If you're honest, you will tell the credit company, and they will uncredit the temporary credit you got.

Agree with the two comments already. Stay far away from the house flipping aspect.

Mortgage broker is biased to a lower down payment as likely gets a comission based on your loan size.

He's not entirely wrong, however a 6+% mortgage is guaranteed returns, which is tough to beat after taxes in the market. Typically anything over 5% is considered high enough to pay down early, depends on your confidence in investing.

Your mortgage broker is basically a salesperson trying to get you to borrow more money lol. That said, he's not wrong about the math if you actually invest that 34k instead of just letting it sit there

  
With only 33k in your 401k at 40 though, I'd probably go with option 2 and actually invest the difference. You're way behind on retirement savings and need that money working for you. The 6.125% rate isn't terrible but it's not great either - you can probably beat that in the market over time

  
Just make sure you actually invest it and don't blow it on a new truck or something

You’re doing really well savings wise - but retiring early would be a really big stretch unless you start saving very aggressively. That being said you are doing well! That’s a lot to have saved up.

You clearly weren’t comfortable investing before when you had no debt (that we know of) but now you are considering taking out more debt at 6.125% and investing? 

Bad idea. You’ll likely panic and sell at the bottom.

Just put $100k down and keep the rest as an emergency fund.

Then increase your 401k contribution percentage going forward.

Do the right thing. Good to not have a chargeback 'on your record' with your bank incase you need to make a real one down the road.

Do you ever end up writing a piece of software to solve an issue for yourself because you can't find an existing product that does it or does it well enough for your needs?

Boom, there's your new product idea.  If you're having a problem the industry hasn't solved yet chances are you aren't alone.

My Fidelity 401k shows the total balance, and then below that in small print, the "Vested Balance" portion of that.

On statements, the section "Your Contribution Summary" has a breakdown by source and vested percent.

Sorry for your loss.  Your grandpa was a great person for doing that for you!

No matter what, you’ll end up owing taxes.  IMHO you should focus more on how to grow that investment (rather than how to reduce taxes).  

Open up a taxable brokerage account t at fidelity (it’s free), buy VOO (they will help you for free if needed), and invest your grandpa’s hard earned money.

It's getting to the point where you wonder why anybody would bother starting a web-based business anymore. Google will scrape your content for AI or copy your business model. You'll become a feature of Facebook or whatever.

I doesn't lead to a good place, and maybe antitrust is the only way. But that's not happening for years, if at all...

A lot of successful apps aren't "first movers." In fact, if there are no existing solutions to a problem that might be a bad sign - it may be a problem that not a ton of people have or one for which people won't pay for a solution.

Rather than trying to make something completely new, you could try solving a problem in a bad way than already exists

Don’t envy you! I run a production company and have had my fair share of under delivering freelancers.

Main thing for you to do is focus on getting your income back up. Any formal process she starts to reclaim what’s owed will take time and you generally have the chance to pay it down the road before anything bad happens.

Offering small instalment’s looks good too - 5-10% at a time makes you look reasonable. 

It probably feels like an immense pressure to pay her but in reality you likely have more time than you think so there is room to manoeuvre here but you need to be pragmatic. 

You’ve got this far with the business - you’ll be fine.

Lots of missing info.

Maxing 401k?
How much into taxable?
What do you consider retiring early? 40? 50? 
What is your yearly spend?

Yo! Stop this RIGHT NOW. You do NOT need a fucking partner. I am a female solo entrepreneur and while the road has been challenging I have become incredibly resilient and capable, it’s shown me that I can do anything. At the end of the day (and beginning for that matter), all we have in this life is ourself. Honor your inner child, your ancestors, your future self - own this success and know it was ALL YOU.

Been there and honestly the solo grind hits different when you're building something from scratch - you end up being your own cheerleader, accountant, and therapist all at once lol. The upside is you don't have to compromise on your vision or explain every decision to someone else

Man that sucks, sounds like you got hit with the classic freelancer nightmare of hiring someone who oversold their skills. The threatening to sue thing is probably just posturing since most freelancers can't afford legal fees either, but definitely document everything you have about her poor performance and missed deadlines in case you need it

Impossible to know without more info - specifically your salary and avg expenses. Looks excellent for a regular retirement, but with an impending house purchase it might be tricky unless you really jack up your saving rate.

Definitely agree answering high-intent posts in niche communities helps a lot especially subreddits and industry forums! The only tip is to probably not post urls! This can quickly get both you and the url banned! Instead focus on delivering value and answering the question most of the time! And when relevant, just plug your product name/brand and not the url! Ideally you should be the first result on Google when the customer searches this name on Google!

The other one that just looking at Google search console and identifying keywords you are already ranking in the top 20 but not top 3! These are usually low hanging fruits you can easily get to a higher position by publishing the right kind of blogs/content around this on your website and updating existing posts! Funny enough, this part is mostly fully automatable these days using AI tools like Frizerly as well! Just ensure AI is plugged into your Google search console data and has all the context of your business correct!

Everything is dropping rn, its just a panic sell

As somebody that had to use zillow to find a place, it was horrible to use. From a user perspective, I never want to use them ever again. Imagine craigslist mixed with facebook marketplace and the functionality of a microsoft product.

I think less is more. You don't need to be everywhere, you need to pick a channel that works for you and focused all your efforts there.

