Happy Tuesday, HTM family!

We often hear people say…

• I’m too old to start a side hustle

• It’s too late to change careers

• My traveling days are over

• I’ll never be able to do XYZ

• This is the way I’ve always done it, I can’t change

But the truth is it’s never too late to make changes and learn new things in life. Change is hard, but it’s not that hard. It’s a matter of internal beliefs.

So here are some reminders for those of you that need to hear it:

• You CAN do it

• You’re not too late

• You’re not too old

• It’s always worth trying

• You are way more capable than you think you are!

OK, let’s get to the money stuff and talk about ways to grow wealth… 👇👇👇

TO DO

Clean Your Appliance Filters 🫧

Step 1: Open your washing machine and dishwasher and look for a sticker showing the model name.

Step 2: Google the phrase “how to clean filter on [model name]”. Filters are usually hiding in plain sight, under or inside the front door. Many popular brands have helpful YouTube videos that walk through step by step!

Step 3: Put on some gloves and clean the filters! Should take less than 10 mins.

Step 4: Pour yourself a drink because you probably just extended the life of your machine by 2 years. There’s less stress on all the pumps/hoses/clamps and the appliance is also operating more efficiently. Cheers! 🍻

EARNING MORE

Best Side Hustles for Your Zodiac Sign 🔮

The universe has spoken!…

For all those who want to earn extra money, but don’t know which jobs to try, here are the best side hustles based on your zodiac sign…

♈ Aries (March 21–April 19): Life coach. Get ready to start dishing out life and career advice to all the lost souls out there!

♉ Taurus (April 20–May 20): Storyboard artist/illustrator. It’s time to monetize your natural creativity!

♊ Gemini (May 21–June 21): Party planner. Think up wild party ideas, and charge other people to execute them! Everybody wins.

♋ Cancer (June 22–July 22): Breathwork instructor. Yes, people will pay you to show them how to breathe better.

♌ Leo (July 23–August 22): Stand up comedian. “What did the ocean say to the beach? Nothing, it just waved.” OK, you can think up better ones than that!

♍ Virgo (August 23–September 22): Virtual assistant. You get to help busy people be less busy!

♎ Libra (September 23–October 23): Closet organizer. First world problems require first world solutions.

♏ Scorpius (October 24–November 21): Social media manager. You get to help bring small businesses online and get new customers.

♐ Sagittarius (November 22–December 21): Podcaster. Start by drinking some beers and recording conversations with your bestie. Who knows where it will lead!?

♑ Capricorn (December 22–January 19): Ghost writer. Pro tip — get familiar with AI chat-bots, they’ll 10x your output!

♒ Aquarius (January 20–February 18): Pet sitter. Good news for you… Pet services are one of the fastest growing industries since everyone got furry friends during covid!

♓ Pisces (February 19–March 20): Online tutoring. You can get paid to practice speaking english with people online!

So, what do you think?

Truth be told, we don’t believe in astrology... But we do believe in finding side hustles that play to your natural strengths! Making money is easier if you enjoy it and are good in your field. 😉

Don’t wait for the stars to align. The best time to earn extra money was yesterday. And the second best time is TODAY!

More Resources:

• 🎁 Holiday Jobs: Companies like UPS, Amazon, and other big retailers are hiring seasonal workers right now.

• 💼 LinkedIn Blog: Most in demand jobs on LinkedIn right now 

• 👩‍💻 FlexJobs: Other flexible, hybrid, & remote work opportunities

TOGETHER WITH CARDRATINGS*

Feature: Capital One VENTURE

Traveling for the holidays? It might be a good time to grab a new credit card with a sweet sign-up bonus to help fund your trip!

The Capital One Venture card has a 75,000 mile sign-up bonus (equals $750 in travel credit, or sometimes more if you transfer to airline partners!). To qualify, you just need to spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.

There’s a $95 annual fee for this card, but the rewards outpace the fees as long as you’re using it right! If you’re a frequent traveler and haven’t got a new card in a while, check out the Venture card!

_{Advertiser Disclosure: How to Money has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. How to Money and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.
User Generated Content Disclosure: Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.}

INVESTING

Tortoise vs. Hare 🐢

Today’s chart is from Codie Sanchez’s site which talked about how “boring” investments usually outpace “sexy” ones over the long haul.

It compares the performance of ARKK (an ETF managed by Cathie Wood) and Berkshire Hathaway (of which Warren Buffet is CEO)… 👇👇👇

You’ve heard it before, but it’s always good to remind ourselves: Slow and steady wins the race!

Dave Ramsey recently said that “it’s not that hard to beat the S&P 500”… YES IT IS! While you might be able to pick fast growing stocks for a short period, it’s extremely hard to do over the years and decades.

Stay the course, people! “The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient.” - Warren Buffett.

Related stuff:

• 📚 Book Rec: Just Keep Buying, by Nick Maggiulli

• 🙋‍♂️ HTM Blog: How to Start Investing for Beginners

ICYMI

Latest and Greatest…

Impulse Buys 📲
The latest survey from Bankrate finds that nearly half (48%) of social media users admit to impulsively buying items they saw in social media apps. (and 68% of those buyers say they regretted buying stuff after!) Watch out for those in-app ads and tricks! 😬

Cheap Cars 🚘
Consumer Reports just released their list of Top 10 Cheap Cars that they recommend (all 2023 models). Spoiler alert — the winners are VW Jetta, Subaru Impreza, Kia Soul, & Nissan Kicks.

Healthcare ⛑️
Open Enrollment season is around the corner! Here’s a helpful post from Gen Y Planning to brush up on all the tax-advantaged accounts for healthcare that can save you money!

$1 Homes 🏡
Thinking about buying a “fixer-upper”? Just don’t buy too cheap —> there’s a reason why old worn down houses are priced so low, and they come with more headaches.

Guest Pod 🎧
We were guests on another podcast last week! This one was The Personal Finance Podcast with Andrew Giancola, were we talked about the 6 Stages of Financial Independence. Check it out!

HOW *YOU* MONEY

Tyler, 35y/o, Haddon Township, NJ 🌃

Occupation: Accounting Consultant
Salary: $167,500 + 65,000 in bonuses

Paycheck deductions: Taxes: $4,102; Health insurance: $135; HSA: $258; FSA Dependent Care: $417; Roth 401k: $1,954
Housing: $827 - my half of tax/insurance/mortgage
Other Debts: None!
Living expenses: ~$2,732 ($1,260 is full-time daycare)

Leftover savings each month: ~$3,500

How do you invest your excess savings each month?
Beginning of every year I max out back door Roth IRA and drop another 3k in 529 for my son and a couple hundred into my nephews' 529s. Stashing everything else away for the next home purchase.

Biggest “craft beer equivalent” splurge:
Mini-vacations which are few and far between (tough with 2 year old), but I do not hold back on lodging, experiences, or meals.

Best savings hack/advice:
Determining 6 months expenses and then stashing that aside gave me extreme comfort in tackling other debts or investing with what I have leftover.

Recent money win and how did you celebrate?
Paid off huge car loan after holding for 18 months. I know it was against your advice, but I wanted a luxury vehicle and plan to keep it for a very long time. I celebrated with finally purchasing a fire/water resistant storage box to hold the deed.

**Editor’s note: Have you 🫵 got a story that might help or inspire other readers? The more everyone shares, the more everyone learns. Fill out the form to be featured! (Don’t worry, we won't publish anything without you approving it first)**

Wishing you a great day and week ahead. And remember, YOU CAN DO IT! 💪

Best friends out! 🍻