If someone told me to stop thinking about my finances, I’d think:
- That’s impossible.
- That’s impossible.
- That’s definitely impossible.
I think about my finances entirely too much. (Or is it just enough?)
That credit card bill due at the end of the month, my retirement savings, the looming electric bill after a steamy, hot month or a frigid winter…
These are the financial fears that haunt me on a daily basis.
There are, however, easy steps you can take to stop thinking about your finances — or at least ease your money stress a little bit.
1. Let This Bot Optimize Your 401(k)
Saving for retirement is a daunting chore — perhaps the most daunting in the world of personal finance. If you’ve ever typed your information into one of those retirement calculators, you’ve probably thrown your laptop across the room and declared, “I give up.” (Just me?)
But a 401(k) will help you out, and if you already have one open, know you’re on the right track.
Now, you just need to make sure it’s working hard for you. That’s where Blooom will help you out. This company is an SEC-registered investment-advisory firm that optimizes and monitors your 401(k).
Enter your information into its system: your name, age and when you hope to retire. Connect your 401(k) account (it’s safe, I swear!), then boom. (Or Blooom?)
Within a few minutes, you receive a free 401(k) “health report,” which tells you what’s going well and what needs some improvement. Are you paying too many fees? Is your mix of stocks and bonds not properly allocated for your age?
If you want Blooom to take over, you can opt in for a $10-per-month service. Within a few hours, Blooom will reconfigure your 401(k) without you doing a thing. And, better yet, it keeps an eye on it from then on.
2. Cut Down Your Monthly Bills
Whenever I receive a cable and internet bill from Spectrum, I cringe. Due again?!
I always thought this was a bill I couldn’t escape — that I was locked into paying. (Because, you know, I need internet to live.) However, did you know there are ways to negotiate it — without making a single phone call and sitting on hold for approximately 3,493 minutes?
Trim is a cute little bot that’ll negotiate your internet and/or cable bills for you.
Once you sign up, upload a PDF of your latest bill. You can find this using your online account. The process takes about two minutes. Afterward, Trim’s AI system begins negotiating to see if it can reduce your monthly bill. Trim pockets 25% of the reduction, and you get the rest.
If your bill can’t be reduced, Trim will keep an eye on things and keep trying. For example, if there’s ever a power or service outage, you’ll get reimbursed.
It’s nice knowing this little guy is on your side!
3. Stop Worrying About Tracking Prices
I do this all the time: I buy something from Amazon, then, a few hours later, the price drops.
Seriously? Why does this world hate me?
That’s where Earny is helpful. You guessed it — he’s another adorable little bot! When you sign up (Earny is free!), you just enter your email address. Then Earny keeps track of your online shopping receipts. If the price of an item you’ve already ordered drops, Earny will claim that difference back for you.
It works with a number of retailers, including Amazon, Jet, Overstock, Target and Zappos. At the end of the month, you could snag a hearty refund.
The nicest part of it all? You don’t have to do a thing after signing up.
4. Start Saving Money (Without Thinking About It)
Tucking away money from each paycheck is a tough thing to do — because it’s payday, hey!
The best way to smuggle little chunks of your paycheck into a separate account is to automate the process so you don’t have to think about it. An app like Acorns can help with that.
Acorns is a micro-investing app that allows you to execute a set-it-and-forget-it method. (Kinda like the Ronco Rotisserie.)
Set up your Acorns account so it dumps spare change from your debit or credit card transactions into an account. For example, spend $1.20 at the gas station, and Acorns will stash 80 cents away. Or set up your account so that every two weeks, it saves $20.
The best part is that Acorns invests the money for you, so it’s not just sitting there idly, collecting dust.
Also: You’ll snag a $10 sign-up bonus!
5. Earn Cash Back on All Your Purchases
With so many credit card offers available these days, it’s hard to know what’s a good offer.
Or if you’re getting roped into a bundle of fees.
But we can tell you one of our favorite cash-back cards is the Barclaycard CashForward World Mastercard.
Why? First, there are no annual fees. Second, if you spend $1,000 within the first 90 days of opening the card, you’ll bank a $200 bonus. (You’re thinking: $1,000 is a lot to spend. Well, hate to break it to ya, but take a look at what you spent on groceries these past three months.)
You’ll also earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases.
Cha-ching without doing a thing!
6. Set Up a Passive Income Stream
The point of passive income is to sit back, relax and watch the money roll in, right? Well, not exactly. There are some upfront tasks you’ll need to do.
But if you want to explore this world — you know, get your toes a little wet — there’s an app that can help you earn cash rewards on your purchases.
It’s called Dosh. The idea is that you’re spending money on your normal everyday items and earning money back — without having to scan bar codes or take photos of your receipts.
I signed up a few days ago, and within two minutes, I banked $6. The first $5 was from linking my credit card, and the additional dollar was from linking my debit card. Those are the two cards Dosh will comb through to find out which of my purchases qualify for cash back.
Some examples of these opportunities (available right now) include:
- Up to 7.5% back from Bed Bath & Beyond online
- Up to 6% back from Ray Ban online
- Up to 4.5% back from The Container Store online
There are plenty of local restaurants, breweries and coffee shops with available offers, too.
Once you collect $15, cash out! (Or do good and donate it to charity.)
So next time I’m lying in bed at night, staring at the ceiling and counting my money, alongside those annoying sheep, I’ll just start ticking off the tips on this list instead. Then I’ll fall soundly asleep.
Carson Kohler (@CarsonKohler) is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder. She stresses about money entirely too much, but she’s learning to cope — with the aforementioned tools.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, one of the largest personal finance websites. We help millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. In 2016, Inc. 500 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the No. 1 fastest-growing private media company in the U.S.
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