One of the greatest enemies to success is feeling like you don’t belong. When I started writing as a journalist seven years ago this maimed my work. I felt like I had no business interviewing mayors, congressman, and NFL players. But the more people I met, the more I discovered no one had it all […]
Illinois $15 Minimum Wage
Illinois Governor J.B Pritzker signed on Feb. 19th a $15 minimum wage bill to go into effect by 2025. Proponents of higher minimum wages believe it acts like a tide; it raises all low-paid workers to give them more opportunity. But past minimum wage hikes show it benefits some workers while drowning the rest. McDonalds, […]
AI is Disrupting Insurance
Life Insurance agencies such as John Hancock offer to tie behavior data directly to your premium, according to the New York Times. The business collects data from fitness trackers that monitor your exercise and sleep habits. Other companies provide smartphone apps that measure your vehicle’s acceleration and braking patterns, as well as your social media […]
Don’t Diss Free Time
When people slash their schedules to be more productive, downtime is often the first to go. But a world that only focused on work-related activities would be one without Gmail and Sticky Notes—both created during what’s known as a FedEx Day. In 1948 the company 3M gave employees 15% paid free time at work to […]
5 Project Ideas
For month two of Praxis, I’m going to start a project to demonstrate my value-added ability to business partners. I want to demonstrate my ability to write for a business partner, as well as to use numbers to tell stories. I plan to write content that draws in readers, in a field in which I’m […]
Almost half of older Americans approaching retirement are broke
A new report from the Government Accountability Office found that almost half of older Americans approaching retirement have nothing saved in a 401(k) or individual account. This poor planning could stem from several sources. National saving increased directly after the 2008 crash because many discovered how critical having an emergency fund is, but as the […]
Keys to Investing
Whenever I bring up the stock market to some people, they immediately retort with the crash of 2008 as a reason to not invest money. But if you follow basic principles you’re much more likely to make money than you lose. Diversify This is the oldest advice in the book, but what does it mean? […]
Common Millennial Money Mistakes
Life in your 20s could mean any number of things. I know people in graduate school, backpacking across Europe, and with 2+ children. No matter your circumstances I’ve seen and experienced a few common big money mistakes. 1. Living large right out of college You’ve spent the last four years broke. So now you’re getting […]
Mindset Matters
Having a rich or poor mindset may have nothing to do with your current financial situation. You could be a trust fund baby with a poor mentality or be working three minimum wage jobs with a wealthy person mindset. Your financial situation is temporary; your mindset will last for the rest of your life. 1. […]
Intro to Credit Cards
In January 2017 credit card debt hit an all-time high surpassing $1 trillion, with the average American carrying $6,375 of credit card debt. I went through college without using a credit card and missed out on four years of building credit. So now I’m starting from scratch using secured credit cards, but I’m not going […]