101 Birthday Freebies — Celebrate With Free Stuff!

by The Penny Hoarder Staff Quick Navigation 101 Places to Get Birthday Freebies Food & Drink Entertainment Clothes & Shoes Beauty & Jewelry Miscellaneous Hooray! It’s your birthday! The last thing you should do is pay for stuff. So we’ve put together a list of 100 places where you can get birthday freebies, updated for 2022. Most of these places require you to sign up for their email list or

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What is Passive Income? A Guide to the Reality of Passive Income

Passive income sounds like a dream come true — earning money without any active effort. The reality is that there’s no such thing as 100% passive income. This type of income stream can better be described as frontloaded work: You have to put in time, effort, and (usually) money first to collect those passive returns. Even then, most passive income requires periodic maintenance and attention.That’s not to say that passive

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How Does Medicare Work? 7 FAQs About Benefits

by Robin Hartill, CFP®, Rachel Christian, CEPF®For most workers, retirement means an end to employer-sponsored health coverage. But your 65th birthday usually comes with a pretty sweet gift from the federal government: Medicare.But how does Medicare work, anyway?Whether you’re about to turn 65 or you’ve been enrolled in the program for years, now is a great time to brush up on the federal health insurance program, what it offers, what

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What Financial Freedom Means — And How to Reach it

by Kari FaberStaff WriterMaybe you dream of waking up next to the ocean on a gorgeous piece of land you own, surrounded by nature, with zero internet because you never need to work again.Or maybe you dream of waking up somewhere other than your childhood bedroom, without your parents nagging you to get a job and move out because you’re 35 years old.Financial freedom can mean something different to everyone,

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How Does Social Security Work? 12 Common Questions Answered

by Robin Hartill, CFP®Senior EditorYou probably know that saving and investing are essential to retirement planning. But just as important to the equation: Social Security planning.It’s impossible to overstate the importance of Social Security to retirees. The truth is, Americans aren’t saving or investing enough for a secure retirement. Without Social Security, approximately 4 out of 10 people age 65 and older would have incomes below the poverty line. That

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Digit App Review 2022: Is the Automated Neobank Right for You?

by Dana Sitar, CEPF®, Carson KohlerIn the span of two and a half years self-described “bad saver” Matt Wiley managed to save $4,300 without thinking about it.“It feels weird saying ‘I saved,’ because I really didn’t do anything,” he said.Despite being an editor at The Penny Hoarder at the time, Wiley admitted he’d never been good at putting money away.“I don’t have a good reason for why it has been

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Dear Penny: What's the Proper Courtroom Etiquette if I Evict My Daughter?

Real Answers for Life’s Money Challengesby Robin Hartill, CFP®Senior EditorI am planning to evict/eject my adult daughter if nothing changes. I’m wondering about the etiquette for such a court hearing. If it’s at a physical court, would it be wrong for us to walk in together? If it’s virtual, should we be in the same room? When speaking, should I refer to my daughter as “the defendant”, “Jane Smith”, “Jane”,

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16 Jobs That Provide Housing

by Robert BruceSenior Writer There’s a whole category of job opportunities that often gets overlooked: jobs that provide housing — for free. They include entry level jobs and seasonal jobs, and they run the gamut of industries and careers. What they have in common is a significant way to save money by letting you live where you work. That might be private rooms in a home or employee housing in

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A look into the Rich Life of a nomadic camper van couple

Let’s take a look at the nomadic Rich Life of IWT employee Jonathan and his partner, Lucy.We’ll cover everything: How and why Jonathan and Lucy decided to live a nomadic life, their camper van build details, the ACTUAL costs involved in living on the road, a few of their Rich Life moments, and more. You’ll hear about a skeptical mother, Andrew Garfield, two pit bulls and a shotgun, a pack of

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Here's Exactly How Much You Should Keep in Your Savings Account

by Kari FaberStaff WriterMoney is still a bit of a taboo topic among families and friends, which is why many of us don’t know what a normal amount is to have (or aim for).But thankfully, there’s an easy calculation to know the exact dollar amount you need to have on-hand in your checking account:It’s one or two months of your living expenses. That’s it! So if between rent, utilities, groceries,

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