Fearless Finance Blog

Gamestop... Whaa!?!?!?

When Does Refinancing Make Sense?

How to Know How Much You Can Afford When Buying a Property

Financial Dos and Don’ts When Getting a Divorce

What Will Your New Life Look Like Financially after Divorce?

What to Expect FINANCIALLY When You’re Expecting

My Financial Journey: I've been there, have you?

Personal Finance FAQs in the age of COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

OMG!! the Uber thing....

Financial New Year's Resolutions - Try Small Steps

Gig Work - Top 3 Tips if Your Income is Inconsistent

What is a Fiduciary and Why Does it Matter?

You Can Afford It! - Jason Ross, Associate, Atwood Financial Planning (NJ)

Spring Cleaning for your Finances

Buy it or Lease it - What to Do When You Need to Replace Your Car

When is it good to have cash?

The New Rule on Freezing Your Credit Report: Do It!

What is Rich?

Just Because You Can, Doesn't Mean You Should

Your Margin Should be Your Financial Priority

Trapped by Your Lifestyle - Washington Post and Top 3 Tips for Your Tax Refund

Your Children & Your Financial Well-being: 3 Ways to Make it Better

Holiday Financial Hangover… 5 Tips to Prevent It

So Many Voices on Personal Finance – 3 of My Favorite Money Podcasts

Back to School, Back to Meal Planning: Try to Keep Your Groceries Bill in Check

3 Pieces of Great Advice That Can Ruin Your Finances

Spending Gives You Life Experience! Yes, I Agree, But...

If You Have Revolving Credit Card Balances, Do NOT Use those Cards for Daily Purchases. Here's Why

4 Ways to Spend Less than You Earn - Hint: Only One Really Works

Trashing the Fiduciary Rule - Yes, It Will Affect You!

Student Loan Repayment Pitfalls - Don't fall in...

Are you a McGyver or an Anyway/Anyhow person?

5 Financial Wishes for You in the New Year

I Love Negotiating for a Car – Here are my 5 Tips on Getting the Best Deal

A Mutual Fund Different is from an Index Fund - 6 Terms to Know

Digits, Dobot and Stash – Is Secretly Saving Helpful?

The 5 Ways We All Sabotage Our Own Good Financial Intentions

Calculating Interest (snooze) Except It Is Really Important and Here’s Why

Bucking the Conventional Wisdom on Retirement Investing

Beware the Big Box Stores

Are you an Insurance Company or Pension Fund? Here’s Why the Answer Matters?

The Modern Chicken and Egg Problem: Houses and Babies, Which First?

So You Think You Don’t Need an Emergency Savings Account Because You Have a ….

Why Would You Save When You Are in Debt? Because You Have to…

I Need My $28 Socks, They Are Not Discretionary!

Tax Season – How Can You Minimize Your Tax Bill?

To Rollover or Not to Rollover, that Is the Question: Should You Rollover Old 401ks and IRA Accounts?

Blue Apron, Plated, Meal-Kit Services - Are They Saving You Money?

Expected Family Contribution! We Can’t Afford that Much Per Year for College – Are They Crazy?

Is Your "Worth-it" Line Different than Your Spouse's? That's Always Fun...

Love, Honor and Loans – Top 3 Questions (and Answers) about Marrying a Person with Student Debt

Retirement or College Savings, which Takes Priority?

'Tis the Season of Buying – Which is Better Credit or Debit ?

Giving Thanks, Even for Your Finances... Yes, It's Possible

The Difference Between a Cushion and Slush Fund and Why it Matters.

Live Smaller, Simplify, Live Mindfully...It's Good for Your Finances

We Make a Great Living, So Why Do We Feel Like We're Struggling?

Do you eat out the same amount each month? Why Budgets Do Not Work and What Does.

Top 5 Tips for College Student Managing Their Money at School

Lori Atwood on TV Talking about How Much It Takes to Keep Your Household Going Each Month

The Dow is Down 1000 Points! Does that Really Matter to You?

5 Tips for Not Going Broke on Back to School Items

What Money Behaviors are You Modeling for Your Children? And Which Should You Be…

3 Tips for Saving and Paying for Large Upcoming Expenses

5 Top Tips for Staying Financially Savvy While on Vacation

Summer’s Coming, Can You Afford a Vacation? Top 5 Ways to Make Sure You Have Enough for a Vacation

The Word Budget Feels Like a Cage, Right? No Budget Required

When You Argue about Money, What Are You Really Fighting About?

Beware the Refi Treadmill

How Your Credit Card Bill Works and What to Pay Each Month

The Guy with Black Turtleneck on the Sailboat and Other Financial Fantasies Debunked

‘Tis the season – 3 Must-Do’s for Your Taxes

Money is Not a Form of Birth Control…

Options: What is “Optional” and What is Not When You Have to Cut Expenses?

PMI: the Extra Couple Hundred You Pay in Your Mortgage for... What?

How Much Do You Need in Savings (No, not retirement, we covered that last week)

How Much Should You Be Saving for Retirement, in Plain English...

I Don’t Drive a Porsche, Where am I Overspending? It's Our Friend Frequency

Car Insurance Myth Busters: Do You Need Rental Car Insurance if You Have Car Insurance?

Arghhhh!!! I Didn't Save for... Camp, Car Insurance, Property Tax....

Everyone with a Spouse or Children Needs Life Insurance - But Which Type?

Pay for Stuff with Pre-tax Dollars: Do You Use Your Dependent Care FSA to Full Advantage?

