FacebookXInstagramLinkedInRss

Personal Finance

We’ve put together a comprehensive list of personal finance posts, covering tips, banking, debt, saving and much more.  Learn to take control of your personal finances before they take control of you.

Pros and Cons of the 529 + Roth IRA Transfer: Is It Right for You?

529 plans haven't received much love from me in the past, mainly because they don't compete with their Roth IRA counterparts. However, thanks to the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022, you can now use 529's to fund both your favorite person's education and their Roth IRA. If you aren’t familiar with Roth IRA’s be sure to check out my posts Fund Your Roth and Roth vs. Traditional. And if you need more information don’t hesitate to reach out to Kristin or me. If you're a US citizen subject [...]

Pros and Cons of the 529 + Roth IRA Transfer: Is It Right for You?2023-09-13T15:55:58-05:00

2023 Best Credit Cards for Savers

Our 2023 top credit card picks for savers were dominated by our long time favorites Citi Double Cash Mastercard and Fidelity Rewards Visa Signature Card.  Each card continues to give us a straightforward 2% cash back reward year after year. HIT’s 2023 Credit Card Rankings Before I dive into our recommended credit card details it’s worth mentioning that these credit card recommendations are for Savers.  Savers live within their means, never carry a credit card balance, and use credit cards as a safe and convenient payment tool. [...]

2023 Best Credit Cards for Savers2023-04-17T13:32:07-05:00

Give More and Pay Less – Breaking down Private Foundations and Donor Advised Funds

Have you ever dreamed of what you would do if you had too much money?  I am not talking about dreaming of yachts, ponds full of hippos, and hanging with your entourage. I'm talking about your dreams of philanthropy, giving your neighbor a scholarship, stocking a food pantry, or funding a local psychiatric hospital. If you aren’t there yet, stay on our plan of living below your means, saving and investing and you’ll be there sooner than you’d expect.   Some of our HIT Family is living out [...]

Give More and Pay Less – Breaking down Private Foundations and Donor Advised Funds2022-08-30T11:36:45-05:00

Choosing a Health Care Sharing Plan

My Alternative to Expensive Insurance When reviewing health share plans we were drawn to Samaritan, which has been around since 1994. Samaritan describes themselves as “A community of Christians paying one another’s medical bills.”  This is exactly what it is,  those of us who signed up to be a part of this plan do not have insurance, and are committed to sending their monthly share to another Christian in need.  Samaritan is based in Peoria, IL. That means it’s just over the river from us, and there [...]

Choosing a Health Care Sharing Plan2021-12-10T13:14:21-06:00

Do We Need Health Insurance?

“Who is your health insurance through?”   “What do you mean you don’t have health insurance?”   “Your husband is an attorney, he should have health insurance through work”.     More often than not this is the start of my conversation with friends interested in learning about our health insurance.  About a year ago, my husband was promoted to partner at his law firm.  While we were celebrating, we learned partners are no longer employees and we would no longer have our employee sponsored health insurance. We had an option [...]

Do We Need Health Insurance?2021-12-11T13:46:12-06:00

Anxiety, the Last Hurdle Before Financial Freedom – Part 1

Severance Update In my last post, “No Power, No Water, No Heat, No Severance'' we were in the middle of a cold front that left us without electricity, water, and internet. This delayed all of my corporate work communications and the following week when the essential services came back online I received word on my severance request and... It was accepted. I am now twice retired, and can focus on HIT, family and friends. Financial Independence It has now been 3 months since retiring and financial independence has [...]

Anxiety, the Last Hurdle Before Financial Freedom – Part 12021-09-20T18:13:44-05:00

Financial Independence is Here!  My Reflections On How The Journey Began

In August 2020, Sarah and I met our financial goals.  We reached “enough” and will begin forging a new path, not driven by money.  The financial independence journey took me 37 years to accomplish and over half of those years I spent in the passenger seat.  This post is about my early days and is dedicated to family, friends and mentors who started me down the path to financial freedom. A collage of mentors from top left to bottom right. Uncle Chuck and myself on the farm, [...]

Financial Independence is Here!  My Reflections On How The Journey Began2020-12-14T17:00:46-06:00

2019’s Lifestyle Altering Bike vs. Ride Challenge

2019 was a lifestyle altering year where I committed to bike more than I drive.  The seed was planted in 2017.  We moved from the Four Corners to Houston Texas, purchased a home, flooded and re-built.  Due to Hurricane Harvey it took us longer than expected to settle into a normal routine, but when we did I soon realized how much I missed the regular occurrence of outdoor adventures with nearby and active friends.  It wasn’t long before my mind was racing on ideas to fill the gap.  [...]

2019’s Lifestyle Altering Bike vs. Ride Challenge2020-04-12T08:54:37-05:00

The Best 2020 Cash Back Credit Card for Savers

Christmas and the gift-giving season is usually here faster than we expect.  As you begin shopping for yourself and others, we want you equipped with the best credit card on the market.  There are many choices for each financial lifestyle stage (borrower, spender, saver) and reward goal (cash savings, college savings, travel, debt transfers) but at HIT our focus is on savers and cash back. There is plenty of competition in the credit card market, which is a benefit to the cardholder who can seek out the best [...]

