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CEO & Co-founder
Andrew started his career at a Chicago hedge fund and quickly noticed a problem: the people who most needed financial guidance weren’t getting any. He co-founded Money Crashers in 2009 to fix that with free, plain-language money education. He’s been interviewed by MSNBC, CBS News, NBC News, and Fox News, and featured in Forbes and US News & World Report. Off the clock he plays ice hockey and tennis, and meditates. Andrew holds a bachelor’s in economics from Brown University.
If you were eligible for a health savings account (HSA) last year and didn’t reach the contribution limit, you can still contribute for last year until the tax filing deadline, usually April 15. Tell your HSA provider the deposit is a prior-year contribution, then claim the deduction on last year’s return, even if you don’t itemize.
A short college fund has backups like student loans, scholarships, and cheaper schools, while a short retirement fund leaves you working longer or living on less. Fund your own retirement first, starting with every dollar of your employer’s match, and put money toward college only after your retirement savings are on track.
Check your homeowners or renters insurance declarations page to see whether your house and belongings are covered at replacement cost or actual cash value. Replacement cost pays today’s price to rebuild or rebuy, if your coverage limits are high enough. Actual cash value deducts wear and age first, so wherever you find it, ask your agent to quote the upgrade.
A friendly text meant for someone else is a common opening for crypto investment scams, and a polite reply is exactly what the scammer wants. Don’t answer, even to say it’s the wrong number. If someone you met by text ever brings up investing, stop replying and never invest where they tell you to.
Put HealthSpring’s Medicare Supplement plans on your quote list if price comes first. Its Plan G for a 65-year-old woman came in below the median policy in all three markets we checked, and 2nd of 41 in Columbus. The company issuing them there is new to Medigap, with little complaint history yet.
The American Opportunity Tax Credit pays up to $2,500 a year per college student, but it can’t count any expense your 529 plan already covered tax-free. If your income qualifies, pay $4,000 of tuition, fees, and course materials from other money, student loans included, and let the 529 handle the rest, such as room and board.
Choose an AARP Medicare Supplement plan if you want the largest Medigap insurer, sold in every state, with fewer complaints than its size predicts. Don’t judge it by the price at 65, though. That price carries an enrollment discount that shrinks after 68, so ask what you’ll pay at 75 before you apply.
A credit card cash advance is the costliest way to use your card. You pay a fee up front, usually 5%, and interest builds from day one, often at a higher rate than purchases. Money orders and some person-to-person transfers can count too, so keep your credit card out of anything that works like cash.
Your bank can charge an overdraft fee on an everyday debit card purchase or ATM withdrawal only if you opted in to overdraft coverage. Revoke that consent with a phone call or an app setting. A purchase you can’t cover will then usually be declined instead of approved with a fee attached.
If your pay covers your bills and you still live paycheck to paycheck, the problem is timing, not income. Build a one-month buffer in checking, fed by small transfers and windfalls, until a full month of bills is sitting there before any of them come due.
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