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I’ve been seeing a massive uptick in ads and articles lately pitching Private Equity and Private Credit to everyday retail investors. The narrative is always the same: the brokers claim they want to give us access to the same high returns that endowments and the ultra-wealthy have enjoyed for years.   

But I’ve been digging into the market data and I’m convinced this is fishy as fuck. It looks a lot less like an opportunity for us and a lot more like a desperate need for exit liquidity for the big players.

Institutional investors like pension funds and endowments are currently "over-allocated" to private markets. Because public stocks took a hit or stayed flat over the last couple of years while private valuations didn't mark down as fast, their portfolios are out of balance. They are effectively tapped out. They can't put more money in, and more importantly, they are screaming for cash distributions. They want their money back, but VCs and PE firms are struggling to give it to them because the IPO market is tepid and M&A is slow.  

This is where the retail investor comes in. Since the "smart money" is tapped out, Wall Street needs a new ocean of capital to keep the machine running. They need someone to buy the assets that the older funds need to sell.  

You can see this clearly in the AI sector. We all know valuations for AI startups like OpenAI are completely disconnected from reality, often trading at over 100 times revenue with little to no profit. Hedge funds and VCs who bought in during the 2021 hype or the recent AI boom are sitting on massive paper gains, but they having the problem, that if they would try to IPO these companies right now, the public markets might reject those valuations, forcing a "down round" that crushes their returns and makes them lose a shit ton of money.  

The solution is to avoid the public market entirely. Instead, they move these assets into "continuation funds" or sell them on the secondary market. And who is financing this? It’s retail capital. They are effectively moving assets from the pockets of savvy institutional investors who want out into the pockets of retail investors who are just getting in. The most dangerous part is how they structure it. They sell these as "semi-liquid" funds, but the liquidity is an illusion. 

These funds have "gates," meaning that if everyone panics and tries to sell at once, like in a recession, they simply lock the door. We saw this with Blackstone’s real estate fund recently.  

So you basically become the bag holder for assets that are too expensive for the public market to touch. 

Just know that when you hear about the "democratization of finance" be very careful. “Democratization” usually happens right at the end of a cycle when the insiders need someone to sell to, true to the motto: privatize earnings, socialize losses. 


The sudden push to "Democratize" Private Equity isn't about helping you, it’s about finding Exit Liquidity

Just rented a new place and the landlord contacted me saying:

“ Hi I’m going to go to the bank to put your security in an interest bearing account. To do that I need  your Social Security number and your date of birth. Thank you”

Is this normal?

Landlord asking for SSN to put my security deposit in an interest bearing bank account

I’ve been with the same company for about 10 years and crossed the $100k salary mark 4 years ago year. The thing is, I’m fully WFH and over time I’ve automated most of my reporting and recurring tasks. But definitely no career growth/path here.

Realistically, I work maybe 5-7 hours a week. But considered Salary. The job is very low stress, no micromanagement, flexible schedule.

That said, I know I could probably make close to 2x-3x my salary if I applied elsewhere in my career. The trade-off is obvious: more hours, more pressure, less flexibility, and likely losing the autonomy I have now.

I’m torn between: •	Staying where I am and enjoying the work-life balance and freedom vs •	Taking the risk to maximize earnings while I still can

For those who’ve been in a similar spot: •	Is it smarter to ride out a low-stress, high-flexibility job? •	Or does staying too long eventually hurt long-term growth and earning potential?

Update:

Thank you everyone for the overwhelming response , I honestly didn’t expect this much feedback. I just woke up and read most of all the comments.

I also want to add some context. I dont like to share medical info but I think this context may help why I asked what I asked.

I’m a new dad, and my daughter was recently medically diagnosed with uncontrolled seizures (IS), with a chance of epilepsy. That was new territory for me and, honestly, scared the shit out of me and the uncertainty around whether treatment will fully control things, improve over time, or potentially regress really hit me. That uncertainty made me start thinking hard about potential future costs and long-term stability for my family.

It didn’t help that getting pediatric neurology medication approved through insurance was already more difficult than I expected, which pushed me further into a mindset of over-preparing financially.

On the work side, I work at an IT company and do a lot of work directly tied to the deputy CTO. I’m in a pretty fortunate position largely because my manager is based in Europe but also overseas some sectors in Asia. He rarely monitors me day-to-day. Most of the systems monitoring, alerts, and recurring tasks I manage are automated.

I’ve also been with the company long enough that a lot of the institutional knowledge around legacy systems was never fully transferred. Because of that, they’ve kept me around to support older platforms and to act more like a consultant when systems are upgraded or migrated.

After reading through everyone’s advice, the majority pointed out that the time and flexibility I currently have outweigh the potential extra income elsewhere. Taking that , along with my family situation into account, I’ve decided to stay where I am for now. In addition, a side hustle or second job that is not a potential rival competitor is a wonderful suggestion.

I genuinely appreciate everyone taking the time to share their perspectives and experiences. Thank you .

I’ll try my best to answer any other questions without doxing myself.

Been with my company 10 years, finally crossed $100k… but I barely work. Do I stay or move on?

Last week, I had scheduled some PTO well in advance. Everything was approved, and I was looking forward to some time off to relax and catch up on things.