The Best 2020 Cash Back Credit Card for Savers2019-12-01T18:17:17-06:00

I Have More Than Double The Likelihood of Dying As My Wife! Should I Buy Insurance?

Death and Disability - What’s in your future and should you buy insurance? I have a 1 in 2700 chance of dying this year, and my wife’s odds are 1 in 5900. If 1 in 2700 wasn’t sobering enough, being at the luxurious age of 35 I have a 50% chance of becoming disabled for 90 days or more before turning 65.  I find it easier to ignore the data and go on living with my head in the sand but in reality, I need the data to [...]

I Have More Than Double The Likelihood of Dying As My Wife! Should I Buy Insurance?2019-08-16T05:31:04-05:00

DIY Investing Is The New Norm And Here’s 10 Reasons Why

The golden age of investing is here.  The internet, discount brokerages, and free index funds have brought together a trifecta of investing bliss for DIY'ers. My savings journey started 12 years ago when I retired from professional baseball and started work as an engineer.  My initial thoughts as a saver was to find an expert in the field, a genuine financial advisor.  Unfortunately, at the time I did not look in the right places, and the more interviews I did the sicker I felt.  The research was leading [...]

DIY Investing Is The New Norm And Here’s 10 Reasons Why2019-02-07T20:03:05-06:00

Fund the Roth! Now Open to All Savers

The day after our home flooded, I went back for a few essentials that did not make our initial rescue.  The trip began with a friend and I sitting in traffic for 2 hours trying to cross the flooded bayou and finished with us wading through dirty water for about a mile.  As we came around the last corner and I saw our home, it hit me, I had I forgotten the house keys!  Sure enough, after wading through the last 100 feet of water the front door was [...]

Fund the Roth! Now Open to All Savers2019-03-01T16:11:13-06:00

Buy Smart, The Mental Purchasing Model in 7 Steps

This year has been full of firsts.  It was the first year we started as a family of 5, first time we moved cross country and into a new home together, first time we lived through a hurricane, and first time we re-modeled our home.  With these firsts came forth multiple opportunities to spend large sums of money. We purchased: a mini-van a new home home re-model an 11 unit rental complex 2 angel investments additional equity in HIT Capital Each one of these purchases could significantly shorten [...]

Buy Smart, The Mental Purchasing Model in 7 Steps2019-03-01T16:14:50-06:00

Personal Finance: Seven Things We Learned From The Flood

As Hurricane Harvey began to move East so did the waters gathered in the reservoirs North and West of our home.  After 4 days of torrential downpour the hurricane had moved on.  The sun was shining.  Then we fl......

Personal Finance: Seven Things We Learned From The Flood2019-03-01T16:16:17-06:00

19 Reasons to Eliminate Debt

1. Happiness The overarching reason why we want to become debt free is that it can lead to increased happiness. Here are 18 reasons for getting out of debt and how it can lead to a happier life: 2. Complexity Eliminating debt reduces the complexity of your monthly finances. No debt, means no more: tracking home mortgage interest in preparation for taxes, worrying if your adjustable interest rate will go up, and ensuring your loan payments are sent on time. 3. Stress The burden of borrowing and having [...]

19 Reasons to Eliminate Debt2019-03-25T16:13:26-05:00

The Top Bargain Hunting Site

With the shopping season upon us, let me introduce you to one of HIT Investments’ favorite deal sharing sites: Slickdeals. Slickdeals has over a million active members submitting, commenting, and ranking products they believe are selling at a discount. The members (myself included) and editors create an online shopping ecosystem that results in a never ending stream of product deals from reputable merchants. If you are looking for Christmas gift ideas, scroll through the front page deals. The front page deals are products from merchants that have made [...]

The Top Bargain Hunting Site2019-03-01T16:32:12-06:00

The Mailbag: 4 Steps to Improve Your Savings

The steady stream of questions and comments from interested readers has led me to the creation of a new HIT Investments Series: The Mailbag. Since I write for you, I might as well write about what interests you. The mailbag will be a recurring piece that responds to your questions, comments, and concerns. There will be no magic formula regarding what topics are covered. It may be that many of you are interested in one topic or it may be that one of you poses an interesting question [...]

The Mailbag: 4 Steps to Improve Your Savings2019-03-25T16:03:04-05:00

How to Make Money Work For You In 3 Simple Steps

While your savings rate gets you to the playoffs (the race for retirement), making it grow will win you the championship of financial freedom! That's why it's crucial that you learn how to make money work for you. A great way to grow your money is to invest a portion of it in the market, whether that be through stocks, bonds, real estate, ETF’s, mutual funds, or something else you believe will gain a positive return. Whenever investment professionals reference the idea of “making money work for you”, [...]

