Museum and zoo memberships offer pretty good value if you visit frequently and many have reciprocal agreements with other museums across the country. But until recently I never really considered it a good option for me and my family. While we love taking the kids to children’s museums, science centers, and zoos, the few places…
This may sound unbelievable, but reducing these monthly expenses could result in well over $50,000 of additional money in retirement. The end of the year is a good time to look at your routine spending and identify ways to cut costs. As last year came to an end I took a hard look at my…
Free National Park access for fourth graders through the end of August 2021. The Every Kid Outdoors program gives fourth graders and their families free access to every National Park in the United States. And this year it has been extended to include fifth graders. Free admission covers the whole family – all children under…
As my oldest approached 8 years old, I started to consider the idea of giving him an allowance. I did some research and found a wide range of approaches, all with various advantages and disadvantages. Some recommend tying an allowance to completion of chores, while others recommend a fixed allowance. Most recommend an amount based…
Unless you are much wealthier than me, you can’t literally give someone the gift of financial independence. But you can help set them on the path. To start, what do I mean by “Financial Independence”? There are many opinions about what this phrase means, but Wikipedia defines it as having enough income to pay one’s…
Tax gain harvesting is an interesting technique which I only recently learned about. It takes advantage of the 0% federal tax rate on long-term capital gains if your income is below $40,000 (individual) or $80,000 (married). Higher income earners typically pay 15%, but if your 2020 income was impacted by the pandemic you may have…