About 15 minutes before I was about to log off for the day, my boss, who is from England, called me. I work as an engineer at a major pharmaceutical company, so I figured it might be something urgent.

“Can you come in tomorrow?” they asked. I calmly reminded them that it was my scheduled PTO.
That’s when, somewhat shockingly, they said, “Well, then, you’re just a cunt, aren’t you?”

I froze for a moment and said, “Excuse me?”
They repeated it, then immediately backtracked: “Actually, I’ll ask someone else instead. Don’t worry about it.”
I was taken aback. I’ve never been spoken to like that at work before, especially over a legitimate PTO request. I hung up, and after taking a few deep breaths, I decided to send an email to HR documenting what happened. Then I went on my vacation as planned, feeling a mix of disbelief and vindication.

Moral of the story: standing up for your PTO shouldn’t make you the bad guy, but sometimes, apparently, it does.

Any women here been called a C**nt by your boss for taking PTO?

context: I have a BS, an MS, and ~2 years of experience as an ML Engineer. I’ve been unemployed for 3 months. I’ve been applying everywhere, and I’ve got about 1.5 months of savings left.

Lately I’ve reached this point where I honestly wouldn’t mind taking a janitor job at a local school. like an evening shift when no one’s around. Just me, headphones in, quietly mopping floors. Even thinking about it makes me feel at peace.

In my head, the routine would look like: mornings applying to jobs and practicing coding / working on ML projects (a couple recent papers have caught my interest), then in the afternoon I’d get ready and go to work.

I know it’s ultimately my decision, but I wanted to share where my head’s at 

Unemployed: thinking of being a janitor

I'm truly livid. Sales are up 27% percent and I received a $.50 raise while the rest of the staff received $1.

I manage a retail shop and I basically run the entire store minus customs clearance and payroll. 

I also have taken on event coordination and creating marketing materials for the shop. 

I make $22.5 an hour running a business that grosses $600,000+ sales a year. 

Am I being treated as horribly as I think I am?

Edit:

- net profit is around $95,000-100,000 (this includes basically all the expenses)

- I'd say I have about 75% of purchasing control. I place about 50% of the orders and the owner consults me on about 80% of the orders she places. I identify trends and tell her what to order. 

- to everyone saying I should just leave if I don't like it... YA IM TRYING TO CAROL AND DICK

I'm responsible for:

- communicating and coordinating with our vendors
- purchasing 
- merchandising
- event planning
- scheduling
- running shop errands
- processing and packing and shipping online orders
- updating the backend
- designing marketing materials
- creating purchase orders
- going through commercial accounting declaration forms
- general admin work 

and probably more I just can't think clearly right now I am so angry I didn't sleep last night

I'm a manager who makes $.50 more than the rest of the staff. I have 15+ more responsibilities and sales are up 27%, is this exploitative?

I dont think anyone really talks about how quiet entrepreneurship can feel once the initial excitement wears off. At the beginning there’s momentum, ideas flying around, telling friends what you’re building. Then at some point it’s just you, your laptop and a long stretch of decisions no one else can really help you with.

What surprised me is that the hard part isn’t motivation, it’s uncertainty. There’s no clear signal that you’re doing the right thing, just small indicators that might mean progress or might mean nothing. Some days you feel smart and capable, other days you wonder if you’re just confidently wrong. This really hit me recently when I was reviewing my numbers and remembered I have some money saved up that gives me a bit of runway. Instead of feeling relieved, I felt the weight of responsibility. Every decision suddenly feels louder when it’s your own money, your own time, and no safety net telling you what to do next.

I’m still committed, still building still learning but I didn’t expect the mental side to be this isolating. Curious how others deal with that quiet phase where you’re not failing, not winning, just grinding alone.

Starting something on your own is way lonelier than I expected

Hi folks. I (34F) recently confirmed what I’d feared - my mom (54F) has no retirement savings. She cleans homes and businesses for a living, and does decently for the area in which she lives (about $50k/year), which is in a different state from me in the US. She is unmarried and has no dependents.

We had a tough conversation in which I realized I will likely be footing the bill for her elder care, should she need it.

A few questions:
•my mom does not have a GED or high school diploma and left school in 8th grade. What fields might be a good fit for her when cleaning becomes too physically demanding?
•are there account types she could start placing money into now that could be of use in 10, 15 years? Would CDs/bonds make any sense?
•since I (and my husband, 36M) will likely be paying for her retirement living situation, are there any tips for us? We make about $250k combined in a median ish COL area and I feel privileged to even be able to think about retirement savings. I am incredibly risk averse when it comes to investing. 

Just trying to plan for her becoming our dependent one day. Thanks for any help.



How can I set my 54 year-old mother up for retirement with no savings?

I never thought that a decision made by Trump on the other side of the world could almost shut down my business. The story went like this. On August 19, we received an email from Omniva (Estonian Post): "Starting tomorrow, we no longer ship parcels to the USA. Please find other delivery methods." August 20 is a public holiday in Estonia. The US accounts for about 60% of our wall decals shipments. We started looking for a solution urgently. We asked Omniva when it would be fixed. The answer: maybe 2-3 weeks, maybe 2-3 months. Meanwhile, sticker orders from America kept coming in.

