Welcome to the first Tuesday of Spring, folks!

Spring cleaning can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. This week, we challenge you to pick just one task you’ve been putting off. Maybe it’s tackling your closet, dropping off that pile of donations, or giving your plants a little refresh.

Checking even one thing off your list can make a bigger difference than you think. Less clutter, less stress, and more time to actually enjoy the season ahead. ☀️

LIFESTYLE

Earning Beyond the 9-5 💵

Feeling the pinch of rising prices? You’re not alone. While everything seems to be getting more expensive these days, wage increases aren’t necessarily keeping up, making it easy to feel like your budget is getting stretched too thin.

If you’ve been thinking of ways to make some extra cash (I mean, who hasn’t?), a side hustle might be the solution you’ve been looking for. Even if your goal is only to make a quick buck, taking on the right side hustle can also help you pick up new skills or open doors to bigger, better opportunities down the line!

Should You Start a Side Hustle?

The truth is, launching a side hustle isn’t as easy as TikTok makes it sound. In fact, side hustles often take a lot of time and effort to get going. Having more passive income down the line is great, but it doesn’t put money in your pocket now. If you’re looking for a short-term income-producing strategy, gig work is your best bet. Signing up for a rideshare or food delivery service gig may be more suitable.

But if you’re down to build slowly for better long-term results, and you’ve been wanting to venture out into the world of side hustles, now is as good a time as any to get going!

How to Pick the Right Hustle

Here’s the formula we like to use:

• 🤔 Know Your Why: Are you covering a one-time expense? Saving for a dream vacation? Looking for another source of income? Clear goals make the following steps easier.

• 💪 Play to Your Strengths: Love being outside? Dog walking or landscaping may be great options. But if you’re severely allergic to cats? Well, maybe pet-sitting isn’t for you. Skills + Interest = Better Results.

• 🗓️ Fit it in Your Schedule: Make sure that your side hustle fits within your life. If you’re trying to plan everything around your side hustle, it can easily start to feel like an unwanted burden. See where you have the most free time, and find something that fits within those time blocks.

• ✍️ Plan for Your Extra Income: Side hustles are a tool — treat them as such! Track your earnings and expenses, save for taxes, and make sure that at the end of the day, the extra work is worth it.

• ✅ Decide When to Start: Starting a side hustle can take research and planning. Maybe you’re ready to get rolling today, but you might want to take some time to plan. It’s up to you!

Side Hustle Ideas

Depending on your goals, skills, and interests, there are a slew of different side hustles you can get started with.

• 🏎️ Fast Cash: Dog walking, babysitting, house cleaning, selling old stuff. These can bring some immediate cash flow with low to no startup costs.

• 🧑‍💻 Skill-Based: Freelance writing, tutoring, social media management, coding. These will also help you build on your skills, allowing you to take your side hustle to new heights!

• 💛 Passion Projects: Handmade crafts, coaching, baking. Take what you love and turn it into something that brings in the dough! Ex. one HTM listener recently told us about the cocktail kits she makes. She uses the money she makes to save for vacations and college tuition. Brilliant!

Side hustles aren’t just about developing another stream of income, although that may be the reason you choose to start one. They also help you develop new skills, expand your network, pursue various passions, and create options for more flexibility. Not only are you helping your money go further, but you become a more well-rounded person!

Whether you’re looking to increase your monthly cash flow, pay off an unexpected expense, or save for something fun, creative ways abound to bring in more money, all while having fun and growing as an individual.

TOGETHER WITH TURBOTAX*

Small Businesses Taxes Made Simple ✔️

It’s tax season, and for those who are self-employed or new business owners, it can be a confusing time, especially with all the recent tax reform laws.

There were more than 5.6 million LLCs formed in 2025, continuing the trend of people launching their own brands and businesses, with LLC formation growing more than 60% since 2019. As millions of LLCs file for the first time, TurboTax Experts for Business are here to help!

Being tax compliant is among small business owners’ top concerns, but it's often time-consuming and research-intensive to figure out taxes on your own. 

