Top 5 Personal Bookkeeping Software Options: Personal Capital vs Mint vs Quicken vs Money Dance vs Countabout
Personal Capital vs Mint vs Quicken vs Money dance vs Countabout are all potential options to help you get a better grip on your personal finances or tidy up your…
5 Ways People Waste Money on Their Cars
This may be something of a personal pet peeve, but why do people waste money on their cars? Spending money on cars, fine. Wasting money? Not so fine. It's easy…
What Is a Self-Directed 401k?
Will you have enough money in retirement? The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that only 43% of United States workers participate in a retirement savings plan. This survey was actually specific…
7 Ways To Save Money On A Wedding Without Regrets
This is a guest post written for playlouder.com by Audrey Willows. Please note that guest post opinions are of their author. They are not always in strict alignment with our…
How to Do Your Own Taxes (and Save some Money!)
It may seem terrifying at first, but you can learn how to do your own taxes. Let's take a look at what forms you'll need to fill out, tax credits…
The Financial Planning Process: Your Route to Financial Independence!
The financial planning process is all about "planning" for your retirement far in advance of your arrival there. You need to think of retirement as a destination. I like to…
Is Turnkey Real Estate Investing Worth Your Money? A “No-Gimmes” Accounting of 8 Properties in 3 US Markets
Are you interested in turnkey real estate investing, but not sure if it will actually make you money? In an effort to answer that question, I'm going to give you…
Emergency Fund: How Much is Enough?
How much is enough for an emergency fund, you ask? Well, that's a highly debated topic. The answer is (as always), it DEPENDS. Before I get into how much is…
How to Pay Less Taxes: 7 Basic Tax Planning Strategies
To hear some folks tell it, low taxes are basically the Holy Grail of personal finance. Those folks just might be right! Over the course of several years, a few…
How You (or Your Business) Can Benefit from a Financial Coach
There are a lot of things that can lead to a business's downfall. Failing to market products and services effectively is a major factor. Jumping into an over-saturated market can…
How to Make Money With Bitcoin (and Other Cryptocurrency)
Wondering how to make money with bitcoin? Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency. Unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard of this lucrative, emerging sector of the financial marketplace. Cryptocurrency, specifically…
What Are Stocks? And How To Invest in the S&P 500
Are you a new investor who is looking for ways to build wealth? More than 50 percent of households in the United States invest in some form in the stock market. …
The Best Hosting Companies Right Now!
This post was written in collaboration with Chris Wagner, Head of Content at HostingPill. With more than 9 years of Industry experience, he regularly writes about hosting, web servers, and…
How Long Does a Home Inspection Take?
Buying a home is one of the largest investments most individuals will make. While no single item can guarantee a completely stress free home purchase, a home inspection can provide…
Is Doing A Blog Worth It? My Experience (So Far)
So, you're wondering, "Is doing a blog worth it?" Well, like with most of life’s big questions, the answer is: "it depends"! Sorry, I know, you really wanted me to…
What is a Dividend and Why Would You Invest in Dividend Stocks?
Dividends can be a very valuable part of your investment portfolio. They can reduce your overall portfolio risk, increase your profits, and offer tax advantages. But what are dividends? And…
Evening Part Time Jobs Online (That Can Pay Pretty Well!)
If you have been thinking about doing some evening part-time jobs online to make extra income on the side, you're not alone. A Bankrate survey shows that nearly half of…
60k a Year Is How Much an Hour? (And How Do I Budget for That Salary?)
60k a year is how much an hour? And how do you budget for a 60k salary? Let's find out. If you're a high school teacher, public relations specialist, zoologist,…
How Beneficial is the Gross Income Multiplier?
The gross income multiplier (GIM) is a fast and easy way to estimate the value of an income producing property. It should only be used as a first very basic…
How to Incorporate Yourself to Save Money (and Protect Your Assets)
So you are a freelancer or independent contractor and you want to know how to incorporate yourself. Smart. My feeling is that if you are self-employed in this way, you're…
Big Picture Investing: Why You Need to Get in the Game Now!
