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| Stat Of The Day |
| 27% |
Side gigs are slipping: 27% of U.S. adults have one — the lowest percentage since 2017, and down from 36% last year. They might soon be making a comeback, though. Bankrate says employment trends and price growth could cause more moonlighting. If you’re still looking for ways to make a little extra cash (from the comfort of your couch!), check out these ways to earn money from home. |
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| From Lunch Menus To Literary Fame: Jennifer Weiner’s Story |
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| “I’m big on don’t quit your day job until you are 200% sure that you’re actually going to be able to support yourself writing,” Jennifer Weiner, bestselling author |
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| Bestselling author Jennifer Weiner has spent her career giving women’s “real-life bodies” center stage. Her latest novel, The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits, taps into 90s pop culture to tell a story about sisterhood, fame and the scrutiny women face – especially around their appearance. |
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Weiner didn’t start on the fast track to literary stardom. After studying English at Princeton (and even taking a class taught by Toni Morrison), she quickly learned, as she puts it, “Nobody hires entry-level novelists.” Her first gig was at a tiny newspaper, typing up lunch menus. But that unglamorous start – and later, a role at the Philadelphia Enquirer – taught her to write daily, a skill that helped her produce her breakout novel, Good in Bed.
Even after her debut success, Weiner didn’t immediately ditch her day job. “I’m big on don’t quit your day job until you are 200% sure that you’re actually going to be able to support yourself writing,” she tells Karen Finerman on How She Does It.
That grounded approach extended to her finances, too. “When I finally got an advance, I went to Target and bought everything I wanted [for example] real dog food, not the generic kind,” Weiner shares. “But the rest went into a down payment and investments.  There was going to be money in the bank. That was what I wanted more than anything else, that security of knowing that I could pay for stuff.” |
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| This Week In Your Wallet |
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Good as gold? Prices are hitting record highs as investors flock to this classic “safe haven” amid economic uncertainty. Gold has spiked 35% so far this year – a significant uptick compared to a 9% gain in the S&P 500. In the same stretch, the Dow has risen 6% and the Nasdaq 10%. So, what’s fueling the rush? “The safe-haven asset offers investors a hedge against an uneasy financial environment as a sharp hiring slowdown coincides with a steady uptick of inflation,” ABC News reports. “Stress in long-term bond markets and a devaluation of the U.S. dollar have unsettled alternative assets typically viewed as low-risk investments.” But, gold isn’t always investing’s “golden child.” Like any asset, it comes with risk. “Gold prices carry volatility of their own, especially when buyers enter the market at a high point, risking losses instead of a security blanket,” ABC News adds.
Sami Sage went from blogging in a dorm room to selling Betches Media for millions – and she’s giving us a peek behind the curtain into how she did it. Launched in 2011 as “The Betch List,” a blog dreamed up by three college roommates, it’s now one of the most influential female-focused humor brands. As co-founder and Chief Branding Officer, Sage told HerMoney that what it really took to build and sell a media empire was staying true to her values. Along the way, though, she learned a hard truth. “There’s still such a strong misalignment between who is making the decisions about marketing budgets and what demographics are deemed important and how to approach them,” says Sage. “By that, I mean, women make more decisions about how more money is spent in this country than men do.”
Ready for a re-fi? It might be time. As The Wall Street Journal reports, mortgage rates have been inching downward, with the average 30-year fixed rate dropping to an 11-month low. That’s spurred a new interest in refinancing among homeowners. “More than two million owners could now save money by refinancing, according to ICE Mortgage Technology, up from 1.7 million at the end of July,” notes the WSJ. “If rates keep falling to 6%, nearly six million people would reduce their rate by at least 0.75 percentage points in a refinancing, a common threshold at which homeowners would save enough to justify the associated costs.”
🏠Want to explore refinancing options? We’ve got you covered. |
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| How To Raise Young Investors |
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When it comes to investing, the golden rule is simple – the sooner you begin, the better. So, if you’re a parent, you might be wondering – how do I get my children started on the right investing path?
That’s exactly what we dug into at our latest InvestingFixx meetup, where HerMoney’s Kathryn Tuggle shared the dos and don’ts of helping the next generation build wealth.
Two no-no’s? Investing too much in meme stocks and falling for “get rich quick” schemes. “The goal is to build habits, not to necessarily chase meme stocks or the latest TikTok trend,” Tuggle shared. “It’s great if they want to buy a fractional share of a stock that they heard about on TikTok, and it's $5, $10, and you can just watch it and see what happens.”
Want to know which good habits to encourage, the smartest accounts to set up and the lingo that makes investing “click” for kids? You’ll find all that and more in the replay. Catch it by joining InvestingFixx – your first month is totally FREE! |
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| Things That Save You Money |
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Alright, this is a controversial one…but we gotta share. Here’s why one mom says she’s using part of her kid's birthday cash to buy essentials – everything from new shoes to food. As she puts it, “times are tough and school supplies aren’t free.” |
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Hungry for a deal? For the first time since 2019, McDonald’s “Extra Value Meals” are back. From the Egg McMuffin to Big Mac, the company says it will help consumers save around 15% compared to purchasing an entree, fries and drink individually. |
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Do not – and we repeat, do not – dump rice down your garbage disposal. It’s just one of nine foods experts warn can wreak havoc on your disposal and leave you coughing up serious $$$ for repairs if you’re not careful. |
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| Ask Jean |
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| Q: |
Today’s question comes from Joanna. She writes: I am curious about how much I should be tipping on a facial. I recently had one from an aesthetician with her own business. The facial was $179. I bought $180 worth of products afterwards. What percentage would you have tipped? |
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Ah, the mysterious world of tipping, where percentages can feel like a moving target. Lately, it seems like we’re being asked to tip everywhere (if you’re curious, there’s a whole Reddit thread dedicated to the weirdest places people have been prompted to tip).
For an aesthetician, the rule of thumb is to tip on the service, not the products. Surveys suggest 20-24% is what most people are tipping for facials or other skin treatments. No room in the budget for a gratuity that big? There are different ways to show your provider a little love. Experts say leaving a glowing review on Google Reviews, Yelp or Facebook, as well as tagging your provider in a social media post thanking them, can go a long way. |
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| Submit your questions to Jean here. |
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