We found a solution, though it wasn't pleasant. We decided not to turn off the US on marketplaces. On Amazon, Etsy, and eBay, everything depends on your rating. The more you sell, the higher you are in search results. Losing positions we built for years in one day would be a catastrophe. So, everything that used to go via Omniva, we started sending via FedEx. This is 3 times more expensive.

A week later, the second blow came. All parcels generated before the 20th but handed over to Omniva afterward were returned. That was 70 packages. We finished September with a serious loss. Simply because delivery ate up everything. But we started to adapt.

It turned out that small stickers could be sent to the US in envelopes with a stamp they went through. This lowered costs slightly. In October, we managed to raise prices by about $5, fortunately, competitors did the same. The month ended with a small loss, but better than September.

I want to clarify one thing: this was not the fault of the Estonian post (Omniva). Their systems were ready. The problem was on the US side, specifically with USPS, which was not technically ready to accept parcels, declare them, and process the data under the new regulations. It was a glitch in America, not Estonia.

Every week we were on calls with Omniva, waiting for news. And only in early November, after almost two months, Omniva finally reopened shipping to the US for business clients. We can exhale, but the price has gone up by about 1.5 times. Now, at least, it is clear what prices to set on marketplaces to work in the black again.

My conclusions:

On one hand, this political decision almost closed my business. On the other hand, thanks to this, we found new solutions, rebuilt our logic, and realized that as a team, we are ready for any surprises. A legitimate bonus: during this time, I made a great contact at UPS. They offered conditions better than FedEx in terms of both price and speed. We are already at the final stage of signing the contract.

Also, to minimize losses, we worked according to a "silent" algorithm: If an order came from the US, we packed it and put it on hold for 10 days. If Omniva didn't solve the issue in 10 days, we sent it via FedEx. If they did we sent it through them. Since the client has a standard delivery time of about two weeks, everything arrived on time.

That is the story.

How a single US policy change almost shut down my business overnight

I’m in a very fortunate position to have two competing offers at mid level, which has me in a difficult situation deciding how much I value remote.

Offer 1:

TC: 294k

Full remote

Offer 2:

TC: 474k

Full in person, 5 days a week, in the Bay Area

Both are are similarly competitive FAANG doing the same work. Both are more than I currently make, so I was fully expecting to accept the first, then the second came out of left field.

The catch is I can move anywhere with offer -1, so it could be valued much more closely compared to offer 2 locked in the bay when you consider that.

What would you choose?

Edit:

\- yes, it’s MLE

\- they are not startup offers, both in the company acronyms thrown around

\- I’m currently living in the Bay Area

I’m leaning toward offer 2 also because of taking into consideration further career advancement. Seems I may end up constructing a glass ceiling for myself jumping to remote too early

How much would you value full remote?

Investing.com -- Zillow Group Inc (NASDAQ:ZG) stock fell over 5.5% Monday as investors reacted to news that Google is testing a new real estate advertising format that could potentially compete with Zillow's services.

The search giant has introduced a mobile-centric real estate ad format that provides comprehensive property details, options to request home tours, and displays similar listings directly within search results. This new format allows users to schedule home showings with "top-rated" local agents through a "Request a tour" button, with an expected response time of 15 minutes.

Goldman Sachs analyst Michael Ng noted that while the immediate impact on Zillow may be limited, the development represents a potential long-term risk. "While we don't expect a direct near-term impact on Zillow's business, given that most of Zillow's traffic is direct and Google's new product is currently limited to select markets and mobile browsers, we view this development as a long-term risk for real estate portals like Zillow," wrote Ng, who maintains a Neutral rating on the stock.

Google's new ad product is a collaboration with real estate analytics and brokerage firm ComeHome, which sources listings reportedly from the Multiple Listing Service rather than directly from listing agents. The format directly competes with Zillow's Premier Agent program by facilitating lead generation for buy-side agents from prospective homebuyers.

The new Google feature embeds capabilities typically found on real estate portals, including filters for bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, price, and new listing status, potentially challenging Zillow's position as a go-to destination for home searches.

Key Points
Google appears to be running tests on putting real estate sale listings into its search results.
The listings allowed users to view the full details of a property’s page, request a tour and contact an agent — similar to the functions offered on Zillow.com’s online marketplace portal.
“While we don’t expect a direct near-term impact on Zillow’s business ... we view this development as a long-term risk for real estate portals like Zillow,” Goldman Sachs’ Michael Ng said.

Zillow stock falls as Google tests new real estate ad format

Hello. 

I am 26 years old. Since I was a child my grandpa put money away for me in two separate educations funds. One being a ESA account that he put money into until early 2000's when they found that putting money in a 529 account would be better.

  
I have two accounts. ESA account that has $150,000 in it. The 529 has $200,000 in it. 

  
I have to pull all the money out of the ESA before I am 30. I am currently in trade school (the expenses are not high at all, and I have paid it all out of pocket) so I do not have an income at the moment. 

  
The money is tax free if I use it for school expenses. There is a 10% penalty for pulling the money out, non school expense, plus standard income tax rate. 

  
I am planning on pulling 50,000 out this year because I do not have income so it'll be taxed less. Looks like I am going to have to eat the 10% penalty which isn't the end of the world.

  
That's the situation, my question is if any of you have good advice on how to get the most out of this account with the least amount of tax.

  
The 529 account is a different story and can stay in there indefinitely, they have some program where I can roll over money into a ROTH IRA for 5 years, capping at 35k. I plan on doing that.

