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 Keagan Kinsella | May 1, 2021

Happy May! The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, and it’s time for another newsletter! This month we’re going to be talking about:

• Are you a point hoarder? From credit cards to Caribou—the psychology behind loyalty programs
• Are you making this common investing mistake in your Roth IRA? You may not even know it!
• Question of the month: What’s the deal with student loan cancellation? Should I keep paying, or hold off?

By Keagan Kinsella | April 1, 2021

Happy April! Spring has sprung, and the newest newsletter is here! This month we are going to be talking about:

• March Madness & market madness… Putting “expert” knowledge to the test?
• Television meets taxes: Question of the Month inspired by the popular Netflix series, Schitt’s Creek 
• My personal tire rotation revelation at the autobody shop!

 By Keagan Kinsella | March 1, 2021

March is here, and spring is in the air! With tax season approaching, now is the perfect time to “Spring clean” your finances… We’ve certainly seen an increase of people coming in to talk about financial planning! In this month’s newsletter we’re going to be talking about:

• Counting on retirement calculators? Time to think differently!
• Question of the week- “I hear all about inflation…how much does it really impact my life?”
• Monopoly Deal, my latest card game obsession, inspired a financial planning life-lesson!

By Keagan Kinsella | February 1, 2021

Welcome to February’s financial planning newsletter! I don’t know about you but during this past month it’s been so interesting to see the way people think and act when it comes to the idea of money! Between the crazy things that happened with Wall Street and Robinhood last week, and the Powerball billion-dollar lottery, it’s clear finances are very personal to how people feel about certain things. Personally, something that boggles myself is how the concept of “why not me?!” changes in different situations. When it comes to winning something like the lottery, or making a fortune day trading stocks on Robinhood – where the chances of “winning” are miniscule, people still buy in so easily and can start to imagine everything they would do when they are the lucky one.

But on the other hand, I think about how easy it is for us to convince ourselves of the exact opposite, “it could never be me?!” For example, when we are on a plane, how we can easily accept the fact the chances of us needing to land on the water and have an emergency evacuation will likely never happen! Just a random thought, as I write this from the airplane…

If you’ve been reading for a while, this newsletter includes an array of topics that revolve around finances, but in a common sense, simple, quality of life focused way. For example, buying shares of Dogecoin (you may need to look that one up), or buying a lottery ticket are best suited for entertainment purposes, rather than legitimate financial planning tools!

 By Dan Dorval | January 20, 2021

On my way to work today, I heard a radio ad where a well-known media figure was promoting a 30-minute webinar where you can learn everything you need to know about the new administration and what you should be doing right now with your investments! Find out how markets have performed under different presidential administrations over the last 48 years. Apparently reviewing what happened under President Reagan is now a predictor of what will happen under President Biden? Of course, this same media personality was promoting a different webinar back in October talking about how to change your investment strategy as a result of the election…like your strategy should be in a constant state of flux based on things completely outside your control. Really!?

 Keagan Kinsella | January 1, 2021

Happy 2021! A new year, and a new newsletter is coming your way… I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Years. A few newsletters ago I talked about my favorite Amazon purchase of quarantine, but I now have a new winner! Since the gyms shut down for another span of time, I splurged and treated myself to a mini treadmill! It makes me so happy to be able to walk and jog from the comfort of my spare bedroom (walking outside in the dark, cold evenings was becoming less and less enjoyable!)! So, it was a big quality of life enhancement. Anyway, welcome to the January newsletter, today we are talking about:

• Question of the month: “Shouldn’t I be buying stocks?”
• The power of paying off debt: An inspiring story of tackling student loans!
• Quiz time! Test to see if you are part of the 16% of “financially literate” Americans

 Keagan Kinsella | December 1, 2020

Happy December! The last month of 2020 is upon us… and with that comes the last newsletter of the year! Here’s a preview of what we’ll be talking about today:

• Question of the month: Budgeting for Christmas and Black Friday? The perfect way to budget for auto repairs, life events, birthdays, weddings, and vacations
• Tis the season…for Open Enrollment! Five things to know about private health insurance coverage
• Survey says- “I’d rather jump from a plane than do this!” Taking the intimidation factor out of retirement planning…

 Keagan Kinsella | November 2, 2020

Oh, November. With the snow we’ve had the last couple weeks, it has felt more like January! As the snow melts, it’s time for another newsletter, just in time for two big days—Halloween & Election day. In perfect combination for those two days, I stumbled upon a great story that blended two wonderful topics together…Candy and taxes! Let’s kick it off here:

Keagan Kinsella | October 1, 2020

October is here….wow, can you believe it has been 6 months since I started this newsletter during the beginning of quarantine? COVID has changed our lives in so many ways! From a personal finance perspective, you may find it interesting to find that the coronavirus crisis has sparked more than just toilet paper hoarding—it also affected money hoarding! That’s right, in April, the US Bureau of Economic Analysis said the personal savings rate jumped up to 33%. This is a historic high! Did you find yourself being more of a saver during these times of uncertainty? Or are you one of those who got the most bang from every buck of their Amazon Prime membership?

Today we’re covering the following topics:

• Question of the month: More interest please?!
• Trendy TESLA and an Econ 101 moment, talking “Veblen Goods”
• Refinancing in 350 words. How…and why now?

  By Keagan Kinsella | September 1, 2020

Welcome back to this month’s newsletter, and welcome to September! Here’s a preview of what’s in the lineup for today!

• Question of the week: A joint IRA? Is that “a thing?”
• COVID continues student loan payment deferral
• Update: Little Green Machine… was it worth the splurge?
• Back to school meal prep idea—healthy, simple, Mexican rice dish