Dear Penny: Can I Buy My 14-Year-Old Her Dream Home on My $45K Salary?

Real Answers for Life’s Money Challengesby Robin Hartill, CFP®Senior EditorI am a 37-year-old mail carrier and make $45,000 a year. With overtime, I hit around $50,000. My salary increases slowly every year until I max out at $71,000, which takes 13 years to reach, and I’m only two years in. I live in Massachusetts which is incredibly expensive and not livable on my salary. I have a daughter and have been

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The 7 Best High-Interest Checking Accounts for March 2022

Best for Overall PerksAxos Rewards Checking1.00% APYBest for No Overdraft FeesAlly Interest Checking Account0.10% – 0.25%APYBest for Highest APY on the MarketConsumers Credit Union2.09%-4.09%APYBest for Overdraft ProtectionSoFi Money0.25%APYby Kathleen GarvinContributorWhen you think of interest-generating bank accounts, your mind likely goes to savings. After all, that’s your reward for building an emergency fund or socking away money for a future expense, right? A regular, end-of-month deposit into your savings account, courtesy

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How to Prepare for an Interview

by The Penny Hoarder Staff Are you quitting your job, like so many others during the Great Resignation? We all want to leave that crummy job and land our dream job instead. And the job interview is the single most imposing part of the process. That’s where your new job is ultimately won or lost.How can you do better in job interviews? You need to prepare. Seriously, you need to

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Want to Be an Executive Assistant? Here's How.

by Kari FaberStaff WriterExecutive assistants have some of the highest job satisfaction rates around. They report high satisfaction when it comes to flexibility and are the second-highest paying job you can get without a degree. They provide high-level administrative support and are a supportive force in a company, as they keep senior leadership highly organized.Think becoming an executive assistant might be the right job for you? Read on to learn

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4 Food and Drink Side Gigs To Make Extra Money

by Robert BruceSenior Writer As the world slowly recovers from the COVID pandemic, there’s certainly a growing demand to get out and eat good food again. Maybe even have a carefully curated cocktail or a craft beer. But there’s been a shift in the hospitality industry. Some workers simply aren’t coming back, while others are looking to go a different route in the business. That means there are opportunities to

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Here’s Exactly How to Shop for Car Insurance in 2022

by Rachel Christian, CEPF®Senior WriterWhen it comes down to it, auto insurance can be one of the most important things you purchase all year. But finding the right policy can feel like a daunting task.Whether you’re buying your first car or trying to save money on your current policy, it’s important to explore your options.With a little preparation, you can get a good policy with the amount of financial protection

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What’s Your Next Splurge? 5 Tips for Saving Up for It Faster

by Mike BrassfieldSenior WriterWhat’s your next big purchase? What’s that one thing you really want?Is it a new phone? A new car? A used car? A fancy dress? Expensive shoes? A laptop?Or, wait, let us guess: You’re planning a big trip, aren’t you? After a year of COVID, you’re thinking about your next big vacation.Whatever your next major splurge is, you ought to start saving for it now. The more

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H&R Block Online Review 2022: Easy Tax Filing for All Types of Filers

by The Penny Hoarder Staff Tax season: It’s upon us. And just as the old idiom says, it’s about as pleasant a part of life in the U.S.  as death. Which is why there’s a whole industry built around helping you file your tax return. And H&R Block is the veteran leader of the industry, around whose hearth we gather to hear tales of tax seasons of yore, when our

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Find a Job With a 'To Whom it May Concern Letter'

by Quinten PlummerStaff WriterA “to whom it may concern” letter greeting has never really been accepted as cordial in business correspondence, or even informal correspondence.It’s certainly formal, but definitely not personable. It sounds like you’re about to launch into a customer service complaint or an emphatic demand to speak to the manager.So what do you do when you want to apply for a job, but you don’t have a contact

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Citibank Now Lets You Avoid Overdraft Fees

by Timothy MooreContributorCiti will eliminate all overdraft fees, returned item fees and overdraft protection fees by summer 2022. Citi’s decision is significant because it’s the first of the top five U.S. banks to make the move.Gonzalo Luchetti, CEO of U.S. Personal Banking at Citi, said in a statement that the mega-bank now offers “the most consumer-friendly overdraft practices” in the banking business.Two bigger banks — Bank of America and Wells Fargo

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