  
Looks like Im going to be eating a lot of tax and the 10% penalty on the ESA. 

  
My options, I can leave the money, never touch it, I should be making good money once I am certified, and let it compound into millions by the time I'm 60..

  
Or.. I'm considering options to make the money work for me sooner. I have a general contracting friend who is talking about flipping houses, possibly getting all of it out as soon as possible and buying a duplex. I live in San Diego, CA. Having passive income to pay my expenses sounds like a nice life. 

  
Sorry for the long post. I am aiming to be a good steward of this money, and I am very blessed to have this opportunity. I am quite financially literate and frugal.

  
Any advice or opinions would be appreciated! Thank you guys. 

I am looking for advice with my inheritance.

Ive worked at a job for 2 years that has a 3-year vesting schedule, with a 4% match; we use Fidelity for 401k. 

On Fidelity, it says $0 under my employer match (for vested balance). This makes sense since it is not vested yet. 

However, shouldn’t there be an unvested section where it says how much my employer has matched to this point in time (even if its not vested yet)?

Or do I not even get to see how much my employer is matching until after 3 years? Shouldnt the non-vested money still be growing in the account?

Do you not make gains on employer 401k match until after vesting?

So I have: 132k in my 401k. Currently get 100% match up to 10% which is a blessing.  

I have 4K in an HSA which I’m maxing out each year now. 
 
I’m starting a Roth IRA which I’ll max out too.  

22k in a HYSA for a house right now… 

Am I on the right track here? Is retiring early even an option? 

Age 35. 132k in 401K. Am I on track?

Some stats:

* I'm 40, living in Texas.
* I have no investments besides $33k in a 401k.
* I have $135k in cash right now.
* I'm about to buy my first house: $330k, interest rate of 6.125% for the mortgage.

I was expecting to buy something closer to $400k, and so I was mentally preparing myself for a big down payment to keep the monthly payments low. However, the mortgage broker suggested I lower the down payment to 20% ($66k), and invest the other $34k. He says, in 20 years, I'll be able to pay off the remaining principal on the mortgage and have about $50k left over.

But that seems to assume I'll stay in the same house for 20 years, which is very unlikely. In this area, people own a home for 6-7 years, on average. I don't know how the math works when factoring in selling and moving.

So I'm looking at two (generalized, flexible) options:

1. Big down payment: $80-100k down today, no other major investments, but with lower monthly payments, I could put (for example) an extra $200 toward the principal every month.
2. 20% down and invest: $66k down today, invest $34k, probably not pay much extra monthly.

Help me make it make sense (and cents)! Thanks for reading and for your thoughts.

Buying a house: big down payment vs. investing

For practically any idea that I have, I jump on the app store or search Google. There are already multiple versions of it already made.

And no, these aren't stupid "Tinder, but for X", "Uber, but for Y", "Cram AI into Z that doesn't need it"-type ideas.

I'm wondering if my ideas just suck, or if I need to accept that there isn't much untouched land left to be grabbed. I don't want to work for Google maintaining existing software forever. I joined this industry to build new shit.

Your thoughts?

I want to start a side project for profit and eventually sell software as a personal business, but it feels like everything is already built?

Hi.  I am in the process of developing my new business and I am a single woman and I just wish I had a supportive partner.  In about 2 years of so I will have to hire a manufacturer and some help but until then it’s just me and it’s difficult.  Don’t get me wrong I love the freedom of being able to work on my own schedule with times for breaks and rest but I guess I’m just a bit sad that I’m not in a supportive relationship.  Has anyone else ever went through entrepreneurship as a single person?

How To Handle Doing Everything By Yourself In A Startup

Long story short, filed a chargeback with a large clothing company because the package was delivered but when I got home it wasn’t there. Reached out to the company 5x and said they just don’t help with stolen packages. Turns out my neighbor grabbed my package and didn’t return it till 2 weeks later. The bank gave me credit the overall chargeback is still under investigation. What do I do? Do I explain the situation to the bank or just keep the item? Any help is appreciated. Thanks! 

Filed a chargeback but the item turned up

Marketing seems to be a tough pain point for lot of entrepreneurs including myself- especially many of us who come a technically background! At the same time, there seem to be too many marketing gurus giving really bad advice in my opinion!

So curious, successful entrepreneurs here, what is the most underrated tip marketing tip most entrepreneurs miss? For example, for me it was answering high-intent posts in niche communities. One thoughtful comment in the right thread drove more qualified leads than weeks of posting on my own channels. 

What is the most underrated marketing tip most entrepreneurs miss?

Hi everyone, I want to share my story.

I’m a freelancer working mainly in motion graphics. I move from contract to contract, making videos for different companies. Since the pandemic, getting work at design agencies has become harder for me because they want extremely high-level experts. I’m good at what I do, but I’m not the best, so I focus more on working with local businesses in my city and trying to slowly scale my business.

This season was both the best and the worst. I had a lot of work, so I hired another freelancer to help me. The problem was that she kept making excuses for late deliveries. For the video editing work I hired her for, she ended up doing almost nothing, and what she did deliver was poorly done.

I tried to help her by creating SOPs and putting in a lot of effort to make things work, but it didn’t. In the end, I had to redo everything myself for a client who was already upset, and I ended up losing that client. Because of all that rework, I fell behind with other clients, which caused some of them to hold my payments.