TurboTax Experts for Business matches those who are self-employed and small business owners with a tax expert who has expertise and knowledge in their specific industry, giving business owners confidence that they are maximizing deductions and keeping the most money in their business.

TurboTax helps:

• Save You Money: TurboTax Experts for Business finds every deduction and maximizes tax savings so you keep every dollar possible in your business.

• Access to Expertise: TurboTax Experts have an average of 12 years of experience and are available to be matched with small businesses based on your industry. Business owners can fully hand off their taxes to an expert who will securely prepare and file your taxes virtually or in person.

• Year-Round Tax Support: TurboTax Experts for Business provides unlimited year-round expert support at no extra cost, and offers audit protection.

• Seamless Integration: TurboTax Business provides seamless integration across Intuit platforms like QuickBooks, eliminating the need for small business owners to juggle multiple financial apps or manual data entry – delivering a truly personalized, done-for-you experience for small business customers. 

The April 15th deadline is fast approaching. Match with a TurboTax business expert who can file for you today at turbotax.com/business.

CRYPTO

5-Minute Trades, Long-Term Regrets 🎰

There’s a new trend heating up in the money world, and it’s basically the at-home version of a slot machine.

Ultra-short-term “quick bets” (we’re talking 5-15 minute guesses on crypto price fluctuations) are blowing up right now. People are jumping in, attempting to make a quick buck, betting on whether an asset will go up or down in the next few minutes.

While some people are making money… many are losing significant sums…quickly.

Let’s call this what it is: speculation, not investing.

Why It’s Gaining Popularity

We get it. Quick bets can be exciting; they hit all the right buttons:

• ✔️ Instant results: No waiting months or years to see gains.

• 🟢 Low barrier to entry: Anyone can jump in at any time.

• 💰 Big win potential: Making a bunch of money fast is hard to ignore.

With platforms making it feel like a game, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement.

So What’s the Problem?

There are significant real risks. While you could make money quickly, you can lose it almost instantly, too. And if you snag an early win, it’s incredibly easy to confuse luck with skill, prompting bigger bets. Losses can stack up faster than you expect… especially if you find yourself trying to “make up” for those losses. Over time, what started as a harmless bet can turn into a nasty habit, and, dare we say, addiction.

The Boring Strategy that Actually Works

If your goal is to grow your money, these fast-paced, highly speculative bets aren’t the way to go. In fact, the more effective way is to take the opposite, boring route. It’s not sexy, but we’re all about getting rich slowly.

Do this instead:

• Consistently investing in low-cost index funds over time.

• Letting compound growth do the heavy lifting.

• Not trying to outguess the market every five minutes.

You’re setting yourself up to earn more and free up your time. Constantly staring at a screen, trying to guess the next market gyration and win minute by minute, isn’t just tough on your finances; it can take a toll on your mental health, too.

Taking the “boring” route flips that script. Your money grows in the background while you’re out, enjoying your life. Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about how much money you have; it’s about having the freedom to live the life you want. 😎

CREDIT CARDS

Are Annual Fees Worth It? 💳

Credit cards can be a powerful tool… or a very expensive mistake. Used wisely, they can boost your credit score, earn you cash back, free travel, and perks that make you feel like a VIP. But used poorly, they can really blow up your finances.

One of the biggest questions we get about credit cards is: Is paying an annual fee actually worth it? With annual fees skyrocketing in recent years, it’s a fair question. Some cards come with an annual fee of almost $1k! Still, perks have proliferated too.

The answer ultimately depends on how effectively you use the card in question.

What You’re Paying For

For many of the top-tier credit cards, an annual fee is the price of admission. You unlock better rewards, bigger bonuses, and extra perks. The card with the highest annual fees typically comes with:

• Higher cash back or points on everyday spending. Ex. The new Robinhood card offers 10% cash back on hotel stays and car rentals!

• Bigger sign-up bonuses. Signing up for a top-notch card with a sky-high annual fee might snag you a few free flights or a big cash bonus.

