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| Stat Of The Day |
| 4.3% |
Hey, where’s the cream filling? Turns out, it’s *still* sitting on convenience store shelves. New numbers show c-store sales dipped by 4.3% over a one-year period, as The Wall Street Journal reports. Among the items people are buying less? Doritos, Twinkies and cigarettes (thumbs up if you’re buying fewer of those!). |
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| Invest In (And With) Your Daughters: 5 Ways To Buy Stocks For The Girls In Your Life |
A recent survey of 16-to-25-year-olds found that twice as many young men as young women had an investment account, and males were twice as likely to choose to invest their spare cash. (Irony alert: When we do invest, women are better at it than men.)
As Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, a leading national advocate for financial literacy and member of the Charles Schwab Corporation Board, tells HerMoney, education isn’t enough to reverse the trend: "In order to close this economic gender gap and get women to stop keeping so much money in cash, we don’t just need education. We need to give them exposure to investing."
But where do we start? Talk about investing with the young women in your life to help level the uneven playing field. It will build her know-how and confidence. Giving her hands-on experience with stocks — owning a share of a business that makes her favorite toys, movies or breakfast cereal — is even better. It’ll set her up to think and act like an investor for the rest of her life.
Here’s how to unleash your budding Ms. Buffett’s potential and show her what it’s like to be a part-owner of a company. (Note: these tips all work just as easily for boys, too!) |
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| PSA: You’re Not Too Busy To Build Better Money Habits |
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Booked and busy? Who isn’t? Here’s the thing, though – if you’re not making time to better manage your money, it will cost you down the road.
For the jam-packed-calendar folks among us, HerMoney has a special 4-week session of our coaching program, FinanceFixx, kicking off Wednesday night.
Who’s it for, exactly? Anyone looking to create a budget, refresh an existing budget or find additional savings for a financial goal. You’ll work with a certified financial coach and a group of like-minded supportive women to tackle all the financial essentials—budgeting, paying down debt and saving for the future.
Building better money habits doesn’t have to take years. You can do it in just four weeks with FinanceFixx. We’re setting aside a handful of discounted seats just for HerMoney readers. Score one here and use code SAVENOW at checkout. |
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| Things That Save You Time |
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| This Week In Your Wallet |
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Feeling down about the economy? You aren’t alone. According to new data, consumer confidence is at its lowest level in 12 years. "Consumers are spooked by headlines about higher tariffs and trade war, DOGE cuts, and the stock market selloff," says Bill Adams, chief economist at Comerica Bank. "If the public conversation turns from spending cuts to tax cut happy talk, consumer sentiment could rebound," Adams wrote. "But in the meantime, the economy is likely to slow and underperform its growth in 2023 and 2024." Among those with a rosier economic outlook? Consumers under 35, who as USA TODAY reports, voiced a slight increase in confidence.
Social Security is feeling a little less secure these days, as mixed messages flow from the Trump White House. As TIME reports, "Trump has maintained that he will not touch Social Security—while some cabinet members have cast doubt on whether or not those who receive Social Security benefits should be concerned." At the same time, DOGE cuts reducing Social Security Administration staff are taking a toll on the program, and its recipients. "People are waiting for hours to get through on the phone and then getting cut off before they can actually talk to a representative. The field offices, that honestly were already a bit overwhelmed [already], are now completely overwhelmed," says Pamela Herd, professor of public policy at the University of Michigan. To make matters even worse — the Social Security website crashed four times in a recent 10 day period. Ugh.
Having a more productive day could be as simple as sliding into your favorite pair of shoes, or putting on your favorite work outfit. As CNN reports, sweatpants and slippers may signal to your brain that it’s time for a Netflix marathon on the couch. On the other hand, a well-fitting suit and your favorite block heels could kick productivity and focus into overdrive. "It’s called enclothed cognition," says Marissa Nelson, a Washington, DC-based marriage and family therapist. Remembering the connection between what we wear and how we think "gives us an opportunity to be very intentional about how we want to step into the day," she adds. |
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| Ask Jean |
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| Q: |
Today’s question comes from Alison. She writes: How do you keep track of paperless monthly bills that aren't on autopay so that you know when they're due and don't miss a payment? |
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There’s nothing worse than forgetting to pay a bill (and getting hit with the late fee or interest that accompanies it). According to a recent survey from LendingTree, 45% of Americans have paid at least one bill late in the past year. Of those who did, 28% said it was because they mixed up the due date. Another 28% just plain forgot about it.
There are endless methods for making sure you don’t miss paying a bill, but here’s what works for women in our HerMoney Facebook group: |
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"I am very old school," says Andrea. "I buy a calendar from Dollar Tree and when I get an email about a bill, I mark the amount on the calendar, then mark with a red check mark after I pay it." |
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"I use Quicken, which has a bill reminder function," says Melissa, who prefers the classic version of the program. "That way I always know what electronic payments will be coming up." |
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"YNAB makes paperless bills easy to track. Plus, you can set up recurring transactions in the app and to ensure you’ve got the money in your budget to cover it all," says Wendy. |
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"When I get an email about a bill being due, I immediately schedule the payment for one day before it’s due," says Elizabeth. |
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| One of the most popular methods for paperless bill management? Calendar apps. Whether it’s Google, Outlook or anything in between, many said as soon as they get an email about a bill, they set a calendar event as a reminder to pay it on or before the due date. |
Submit your questions to Jean here.
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