Making Cents Sense

Let’s start with a confession: I’ve always dreamt of a financial fairy godmother who could just wave her magic wand and solve my money problems. Alas, no such luck. But what if I told you there's a secret trick that lets you essentially stop stressing about saving for retirement before you hit 30? Enter the marvelous world of Coast FIRE, where you start early, throw a bunch of cash into investments, and then kick back and let time do all the heavy lifting while you binge-watch Netflix. Sounds like a scam? Nope, it’s just math — the kind that actually works in your favor for once. The Coast FIRE Concept: A Financial Hack That Doesn't Involve Lottery Tickets Nicole Victoria, our protagonist, was raised with a lot of financial “scarcity,” which is just a fancy way of saying she had to pray the rent check cleared every month. But Nicole took her early money-trauma and flipped it on its head. She saved $100,000 by the age of 25, which to most of us sounds about as attainable as clim...

Ah, the American Dream. A white picket fence, a nice lawn, and the pride of homeownership. But wait—what’s that? Oh, it’s just the housing market, coming in like a wrecking ball to shatter your dreams with skyrocketing prices, high-interest rates, and financial dread. But fear not! Personal finance expert Bryan Kuderna is here to tell you that you too can still become a homeowner—if you’re willing to navigate the maze of personal finance questions he’s got lined up for you. Let’s dive in and see just what kind of emotional rollercoaster we’re strapping into! The First Question: Are You Financially Savvy? Or Just Savvy Enough to Think You Are? Bryan Kuderna starts off strong with the classic, “Are you financially savvy?” question. Ah, yes, the polite way of saying, “Do you even know what you’re doing?” This is the part where you start sweating a bit and think about that time you splurged on an artisanal avocado toast instead of saving for a down payment. But don’t worry! Kuderna assures...