• Travel perks like insurance, lounge access, or statement credits. For folks who travel frequently, these perks can be enticing.

So the real question isn’t just “Is this fee too high?” It’s “Am I getting enough value for the amount I’m paying?”

When an Annual Fee Is Worth It

A fee can absolutely make sense if the math works in your favor. If you:

• 🎁 Will actually use the rewards: If a $95 card earns you $300 in cash back per year, you’re coming out on top! We hear from HTM listeners who use the AmEx Blue Cash Preferred for groceries for this very reason!

• ✈️ Want travel perks: Lounge access, free checked bags, and travel credits can easily outweigh the fee if you travel often.

• 🙌 Will get a big sign-up bonus: Some bonuses alone can cover the annual fee for multiple years.

• 🤑 Are a high spender: Maybe you own a business or have large expenses you need to make. You may as well get rewarded for doing so!

Take travel, for example. If you wanted to fly from New York to London this summer, a classic economy seat would cost you $690 one way.

BUT, if you were to use points for this trip, now you’re looking at only 6k points + $109 in taxes. That’s a huge difference!

By using your points strategically, you can make travel more affordable, take vacations more often, and still hit other financial goals while getting time to relax and recharge.

One of our friends is actually going to London and Dublin this summer with their partner, and their home airport is in Charlotte — meaning they have to first fly to New York before making the trip over the pond (and connect there on the way back!).

They had to book five total flights. And it turns out they paid just 134,000 points + $425. Total. That’s less than one of them taking the one-way flight to London above!

Of course, points aren’t “free” — earning them means opening new credit cards, snagging bonuses, and spending money. But if you follow the golden rules of plastic and you’re going to be making the purchases anyway, it’s well worth considering.

Another important note is that depending on which credit card you have, you’ll be able to transfer your points to different partners. You can see a full breakdown of which banks transfer to which partners. This can help you decide if certain cards are worth it to you. If you’re a die-hard Delta fan, you may be more enticed to opt for an AmEx card, for instance.

When Fees Aren’t Worth It

Seeing a card with great perks may seem exciting enough to pull the trigger, but before you do, consider the following:

• Will you earn more in rewards than the fee costs? If you’re a low spender, you may not be able to rack up enough points or cash back to offset the fee.

• Will you actually use the perks? A $100 statement credit to Lululemon is great, but would you have purchased anything from there without this perk? And will the benefit actually cause you to spend more money overall?

• Will you carry a balance? Credit cards can be a great tool. But if you can’t pay your balance in full each month, they’re not for you. Credit cards come with extremely high interest rates, and can quickly become a menace in your life.

The answer to the credit card annual fee question isn’t a one-size-fits-all reality. The best card for you is one that matches your habits; only you can decide if the annual fee is worth it based on your lifestyle and spending patterns.

And if you’re looking for OUR favorite cards (including one that has an offer of $250 cash back after you spend $500 in the first three months), you can find those here.

Play it smart, pay it off, and if you’re going to pay a fee… make sure it’s working harder than you are. 😉

ICYMI!

Your Weekly Update…

New Card Bonuses 📈
Our favorite no annual fee credit card just came out with a limited-time bonus offer. With just a spending requirement of $500 within the first 3 months, we think it’s absolutely worth adding to your wallet!

Bye, Bye, Leggings 👖
Fabletics is launching its first denim line as the athleisure era cools down, signaling a shift toward more structured, everyday wear. Consumers are looking for less loungewear, more “real clothes.”

Turbulence Ahead ✈️
Rising tensions involving Iran are sending jet fuel prices soaring, and airlines are already passing those costs on, meaning higher ticket prices and potential travel disruptions ahead.

Target Shifting Strategies 🎯
After a tough year, Target is trimming its product lineup and prioritizing standouts, hoping a more curated approach will bring shoppers back. The store for everything may no longer have it all!

Make good choices, avoid five-minute bets, and we’ll see you back here next week!

Best friends out! 🍻