Happy Tuesday, money nerds!

“You don’t drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.“ – Edwin Cole

A couple reminders for today…

1. Your problems will only defeat you —> if you continue to dwell on them. So stop dwelling on them! 🙇‍♀️

2. You are smart enough to solve whatever sticky situation you’re in. Trust me, people far less smart (and with less money) than you have figured it out. You can too! 💪

3. You’re not alone. Family, friends, co-workers, and the HTM community have your back and are rooting for your success. 💯

Cheers to an awesome week ahead —> onwards and upwards!

Okie dokie… Now let’s talk about money stuff!! 👇👇👇

TO DO

Unsubscribe from Tempting Emails 😈

Getting your favorite brand’s newsletters is a blessing and a curse... Sometimes you get a 40% off sales notification and can jump on killer deals!! But other times (more often than not) you can be tempted to buy crap you don’t need! 😬

This week: Scrutinize your email subscriptions. If they add value to your life, or money to your pocket by helping you save, keep them! But if they’re hurting your finances more than helping, it's time to ruthlessly unsubscribe 👋.

BTW - there’s little harm in unsubscribing from things. If you realize you made a mistake or miss something dearly, just resubscribe — nbd!

SAVING

Free (and Cheap) Summer Activities 😎

Summer is in full swing! And while the days are long and sunny, our creativity can run short for planning fun family activities that don't strain the budget.

So here are some affordable ideas to keep the family entertained…

Disc golf (or soccer golf): Most public frisbee golf courses are free, and some are just a few dollars. Also, some public par 3 golf courses have soccer holes for kids! Great way to get your kids outside and burn some energy!

Geocaching: Try a real-life treasure hunt! Download the Geocaching app to find containers hidden in plain sight across the world. Just make sure to bring some trinkets to leave behind if you plan on taking something from it. Pokémon GO is also still an awesome free outdoor activity. Get your steps in while entertaining the kids - and yourself!

Free days at museums: A bunch of museums have free visit days. Check your local library because many give free or discounted access to museums, zoos, and aquariums. Pro tip: Take some pencils/paper and challenge your kids to draw copies of their favorite pieces of art as they explore.

Outdoor movies: Many community organizations offer free movie nights on balmy Summer evenings for local residents. Ask around to see if your town is offering anything like this. If not, you could always spend ~$70 on a portable projector and enjoy movies on your porch all summer long!

Free Workshops & Programs: If you’ve got little bookworms at home, check out the B&N Summer Reading Program. Many Home Depots offer free workshops, some for kids. And Apple has free workshops too for things like camera techniques, cartoon drawing, emoji making, creating songs, and basic Apple device user guides.

Bowling summer pass: Check out the KidsBowlFree site to see if there’s a location near you, or Bowlero has a great summer pass for kids that pays for itself after just a few visits!

Outdoor paint and sip: Grab a few spare poster boards and that old paint set and cue up a YouTube tutorial. Painting outside means less mess to clean up.

Goodwill toy swap: Have your kids pick 10 toys they no longer play with and drive them to your local Goodwill center for donation. As a reward, they get to go inside and shop for a new (used) cheap toy to play with.

Remember, the best summer memories are often made without spending a dime. Stretch that imagination and limit the screen time!

More cool stuff: 79 Free Things to Do With Kids This Summer

TOGETHER WITH SILVER*

Taking your FSA from 😩 to 😊

Have you ever scrambled to use or even lost your FSA funds at the end of the year? Have you ever wondered what is actually FSA-eligible? Have you ever wished there was a better way to maximize your FSA benefits?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, Silver is here for you! 

Silver is a new tool that makes it incredibly easy to get reimbursed for past FSA-eligible (and HSA-eligible) purchases at major retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Sephora, and many more. Silver does all the dirty receipt collection work for you and auto-submits a claim to your FSA provider in minutes! 

You may be surprised how many of your past purchases are eligible for reimbursement – our users typically discover over $400 worth of reimbursable expenses. Curious how much money Silver can find for you? 

How To Money subscribers can try Silver for free by using the code howtomoney at checkout. Try out Silver today.

INVESTING

Index and Chill… 📈

Today’s chart is from MarketWatch…

“For the 14th year in a row, the S&P 500 did better than the majority of actively managed U.S. large-cap stock funds”👇👇👇

A few reminders of why sticking to index funds is often the smarter choice vs. opting for actively managed funds…

1. Better performance: In a single year, it’s really hard for fund managers to beat their index benchmark. But over multiple years, the difficulty multiplies (it’s like flipping a coin and trying to land on heads 10 times in a row). Indexing IS the benchmark.

2. Lower costs for index funds: Lower expense ratios, less trading turnover, lower tax implications… Index funds cost a LOT less because there’s far less overhead. Those savings get passed on to you!

3. Simplicity: This benefit can’t be understated enough. When you invest in index funds, you don’t have to worry about whether your chosen money managers are doing the best job or not. You can sit back, relax, and trust that your exact share of market growth is headed your way.

While the allure of potentially higher returns from actively managed funds can be tempting, the evidence overwhelmingly supports the case for index funds.

For most investors, staying indexed is not just a safer bet—it's a smarter strategy for long-term growth and reduced stress levels. Index and chill! 😎

Related stuff:

• 🏡 HTM Blog: How to Buy Index Funds (and the ones we like!).

• 🤷 Savings Rate: How Much of My Paycheck Should I Invest?

• 📈 Stock Picking: 6 Reasons Why Most People Lose Money in The Stock Market

ICYMI

In other news…

Costco 😭
Effective September 1st, Costco is raising their annual membership fees. It’ll be an extra $5 for Gold members, and $10 for Executive. But don’t worry, even with the price increase, membership is still a no-brainer for most people!

Noncompete 👨‍💼
The proposed FTC ban on worker non-compete agreements has been partially blocked by a federal judge. "While this order is preliminary, the Court intends to rule on the ultimate merits of this action on or before August 30, 2024."

Fin Ed 👩‍🎓
California just signed a bill that requires high schoolers to take a dedicated personal finance course before graduating. Just 5 years ago, only 5 states required personal finance education — now we’re up to 26! Woot woot!

F.A.S.T. 📺
Free ad-supported streaming services (think Tubi, Roku, etc) are growing like crazy as other paid platforms keep raising their subscription prices. Keep evaluating your options, people!

Coffee Badging 🪪
A new trend for hybrid workers that need to come into the office a few times a week. Reports show that 58% of hybrid workers are “showing face at the office and then leaving.”

Synergy 👩‍❤️‍👨
What should you do if your partner has zero interest in personal finance? There’s some cool advice in this MarketWatch column that might help.

FRIENDS OF HTM

Jackie Cummings — Catching Up to FI 🔥

Jackie is the author of the book F.I.R.E. For Dummies and co-host of the Catching Up to FI podcast.

If you feel out of the loop or behind in your money game, you’ll love hearing from Jackie — she’s living proof that setbacks earlier in life don’t mean that reaching financial independence isn’t in the cards for you.

We also interviewed Jackie on Episode #848 which is worth a listen!

Welp, that’s it for now! Wishing you an awesome week ahead, doing what you do best 😉

Best friends out! 🍻