Right now, I don’t have money. I let the freelancer go, but I couldn’t cover her last invoice, and now she’s threatening to sue me.

I’m really sad. I know I’m not a big company, but things got out of hand, and I feel cornered from all sides.

Has anyone else been through something like this?

I lost my money and I’m about to get sued

Hear how 2025 money news hit your wallet and whether your travel cards are really pulling their weight. How did 2025’s biggest money stories actually affect your wallet? How can you decide if your pricey travel credit cards are still worth it? Hosts Sean Pyles and Elizabeth Ayoola recap the year in finance news to help you understand what the stories mean for your budget, savings, and plans for 2026. They unpack top news items including tariff-driven uncertainty, a brief but historic stock market crash and subsequent rebound, stubborn home prices, softening rents, and a late-year run of Fed rate cuts. Then they provide tips and tricks on staying focused on long-term investing despite volatility, using rewards cards and store programs to fight higher grocery bills, weighing renting vs. buying when housing costs are sky-high, and making sure your cash is still earning a competitive yield as high-yield savings rates drift down. Then, Smart Travel podcast hosts Meghan Coyle and Sally French give Elizabeth a live “credit card consult” on her stack of high-fee travel cards. They discuss how to tally up annual fees versus statement credits and perks, decide when lounge access really justifies keeping a premium card, identify weak-link airline cards that no longer match your home airport, and choose when to downgrade instead of cancel. They also dig into using grocery cards strategically, avoiding overpaying just to chase credits at specific merchants, managing the mental load of multiple “coupon book” benefits, and building a simple system to track expiring credits so your wallet — and not the card issuers — captures the most value. Card benefits, terms and fees can change. For the most up-to-date information about cards mentioned in this episode, read our reviews:     American Express Blue Cash Preferred Review: The Ultimate Family Card      American Express Platinum Review: Top-Notch Lounge Access, Big Credits      Chase Sapphire Reserve Review: A High-End, High-Maintenance Card      Citi AAdvantage Platinum Card Review: Worth the Fee for Airline Loyalists      Citi AAdvantage Executive Review: Your Key to the Club       AmEx Blue Cash Everyday Review: Solid Cash Back, $0 Annual Fee      5 Things to Know About the T.J. Maxx Credit Card    Follow Smart Travel on your favorite podcast app: https://play.megaphone.fm/l-7v0exnsxc-kc8kejdruq  Want us to review your budget? Fill out this form — completely anonymously if you want — and we might feature your budget in a future segment! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hear how 2025 money news hit your wallet and whether your travel cards are really pulling their weight. How did 2025’s biggest money stories actually affect your wallet? How can you decide if your pricey travel credit cards are still worth it? Hosts Sean Pyles and Elizabeth Ayoola recap the year in finance news to help you understand what the stories mean for your budget, savings, and plans for 2026. They unpack top news items including tariff-driven uncertainty, a brief but historic stock market crash and subsequent rebound, stubborn home prices, softening rents, and a late-year run of Fed rate cuts. Then they provide tips and tricks on staying focused on long-term investing despite volatility, using rewards cards and store programs to fight higher grocery bills, weighing renting vs. buying when housing costs are sky-high, and making sure your cash is still earning a competitive yield as high-yield savings rates drift down. Then, Smart Travel podcast hosts Meghan Coyle and Sally French give Elizabeth a live “credit card consult” on her stack of high-fee travel cards. They discuss how to tally up annual fees versus statement credits and perks, decide when lounge access really justifies keeping a premium card, identify weak-link airline cards that no longer match your home airport, and choose when to downgrade instead of cancel. They also dig into using grocery cards strategically, avoiding overpaying just to chase credits at specific merchants, managing the mental load of multiple “coupon book” benefits, and building a simple system to track expiring credits so your wallet — and not the card issuers — captures the most value. Card benefits, terms and fees can change. For the most up-to-date information about cards mentioned in this episode, read our reviews: <ul><li> <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/reviews/american-express-blue-cash-preferred" rel="nofollow">American Express Blue Cash Preferred Review: The Ultimate Family Card</a>  </li><li> <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/reviews/american-express-platinum" rel="nofollow">American Express Platinum Review: Top-Notch Lounge Access, Big Credits</a>  </li><li> <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/reviews/credit-cards/chase-sapphire-reserve" rel="nofollow">Chase Sapphire Reserve Review: A High-End, High-Maintenance Card</a>  </li><li> <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/reviews/citi-aadvantage-platinum" rel="nofollow">Citi AAdvantage Platinum Card Review: Worth the Fee for Airline Loyalists </a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/reviews/citi-aadvantage-executive" rel="nofollow">Citi AAdvantage Executive Review: Your Key to the Club </a>  </li><li> <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/reviews/american-express-blue-cash-everyday" rel="nofollow">AmEx Blue Cash Everyday Review: Solid Cash Back, $0 Annual Fee </a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/learn/tjx-rewards-platinum-mastercard" rel="nofollow">5 Things to Know About the T.J. Maxx Credit Card </a> </li></ul> Follow Smart Travel on your favorite podcast app: <a href="https://play.megaphone.fm/l-7v0exnsxc-kc8kejdruq" rel="nofollow">https://play.megaphone.fm/l-7v0exnsxc-kc8kejdruq</a>  Want us to review your budget? Fill out this form — completely anonymously if you want — and we might feature your budget in a future segment! <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp&#61;header" rel="nofollow">https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp&#61;header</a> To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email <a href="mailto:podcast&#64;nerdwallet.com" rel="nofollow">podcast&#64;nerdwallet.com</a>. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>

