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Think of insurance as a financial safety net. Its whole purpose is to shield your assets from a catastrophe that could derail your future. Whether it’s your house, your car, or your ability to earn an income, insurance is there to prevent a financial disaster. The key is to figure out how much risk you can comfortably handle on your own and then insure the rest.
It might sound strange, but you're never too young to start thinking about retirement. The power of compounding is so effective that if you start in your twenties, you can build a significant nest egg with surprisingly little effort by the time you’re in your sixties. All it takes is a basic grasp of retirement plans and the decision to start now. The sooner you begin, the less you'll have to put away, all thanks to compounding and a long time horizon. You can’t count on Social Security to be your only source of income, but thankfully, there are plenty of other options out there.
Millions of couples in the U.S. live together without being married, often blending their financial lives without realizing the potential consequences. If you’re living with your partner, it’s essential to think about how you’ll handle shared assets and expenses. Putting a plan in place isn’t about expecting the worst; it’s about protecting you both if the relationship ends.
When you decide to get married, you’re not just merging your lives—you’re merging your finances. And while it’s not the most romantic topic, talking about money is one of the most important things you can do before, during, and after you say "I do." From planning for a family to navigating the tough stuff, here’s a look at the financial journey of marriage.
My first investment wasn’t in the stock market. It was in myself. In the world of finance, they call it “human capital”—the value you bring to a company through your skills, knowledge, and experience. Long before I knew the official term, I understood a simpler truth: being a valuable employee was how you made money, and money seemed to be the key to a happy life.
Sometimes the most profound insights come from the most unexpected places. A few years ago, I was in an Uber in Orange County when my driver, Charlie Clark, mentioned he had been Gwen Stefani’s high school voice coach. As a music expert, a couple of things he said really resonated with me. “An artist will create in a way that conveys how they feel about something as well as how they think about it,” he explained. He added, “Words and notes are not music, the stuff on the page is abstract, you have to turn them into life.”
Some Mondays start with a jolt. I woke up to find my position in the Japanese yen had gone absolutely wild overnight. It blew past my initial profit target, so I didn’t hesitate—I closed the trade immediately, taking both lots off the table at 117.20. I could have tried to manage it for more, but my profit target was originally 116.80. Anything above that felt like a gift, and my trading plan is so ingrained now that following the rules is second nature. This kind of is a great way to start the week, but it's crucial not to let an early win go to your head. It was time to refocus.
My day job is all about taking risks. As a venture capitalist at my firm, Social Leverage, my partners and I invest in seed-stage software companies, with my personal focus being on financial technology. You might recognize some of our early investments, like Robinhood, eToro, and Ycharts. This background, along with co-founding StockTwits, probably makes it clear why I favor individual stocks over index funds when it comes to .
After spending my career in behavioral finance, I’ve learned that how I invest my own money is either incredibly straightforward or deeply complex, depending on how you look at it. But my entire approach starts with a single idea: money is always a servant, never a master. For anyone wondering , I believe the first step is to ask a more fundamental question: why are you even saving in the first place?
Before I became the Founder and CIO of Capital Innovations, before my work was featured in , and long before I wrote , I was the youngest of five kids growing up south of Pittsburgh. My worldview wasn't shaped in a classroom; it was forged at the family dinner table.
Buying a car is a huge financial decision, one that can easily cost you more than it should. Whether you’re paying with cash, financing, or leasing, there are common traps to avoid and a little bit of homework can save you a whole lot of money. The good news is that the internet has completely changed the game, putting the power back in your hands before you ever set foot on a dealership lot.
Once you have the keys to your home, a new set of financial questions often emerges. You might be thinking about refinancing your mortgage to lower your payments, pay for a big home improvement project, or consolidate other debts. Maybe you’re wondering when the right time to refinance is, how to pay your mortgage off faster, or even what to do if you’re facing the possibility of foreclosure.
Buying a home is easily the biggest purchase you'll ever make. For most of us, it’s also an incredibly emotional and stressful journey. There’s a mountain of information to digest to make smart decisions, from figuring out if ownership is right for you to understanding the fine print on a mortgage. Think of it as the ultimate ; it requires careful planning and a clear understanding of how you're for the long term.
Before you start polishing your pitch deck and lining up investor meetings, it’s crucial to get your head in the right place. Getting your expectations, your math, and your strategy straight from the beginning can make all the difference when you’re looking for .
It all started on August 13, 2008. Fresh out of law school in Spain, I moved to the United States with my brother Bernardo, who is still my best friend. With our parents’ encouragement, we landed in New York, and I’ll never forget that first taxi ride into Manhattan. As we stared out the windows, completely amazed, our driver, Luigi, shared his life story in a thick Italian accent.
To really get what freelancing is about, it helps to see how it stacks up against a traditional job. The single biggest difference? Accountability. As an employee, you answer to your boss. As a freelancer, you answer to yourself. It’s a simple distinction that changes everything about how you work, get paid, and plan your life.