How to Make Money Work For You In 3 Simple Steps2022-08-26T16:15:08-05:00

The Crave to Save, or Lack Thereof

If you are even remotely thinking about retirement, our guess is that you have heard a number of vastly differing opinions on what decisions will most impact the age at which you can retire.  The primary lifestyle decision is whether you are, or going to become, a saver.  The benefits that savers experience over the spenders and the borrowers are vast, “5 reasons to live below your means” can give you a glimpse of a few of those benefits.   This may be a bit of a surprise coming [...]

The Crave to Save, or Lack Thereof2019-03-03T13:38:19-06:00

5 Reasons to Live Below Your Means

Living below your means is an essential step in your path to financial freedom. However, spending less than you earn goes against the consumer first culture we live in. Marketers do not profit from our financial well-being, they profit from our spending.  Go against the grain, spend less, earn more and be happy about it. Here's 5 reasons why: 1. Reduce Stress According to one study by the American Psychological Association, finances are the leading cause of chronic stress in America.  When you submit yourself to chronic [...]

5 Reasons to Live Below Your Means2022-08-26T16:11:06-05:00

What is Liquidity? Mastering Financial Liquidity

Liquidity is the ability to quickly convert your investment into cash with little or no loss in value. This is important if there is a possibility that you will need cash in the near future. For example, a down payment on a new home means that you can sell the house later and turn it into cash. But a property like that can take a while to convert. However, assets like bonds or stocks can be turned into cash fairly quickly. Cash is the most liquid asset, while [...]

What is Liquidity? Mastering Financial Liquidity2019-03-03T13:46:00-06:00

Risk – Who Cares?

If you are one of the 947 companies that rely on us (taxpayers) for a free ride, this newsletter is not for you; if you are a taxpayer without the bailout luxury read on and learn about two types of risk, tolerance and capacity.  Risk tolerance is behavioral based and risk capacity is goal based, each type is different but equally important in the process to knowing your investment goals. Risk Tolerance Risk tolerance is the degree in variability of investment returns that you, the investor, are willing [...]

Risk – Who Cares?2019-05-04T07:16:12-05:00

Time Horizon

This week we will continue on the path to knowing your investment goals by discussing what is my time horizon. Your answer to last newsletter's question, why am I investing?, will directly relate to how you answer this week’s question, what is my time horizon?. Time horizon is the period of time from when the investment is made to when it is liquidated or sold.  If your answer to why am I investing was to fund your retirement, then your time horizon is from now to sometime between the [...]

Time Horizon2019-03-03T13:52:03-06:00

Get Cash Back Rebates When You Shop Online With These Sites!

Maybe you're thinking of going on a huge shopping spree or perhaps, it's the holiday season and you want to make some purchases. Whatever the occasion, just about everyone can use a little extra cash and that's the purpose of cash back rebates! So today, rather than our usual investment talk, we’ll load your wallet with an online shopping tip that pays, therefore, saving you money! Plus you know what they say, 'If you don't save, you can't invest'. What is a Cash Back Rebate? A cash back rebate (not referring to [...]

Get Cash Back Rebates When You Shop Online With These Sites!2019-08-07T06:00:40-05:00

Know your Investment Goals – Why Do We Invest?

The next chapter in the investment fund series is "Know your investment goals".  I'll take you through an easy and repeatable process to help clarify how to choose the right investment goal(s). It is difficult to become a successful investor if you don't know your investment goals, thus we ask our-self.  Why do I invest? All our situations are unique, as no one investment goal is right for everyone.  If your goal is to purchase a home and your neighbor’s is to prepare for retirement, the specific investments [...]

Know your Investment Goals – Why Do We Invest?2019-03-03T13:53:44-06:00

Roth vs. Traditional

When investing in your retirement one of the questions you’ll need to answer is.... Should I invest in a Roth or Traditional investment vehicle?  Another way of asking the same question is, do I want to be taxed now or later?  The best retirement vehicle is tough to predict unless you know your financial future and tax rates.  Knowing the future may not be feasible, but becoming familiar with a range of potential outcomes is.  Bankrate created a Traditional vs. Roth Calculator for us to do just this.   If you [...]

Roth vs. Traditional2019-03-03T13:56:05-06:00

The 3 Financial Lifestyle Stages

“The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is a slave to the lender.”  -Proverbs 22:7. As we progress toward financial freedom, most of us will go through three financial lifestyle stages: borrowing, spending, and saving.  The first two, borrowing and spending, are stepping stones to achieving the final stage of saving.  Saving is the only stage with the power to progress us toward our ultimate goal of financial freedom. Borrower We are all born into the first lifestyle stage, the borrower.  As we grow up [...]

The 3 Financial Lifestyle Stages2023-04-13T12:24:52-05:00

The Best Cash Back Credit Card for Savers

Christmas and the gift giving season is usually here faster than we expect.  As you begin shopping for yourself and others we want you equipped with the best credit card on the market.  There are many choices for each financial lifestyle stage (borrower, spender, saver) and reward goal (cash savings, college savings, travel, debt transfers).  At HIT our focus is on developing savers and our credit card recommendation is to simply put the most money back in your pocket. There is plenty of competition in the credit card [...]

The Best Cash Back Credit Card for Savers2019-11-25T05:42:46-06:00

INSTAGRAM