2025’s Money Year in Review and Travel Card Moves To Make Now

Brad Barrett shares updates on his health journey and effective workout principles, while Dr. Bobby discusses the costs and benefits of organic foods. The conversation encourages listeners to reconsider their food choices and encourages an increase in fruit and vegetable intake over focusing solely on organic options. Brad's muscle-building routine coupled with nutritional insights sets the stage for prioritizing health alongside financial independence.  Timestamps & Key Topics:   00:00:00 - Introduction  Introduction to the episode theme focusing on health and nutrition.    00:01:13 - Brad's Health Journey Update  Overview of Brad's personal health journey and commitment to fitness. Focus on long-term well-being into older age.    00:02:30 - Workout Principles  Importance of effective workout routines. Emphasis on machine-based workouts for targeted muscle growth.    00:15:50 - Nutrition Insights  Discussion about protein intake and overall diet. Emphasis on increasing fruit and vegetable consumption.    00:34:10 - Interview with Dr. Bobby  Introduction to Dr. Bobby's background and expertise in nutrition.    00:35:02 - Segment on Organic Foods  A detailed cost-benefit analysis of organic foods vs. conventional foods. Recommendations for increasing overall fruit and vegetable intake.    01:09:20 - Conclusion  Summary of key insights and encouragement to prioritize both health and financial independence.     Key Takeaways:   Effective Workouts:  Focus on controlled movement and adequate rest during workouts for maximum muscle gain. Recommended six exercises per workout with two sets each, targeting different muscle groups.    Nutrition Strategies:  Increasing fruit and vegetable intake can significantly impact health outcomes more than just choosing organic options. Approximately 80% of Americans do not consume enough fruits and veggies.    Cost vs. Benefit of Organic Foods:  The financial implications of buying organic foods may outweigh the health benefits for many families. Allocating grocery budgets towards higher quality fruits and vegetables rather than solely organic options can provide better health returns.     Actionable Takeaways:   Workout Focus:  Incorporate machine-based exercises focusing on compound movements to build muscle effectively. Prioritize recovery with a resting period of 3-5 minutes between sets.    Meal Planning:  Start planning meals in advance to reduce the chances of last-minute takeout or unhealthy choices.    Budgeting for Health:  Consider reallocating funds typically spent on organic foods towards a gym membership or investing in wellness products to enhance overall health.     Discussion Questions:  What are your thoughts on the price differences between organic and conventional food? How can you apply principles of effective exercise to your routine?   Key Quotes:  "This workout... is just the most brutally effective workout you can imagine." - Brad Barrett 00:04:07 "Unlock the potential of better health: more fruits and veggies!" - Dr. Bobby 00:51:11 "Health is a choice: wise spending is key!" - Dr. Bobby 00:52:45   Resources Mentioned:  Dr. Bobby's Podcast and Website Dean Turner Training   Related Episodes:  Tips to Reduce Your Grocery Expenses - Episode 007 The Six Pillars of Health with Dr. Bobby - Episode 498 Muscle Building with Dean Turner - Episode 480 

