WELCOME, CRASHER
Money tips that respect your time.
WHAT WE DO
We can all be Money Crashers
Anyone, at any stage of life, can get good with money. It just has to be explained straight. That’s what we do, one short tip at a time.
Educate
Every tip teaches one useful thing and opens with the takeaway, in a box we call Just the Tip. No lectures, no jargon, no filler.
Research
We compare rates, fees, and current promotions side by side. You just pick from the winners.
Enrich
We work with top financial brands on offers and bonuses, and we flag the ones you can only get through us.
AS SEEN ON
Latest
New tips every day. Browse the latest, or get the next one in your inbox.
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In Your 50s, Max Your Catch-Up Contributions and Build a Bond Cushion
From the year you turn 50, catch-up rules let you add $8,000 a year to a 401(k) and $1,100 to an IRA beyond the regular limits. Raise your contributions to use them. Shift gradually toward bonds until a few years of retirement withdrawals sit in bonds and cash, so a crash can’t force you to sell stocks low.
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Micro-Investing App Fees – $4 a Month Costs 9.6% a Year on $500
To see what a micro-investing app’s flat monthly fee costs you, multiply it by 12 and divide by your balance. On a small balance, that yearly percentage can be close to or above the 10% a year large U.S. stocks have averaged since 1928. Until it falls under 1%, invest through a broker with no account fee.
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Best Credit Cards for Costco – Its Own Card Wins Only at the Pump
Pay at Costco with a Visa, the only credit card its U.S. warehouses take. Get the Costco Anywhere Visa if you buy gas there, since it pays 5% on up to $7,000 a year. In the warehouse its 2% only matches a no-fee 2% card, and Robinhood’s Gold card beats it at 3% for a $50 yearly membership.
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Your Gut Sells Low and Buys High – Write Your Investing Rules Down First
Your gut tells you to sell after a drop and buy after a run-up, the reverse of buying low and selling high. While you’re calm, write a one-page plan that sets your mix of stocks and bonds, monthly buys, rebalancing date, and reasons to sell. Then automate what you can and follow the plan, not your gut.
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Investing Isn’t Gambling – Hold Index Funds for Decades and Cap Bets at 5%
Owning a diversified stock fund for years isn’t gambling. The companies in a fund earn profits that give it a positive average return, while casinos set up their games so players lose on average. Put your long-term money in the fund, and keep bets on next week’s price to a small slice you could lose entirely.
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Best Business Credit Cards for Freelancers & Side Hustlers – No Fee, No LLC Needed
Start with a no-fee business card that pays 2% on every purchase with no yearly cap, the best fit for most freelancers. Add a card with a higher rate on phone, internet, or gas only if those bills take a big share of your spending, since such cards pay 1% on everything else.
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Best American Express Cards – Match the Card to Where You Spend Most
Choose the American Express card built for your biggest spending. Households wanting cash back should get a Blue Cash card, while the Gold and Platinum pay off only if you’ll use their credits and travel with the points. Business owners should start with a no-fee Blue Business card.
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Best Unsecured Credit Cards for Bad or Fair Credit – Try the No-Fee Cards First
If your credit is bad or fair and you can’t spare a deposit, start with a no-fee unsecured card like the Capital One Platinum. Check first whether you prequalify, since prequalifying won’t affect your credit score. Pay an annual fee only when its cash back covers the fee, or after pricing it against a secured card.
WHY WE DO IT
Money Crashers’ mission
Money should work for you, not the other way around. We keep you on the right side of that deal with tips you can act on the day you read them.
We only write what’s useful.
Every post starts with the same question: how useful is this to our readers? When the honest answer is “not very,” we don’t publish it.
We do the homework so you don’t have to.
We run the numbers, read the fine print, and weigh the alternatives. You get the conclusion, not the pile of research.
Trust is our No. 1 priority.
No clickbait headlines. Affiliate partners don’t buy our opinions. When a product isn’t worth it, we say so.