If you have been poking around my blog, you’ve probably figured out that my ultimate goal is to help you reach some version of "financial independence" (or even just plain…
What is Asset Protection Planning (and How Do You Achieve It)?
What do we mean when we say "Asset Protection Planning"? To answer that, we first need to understand to what “assets” we are actually referring. Over the course of your…
The Critical Tools I Use for My Blogging Business
If you have decided to join the ranks and become a "blogger," you're most certainly in need of some helpful blogging tools. I want to share my best resources with…
Jobs That Pay 100 an Hour (or More) and Can Be Done Remotely?
There are not many careers with jobs that pay 100 an hour or more and can be worked remotely. Not too long ago, no job could have! Luckily, times have…
Meet the Money Transfer Companies Disrupting the US Funds Transfer Industry
The USA might be the greatest economy in the world today. However, making international money transfers from this country is a challenge. There are many options you can use, so…
How to Make Your Money Work for You: 7 Modern Methods for Investing in “The Market”
You work hard for your money, but do you know how to make your money work for you? No one wants to work until they die, right? If you feel…
What is the Difference Between Term and Whole Life Insurance?
Are you thinking about buying life insurance, but don't know where to start? Here's a money saving tip: get it while you're still young(er) and healthy! Now, let's look at…
The 1031 Exchange Timeline (and All The Other Rules!)
A 1031 exchange timeline is worth investigating and enduring the hassle of abiding by. Here's why... When you sell an investment property at a profit, you typically have to pay…
Real Estate Strategy 101: Learn the Basics, the Lingo, and the Opportunities
Investing in real estate is well-known as one of the most effective ways to increase your wealth. It also can have the added benefit of generating passive income, which allows you to…
8 Proven & Practical Ways to Catch-Up With Your Retirement Savings Contributions
This is a guest post written for playlouder.com by Rick Pendykoski, the owner of Self Directed Retirement Plans LLC, a retirement planning firm based in Goodyear, AZ. Rick has over…
Adobe vs Avid vs BlackMagic vs Mac: Which Media Creation Platform Is Best?
Adobe vs Avid vs BlackMagic vs Mac ...which one is best? With the abundance of websites and social media these days, it's easy to get lost in the shuffle. Videos…
The Financial Independence Mindset is Critical
Many people have heard this term "financially independent," but they’re not totally sure what it means—or if they know what it means, they don’t know how to achieve it. Financial…
The 4 Most Popular Bookkeeping Programs for Your Business
QuickBooks vs FreshBooks vs Xero vs Quicken Home & Business If you are just starting a business, or even if you've been in business for a while, you need to…
Best Business Checking Accounts Comparison
As a business owner, entrepreneur, or a prospective startup, one of the first things you should set up is a business bank account for your finances. You need a business…
7 Awesome Stock Photo, Image Editing, and Graphics Creation Options
Do you ever look at a marketing poster or banner and wonder how it was made? You'd think it took an entire team of designers, photographers, and editors hours and…
How Long Does it Take to Build Credit (or Improve Your Score)
How long does it take to build credit? Well...a while! That's why it's important to start young. But, it's also important to have a plan, and not use the credit…
Rehabs and Rentals: Robmar Road
Robmar was property number 14! I did a 1031 exchange from the Graham property into this one. I had been looking at the Tampa, FL area for a while, both…
The Current Leading Outsourcing Platforms That Will Improve Your Workflow
These days, it's becoming much easier to hire and work with an employee or contractor virtually. Outsourcing platforms take the stress out of finding a virtual assistant or employee. But…
21 Tax Deductions Small Businesses Need to Know
Did you know you can reduce your liability at tax time by using standard business tax deductions? Tax deductions help small business owners reduce the cost of running their enterprise.…
Personal Itemized Budget Categories & How You Wrangle Them with My Budget Template
Do you want to maximize your income and invest your savings in order to increase your net worth and maybe even retire early? Well then, it all starts with a…
Tips on Managing Remote Teams for Small Businesses
Recent world events have led to a surge in remote working, and the need for managing remote teams. But even so, that upward trend was in place long before the…
Turnkey Real Estate Investing: What a First-Timer Should Know Before They Buy
Hey there. So you’re wondering about turnkey real estate investing? Well, a full turnkey property can be an easy entry into real estate investing for a first-timer. Turnkey real estate…
Early Financial Independence: Living Your Life in 4 Acts (Not Just the 3 You’ve Been Told About)!