Brad Barrett shares updates on his health journey and effective workout principles, while Dr. Bobby discusses the costs and benefits of organic foods. The conversation encourages listeners to reconsider their food choices and encourages an increase in fruit and vegetable intake over focusing solely on organic options. Brad&#39;s muscle-building routine coupled with nutritional insights sets the stage for prioritizing health alongside financial independence. Timestamps &amp; Key Topics: <ul><li> 00:00:00 - Introduction <ul><li>Introduction to the episode theme focusing on health and nutrition.</li></ul> </li><li> 00:01:13 - Brad&#39;s Health Journey Update <ul><li>Overview of Brad&#39;s personal health journey and commitment to fitness.</li><li>Focus on long-term well-being into older age.</li></ul> </li><li> 00:02:30 - Workout Principles <ul><li>Importance of effective workout routines.</li><li>Emphasis on machine-based workouts for targeted muscle growth.</li></ul> </li><li> 00:15:50 - Nutrition Insights <ul><li>Discussion about protein intake and overall diet.</li><li>Emphasis on increasing fruit and vegetable consumption.</li></ul> </li><li> 00:34:10 - Interview with Dr. Bobby <ul><li>Introduction to Dr. Bobby&#39;s background and expertise in nutrition.</li></ul> </li><li> 00:35:02 - Segment on Organic Foods <ul><li>A detailed cost-benefit analysis of organic foods vs. conventional foods.</li><li>Recommendations for increasing overall fruit and vegetable intake.</li></ul> </li><li> 01:09:20 - Conclusion <ul><li>Summary of key insights and encouragement to prioritize both health and financial independence.</li></ul> </li></ul> Key Takeaways: <ul><li> Effective Workouts: <ul><li>Focus on controlled movement and adequate rest during workouts for maximum muscle gain.</li><li>Recommended six exercises per workout with two sets each, targeting different muscle groups.</li></ul> </li><li> Nutrition Strategies: <ul><li>Increasing fruit and vegetable intake can significantly impact health outcomes more than just choosing organic options.</li><li>Approximately 80% of Americans do not consume enough fruits and veggies.</li></ul> </li><li> Cost vs. Benefit of Organic Foods: <ul><li>The financial implications of buying organic foods may outweigh the health benefits for many families.</li><li>Allocating grocery budgets towards higher quality fruits and vegetables rather than solely organic options can provide better health returns.</li></ul> </li></ul> Actionable Takeaways: <ul><li> Workout Focus: <ul><li>Incorporate machine-based exercises focusing on compound movements to build muscle effectively.</li><li>Prioritize recovery with a resting period of 3-5 minutes between sets.</li></ul> </li><li> Meal Planning: <ul><li>Start planning meals in advance to reduce the chances of last-minute takeout or unhealthy choices.</li></ul> </li><li> Budgeting for Health: <ul><li>Consider reallocating funds typically spent on organic foods towards a gym membership or investing in wellness products to enhance overall health.</li></ul> </li></ul> Discussion Questions: <ul><li>What are your thoughts on the price differences between organic and conventional food?</li><li>How can you apply principles of effective exercise to your routine?</li></ul> Key Quotes: <ul><li>&#34;This workout... is just the most brutally effective workout you can imagine.&#34; - Brad Barrett 00:04:07</li><li>&#34;Unlock the potential of better health: more fruits and veggies!&#34; - Dr. Bobby 00:51:11</li><li>&#34;Health is a choice: wise spending is key!&#34; - Dr. Bobby 00:52:45</li></ul> Resources Mentioned: <ul><li><a href="https://drbobbylivelongandwell.com/" rel="nofollow">Dr. Bobby&#39;s Podcast and Website</a></li><li><a href="https://www.deanturnertraining.com/" rel="nofollow">Dean Turner Training</a></li></ul> Related Episodes: <ul><li><a href="https://choosefi.com/007" rel="nofollow">Tips to Reduce Your Grocery Expenses - Episode 007</a></li><li><a href="https://choosefi.com/498" rel="nofollow">The Six Pillars of Health with Dr. Bobby - Episode 498</a></li><li><a href="https://choosefi.com/480" rel="nofollow">Muscle Building with Dean Turner - Episode 480</a></li></ul>

Health and Fitness Update Plus 'Are Organic Foods Worth It?' with Dr. Bobby Dubois | Ep 577

Quint and Allie talk through the difference between a money market account and high yield savings account. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Quint and Allie talk through the difference between a money market account and high yield savings account. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

HYSA v. Money Market

When we think about America’s economic rise, we usually point to agriculture or the industrial revolution. But in the early days of colonization, one of the biggest economic drivers wasn’t crops or factories — it was animal products. Deerskins were a booming trade that pushed hunters into new frontiers. In the early 1800s, beaver pelts became a fashion craze. And of course, later that century, we nearly hunted buffalo to extinction in another frenzy of resource extraction. On this episode, we talk to Steven Rinella, author and founder of MeatEater, about this overlooked chapter in US economic history, plus how the hunting economy functions today. Read more:USDA Lowers Cattle Price Outlook After Tyson Beef Plant ClosureRFK Jr. Eyes Single National Standard on Food Labeling and Safety Only Bloomberg - Business News, Stock Markets, Finance, Breaking & World News subscribers can get the Odd Lots newsletter in their inbox each week, plus unlimited access to the site and app. Subscribe at  bloomberg.com/subscriptions/oddlots Join the conversation: discord.gg/oddlotsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we think about America’s economic rise, we usually point to agriculture or the industrial revolution. But in the early days of colonization, one of the biggest economic drivers wasn’t crops or factories — it was animal products. Deerskins were a booming trade that pushed hunters into new frontiers. In the early 1800s, beaver pelts became a fashion craze. And of course, later that century, we nearly hunted buffalo to extinction in another frenzy of resource extraction. On this episode, we talk to Steven Rinella, author and founder of MeatEater, about this overlooked chapter in US economic history, plus how the hunting economy functions today. Read more: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-09/usda-lowers-cattle-price-outlook-after-tyson-beef-plant-closure?utm_medium&#61;referral&amp;utm_source&#61;podcast&amp;utm_campaign&#61;odd_lots&amp;utm_content&#61;article" rel="nofollow">USDA Lowers Cattle Price Outlook After Tyson Beef Plant Closure</a> <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-10/rfk-jr-says-national-food-standard-on-table-amid-state-activism?utm_medium&#61;referral&amp;utm_source&#61;podcast&amp;utm_campaign&#61;odd_lots&amp;utm_content&#61;article" rel="nofollow">RFK Jr. Eyes Single National Standard on Food Labeling and Safety</a> Only Bloomberg - Business News, Stock Markets, Finance, Breaking &amp; World News subscribers can get the Odd Lots newsletter in their inbox each week, plus unlimited access to the site and app. Subscribe at  <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions/oddlots?in_source&#61;oddlotspodcast" rel="nofollow">bloomberg.com/subscriptions/oddlots</a> Join the conversation: <a href="https://discord.gg/oddlots" rel="nofollow">discord.gg/oddlots</a>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener" rel="nofollow">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

MeatEater's Steven Rinella on the Economic History of Hunting

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