Monarch

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Finance management apps should make money simpler. Compare Copilot, Fidelity Full View, and Monarch. Read the simple breakdown.

Finance management apps promise one clean view of your money. Many just give you another screen to check. I currently use Copilot Money and Fidelity Full View. I no longer use Monarch Money. The best tool is not the one with the most features. It is the one you will use. Take control of your … Read more