You're probably living your life in "3 Acts"---so were we. (This may sound a bit esoteric right now, but just bear with me.) When we finally realized that life was…
Commercial Development: Teale Street
If you just perused the B&A photos, you can see what a massive transformation project we undertook. This was my second commercial development project, the funds for which came from…
The Benefits of a Financial Advisor for Your Investing Future
Want to jump into the world of investing, but don't have the time to learn all there is to know? Well then, you might appreciate the benefits of a financial…
H&R Block vs TurboTax vs an Accountant: 3 Easy Ways to Do Your Taxes:
H&R Block vs TurboTax vs an accountant: we are going to be looking at the pros and cons of each of these tax preparation solutions so that you can determine…
The Ups and Downs of Reinventing Your Life At 43 With a Kid
So...Hello! We are Joe and Kristin DiSanto, a former executive producer/business owner and a former film/commercial editor from Los Angeles. Since meeting and marrying in Los Angeles, we spent many…
Blogging Courses, Services and “Gurus” I’ve Enlisted in My Online Income Journey
You literally can lose your mind when you start doing research about blogging (and consequently blogging courses). For one, it can be discouraging. You quickly realize you are very late…
Renting vs Owning: Why You Need to Own the Real Estate You Live in (of Which You Will Be the World’s Best Renter!)
Are you pondering the very often debated topic of renting vs owning a home? Well apparently so are a lot of people these days. I don't know about you, but…
Commercial Development: Westgate Ave
Westgate was my first of two commercial property deals. Both projects were purchased and renovated to house the businesses I had started with my partners. BEFORE & AFTER PROPERTY NARRATIVE…
Live and Flips: Hillcrest Street
Hillcrest is the second residence that my wife and I bought. Our first one, 5th Ave, we owned for 10 years. We bought 5th Ave prior to the 2008 bust,…
Annual S Corporation Filing Requirements for all 50 States
If you currently are a freelancer, sole proprietor or independent contractor you very likely could see some great tax benefits by switching to an INC or LLC that files its…
The 4 Best LLC Formation and Incorporation Services
Incfile vs Legalzoom vs Biz Filings vs Zen Business When it comes to choosing from all the online LLC formation and incorporation services available, you need to cut through the…
How We are Staying for Free on our Summer Vacation with a Vacation Home Swap
If you're willing to be a little flexible on your travel dates, and potentially even your location, you can most likely stay for FREE on every vacation you take. Yes!…
Rehabs and Rentals: Newberry Drive
Newberry was our fourth real estate purchase, inclusive of our first residence and first commercial building. Our first three purchases were before the financial crisis...in the easy lending days. BEFORE…
The Mindset of The Rich vs Poor: How Wealthy People Think Differently
I hate to put things in terms of the rich vs poor, but when it comes to amassing and keeping money, wealthy people do think inherently differently from poor people.…
The 5 Critical Components of Real Estate Investing Returns
Real estate investing is a big piece of my financial pie. The way I think about real estate investing, in the same way, I think about public markets investing...I look…
How Co-Working Spaces Can Help Keep Your Business & Personal Life Separate
This post was written for playlouder by Jacob Klein. Jacob is a freelance writer and blog contributor based out of New York. His work primarily concerns business, finance, and startup…
Why Emergency Funds Should Be a High Priority
This is a guest post written for playlouder.com by Aileen Colon. Please note that guest post opinions are of their author. They are not always in strict alignment with my…
Rehabs and Rentals: Belmont Ave
PROPERTY NARRATIVE We bought this property from a "Semi-Turkey" provider. That basically means that they flip the house to the investor, often with a tenant, but then recommend you to…
Get A Business Credit Card That Won’t Affect Your Personal Credit
If you’re a business owner of any type, then you should have a business credit card. It’s a great tool to help with day-to-day operations, manage cash flow, and even…
7 Best Places to Find Free Uncopyrighted Music for Your Videos
Anyone who’s ever made a video knows that finding good free music for videos is one of the hardest parts of the job. Here’s all the info you need to…
A Robo Advisor Comparison: Can A.I. Get You to the Promised Land?!
