Yo yo, money nerds!

T oday is a gift… and it’s
U p to you to make the most of
E very second. So,
S hine your brightest,
D o your absolute best
A nd make today a day
Y ou’ll be really proud of.

Happy Tuesday! It’s gonna be a great day.

OK, let’s get on to the money stuff…👇👇👇

TO DO

Ask for a Price Match… 🙋‍♂️

Price matching is an often overlooked opportunity. A TON of retailers will price match — and it never hurts to ask!

Next time you’re out shopping, whip out your cell phone and do a quick Google search for that item. (sometimes the exact same retailer has a lower online price, like Target online is cheaper than Target in-store!) Then, at checkout, show the cashier and ask for a price match.

Don’t be shy – it’s your money, and you deserve the best deal! 💪

SAVING

Refurbished Phones — Worth It? 📲

We’re covering a controversial subject today. People tend to feel strongly about the condition of their smartphones! We’ll do our best to describe the pros and cons of buying a refurbished device.

First, there’s a big difference between “used” and “refurbished” tech. A used phone is simply a second-hand device that someone is selling as-is with no guarantees about its condition or functionality.

But a refurbished phone has gone through a professional restoration process and is sold by a reputable dealer or manufacturer. This involves thorough inspection, repair, or replacement of faulty parts. The item is cleaned and tested to ensure it meets specific quality standards. Many refurbished devices even come with meaningful warranties!

Here’s a quick pros/cons overview of buying a refurbished phone:

So… Let’s get down to brass tax. How much money can you save buying a refurbished phone vs. a new one?

Savings vary, but they are typically between 30-50% cheaper! Here are a few examples of popular phone models available right now…

That’s a big chunk of savings!

Refurbished tech is a great way to upgrade your gadget without the crazy sticker shock we tend to feel when the price of the latest device is announced. Just make sure you do plenty of research, buy from a reputable source, and consider the warranty if you’re worried about potential issues.

Read more: Should You Buy a Refurbished Phone?

TOGETHER WITH EMPOWER*

Automated (and free!) Expense Tracking

Empower (used to be called Personal Capital) is a fin-tech app that connects to all your credit cards/bank accounts and monitors all of your spending. Then it neatly groups and summarizes all your transactions so you can make the best budgeting choices going forward!

If you don’t track your expenses currently and have no idea where your money goes, check out Empower. It’s free. And it will change your life.

INVESTING

401k Fees — Trending Down 🥳

Here’s a good news chart via Axios…

It shows the average mutual fund expense ratio within 401k plans over the last ~20 years. 👇👇👇

Woohoo! Lower fees = more money invested = faster account growth!

If you haven’t done so recently:

1. Check your 401k expense ratios. It never hurts to log into your 401k provider portal and reevaluate your fund choices. Look at the fund expense ratios and see if there are cheaper options, like index funds or low-cost target date funds. (BTW — changing funds inside your 401k isn’t a taxable event. You don’t have to stay with an expensive fund just because you’ve been with it for a long time and have big gains).

2. Roll over your old 401ks. If you’ve left your employer, you can roll over all those retirement funds to an IRA. You’ll not only have more investment choices, but you’ll avoid 401k junk fees! (Capitalize is the company that can help with the rollover process, for free!)

3. Bump up those contributions! 401ks are not only attractive from a tax perspective, they’re starting to have better fund availability with lower fees. If you’re in money gear #5+ and have excess savings, bump up your 401k contribution percentage.

In a world where fees only seem to be getting more expensive, it’s refreshing to see charts like this. 😎

Related stuff:

• 🏡 HTM Blog: Fees are the worst, and how to avoid them

• 🤷 No 401k?: Don’t worry, here’s how to save for retirement without one

ICYMI

Noteworthy reads…

Homebuyers 🏡
Zillow’s June 2024 Market Report shows nearly 1 in 4 sellers offered price cuts last month, which is the highest rate for this time of year since 2018. A welcome relief for many home buyers :)

Money v Happiness 🙋‍♀️
Can money buy happiness? A new study finds “happiness rose steadily at least up through incomes of hundreds of thousands of dollars per year”. 😳 

Early Withdrawals 🆘
Part of the Secure Act 2.0 lets people withdraw up to $1,000 for “personal emergencies” penalty-free from pretax retirement accounts. Careful folks — just because you can doesn’t mean you should be robbing your retirement account to cover emergencies. Build a separate e-fund!

Risky Business 📈
A great article from Humble Dollar, The Risks We Miss. “We’re laser-focused on certain risks. Stock market crashes. Auto accidents. Our home burning down. etc. But what if the risks we’re trying to contain aren’t the risks we get hit with?”

6’5, Blue Eyes 👀
Are girls really “looking for a man in finance, trust fund, 6’5, blue eyes”? Not really, says these women interviewed in NYC.

FRIENDS OF HTM

Darius Foroux — The Stoic Path to Wealth

Darius is a renowned author, entrepreneur, and productivity expert. He has a passion for helping people live a more meaningful and fulfilling life.

We were lucky enough to interview Darius on Ep #854 a couple of weeks ago — a great listen! Here are links to check out his website, podcast, and newsletter!

That’s it for now. Cheers to a prosperous week ahead, see you next Tuesday!

Best friends out! 🍻