So I wanted to put together a distilled robo advisor comparison for you to check out. Largely because they are cool, but also because they are (potentially) a great step…
Rehabs and Rentals: 91st Terrace
PROPERTY NARRATIVE This property was just a total BEEATCH since inception. I would seriously like to walk up to this house and BEEATCH slap it big time. (I really just…
How Our (Semi-ish) Early Retirement Aspirations Grew from a Spark to a FI/RE
Way back in 2012, a younger Joe and I were hanging out and talking about our eventual retirement (as all young people do) and possibly even an early retirement. We…
Solo 401k vs SEP IRA: A Comparing For the Self-Employed
Self-employment can offer an excellent work-life balance, as well as other freedoms and lifestyle benefits! Hahaha...wasn't that funny. Seriously though, self-employment will likely be the cause of you working 80…
Music Industry Jobs: An Amazing Array of Opportunities
Music industry jobs cover a vast array of opportunities for every personality type. Whether you're a frontman at heart or a creative introvert, there's room in the music business for…
Belize Real Estate on Ambergris Caye : How to Invest in Paradise!
If you're looking for a fun and worthwhile real estate hunting trip, consider booking a flight to the Central American country of Belize. Buying gorgeous Ambergris Caye Belize real estate…
Rehabs and Rentals: Yale Ave
PROPERTY NARRATIVE COMING SOON (I still own this property)
You Need to Do Your Personal Bookkeeping (Like a Business)…and You Hate It…Now What?!?
There just isn't any way around it. No matter how you earn, invest, slice, dice and spend your money, one financial fundamental will hold true: you have to do personal…
Rehabs and Rentals: Scottsdale Ave
PROPERTY NARRATIVE COMING SOON PROPERTY FINANCIALS (I still own this property, but this is about where the numbers would be if I sold it Dec19)
Rehabs and Rentals: Cavern Drive
PROPERTY NARRATIVE COMING SOON! PROPERTY FINANCIALS (I still own this property, but this is about where the numbers would be if I sold it Dec19)
Rehabs and Rentals: Graham Street
BEFORE & AFTER PROPERTY NARRATIVE COMING SOON PROPERTY FINANCIALS (This property has been sold)
Rehabs and Rentals: 92nd Street
PROPERTY NARRATIVE COMING SOON PROPERTY FINANCIALS (This property has been sold)
Land Deals: Belize Lot #8211
Our 5th purchase was beautiful raw land real estate in Belize. We actually ended up visiting Belize after Kristin and I started seriously thinking about early retirement in 2012-2013. Back…
Your Long-Term Health: A (Financially) Valuable Investment
This is a guest post written for playlouder.com by Ava Laurel. Please note that guest post opinions are of their author. They are not always in strict alignment with my…
Rehabs and Rentals: Rawhide Drive
PROPERTY NARRATIVE COMING SOON PROPERTY FINANCIALS (This property has been sold)
Live and Flips: 5th Ave
BEFORE & AFTER PROPERTY NARRATIVE This was the first house that I ever bought, and was also my residence. It was the first of what would eventually be 16 total…