"Why Can't I have it? I Work Hard." - Entitlement, it's the New Black

Top 3 Financial New Year’s Resolutions (and a Bonus One!)

Don’t Let Santa Go Bankrupt: 5 Ways to Keep Your Holiday Gift Buying Sane

The Word is “Maintain” – 5 Steps to Maintain Your Financial Fitness through the Holiday Season

Feel Like You’re Choking Financially? Here are 3 EASY Cash Flow Fixes Everyone Should Do

Marriage: Combined Accounts or Separate? One is Definitely Better and Here's Why.

Relax, but Review: 3 Reasons You DO NOT Need an Identity Theft Protection Service

Spooky Times – 5 Reasons You May be Afraid of Your Finance and 5 Ways to Make it Better

How to Stop Living or Feeling Like You're Living Check to Check

Why Kids Need Allowances: 10 Tips for Parents on Giving Allowances

5 Tips to Help You Save at Least $200/month on Groceries

Take-out Can Break Your Monthly Budget: 3 Tips to Cut Your Take-out Tab

What if you and your spouse/partner have different spending habits?

First Mistake in Salary or Freelance Fee Negotiations

5 Things You Should Remember about 0% Interest Credit Card Offers

Before Your Kids Go to College, Think about This...

My 13 Credit Card Guidelines: How Many to Have, and When to Use Them

Most People Do It and Most People Shouldn’t - You Have Savings and Still Have Credit Card Debt

Should You Keep and Repair Your Old Car or Buy a New (or New to You) One?

Don’t Give in to the Hype: 4 MYTHS about Wedding Gift-Giving EXPOSED

It’s Free Money, for Heaven Sake – Take it!

Let’s Get Morbid for a Minute: What Happens if You Die (Financially, that is)?

Most People Overspend on Groceries: 3 Best Apps to Stop the Madness!

First (2nd and 3rd) Step to Get Your Food Costs Under Control

Are you one of the 30% of Americans who know this or one of the 70% who do not?

Did You Know Controlling Your Monthly Spending May Be about Controlling One Thing?

The Conversation: the Financial Talk Married (and Engaged) Couples Should Have

5 Signs You Are (or Aren't) Financially In Control

Why Most Home Budgeting Apps and Software Don’t Work for Most People

3 Reasons Spring Cleaning is Good for Your Wallet

Following the Flow of Your Business is a Good Financial Move

What is the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Thing You Should Do if You Lose Your Job?

Spend, Spend, Spend: Here are 3 Good Reasons to Spend

The Biggest Money Hole in Your Monthly Budget Is…Probably the Last Place You Thought!

Managing Your Money With a New Baby - Lori's Seminar at Lil' Omm

Which Projects Should You Take On? Group Session vs More Clients, 3 Small Projects vs. 1 Large (Webinar Sign-up Closes Tomorrow)

I'm Adding ANOTHER FREE BONUS for Signing Up for My Small Business Basic Finance Webinar (to make up for some technical bumps!)

Do You Know and Understand the Financials of Your Business (sign up for my webinar series on Small Business Basic Finance and be able to answer YES!)

Are You Priced Right? Here's How to Know if You Are (more on this in my upcoming webinar series)

How to Figure Out How Much Money Your Business Is Making if You're Not a Finance Person (& more on my upcoming webinar!)

Need Your Help Finalizing My Webinar on Knowing Your Business' Financials (which project, how much to charge, what to pay myself)

Some Months Better Than Others? 3 Steps to Smoothing Out Uneven Income

Who should save for college and who shouldn’t – WHAT? Not save for college? That’s Unheard of!

What to Do First (Second and Third) if You Are Separating or Thinking of Separating from Your Spouse

5 Signs You Are Spending MORE than You Earn Each Month

Dos and Don’ts of Holiday Tipping (a.k.a. how to not go broke tipping everyone you’ve had contact with this year)

Saving Hundreds per Year by Not Assuming the Worst Case Scenario

Getting a holiday bonus? Where should the money go?

Easy Trick to Shortening Your Mortgage by Years (I do it!)

5 Things You Should NOT Do with Your Credit Card (including one I’ve done in the past)

Difference between Debt & Expenses: When You Feel Out of Control about Your Finances

5 Keys to Financial Success if You're Self-Employed

Self-Employed, Contractor or Selling Ads on Your Blog: Best Ways to Save for Retirement

Traditional vs. Roth IRA: Will You Make More Money When You're Older or Less?

What Is the Danger in Having Separate Accounts with Your Spouse?

Most Americans Spend too Much Each Month on Their Car Payments, Do You?

As Promised: My Top 5 Kids and Money Apps (and they're all FREE!)

Want Your Kid to Learn to Budget & Save? Don't Start with Money and Here's Why!

Yellow Green Blue

Videos on Critical Financial Topics

Upcoming Seminars!

Subscribe to Lori Atwood's Newsletter!

The Difference Can Cost You Thousands! Load vs No-Load Mutual Funds

5 Household Money Savings Tips You Can Use This Week!

"DON'TS" (& 1 DO) FOR PAYING DOWN CREDIT CARD DEBT

COVERDELL ESA: ALTERNATIVES TO 529 PLANS FOR COLLEGE SAVINGS

Top 5 Financial "Must-Haves" for Any Household

HOW MUCH CASH SHOULD YOU CARRY IN YOUR WALLET?

Is Your Gasoline Usage Similar to Most Americans?

When Should I Use My Rainy Day Savings vs Emergency Savings?

SAVING FOR COLLEGE: PROS AND CONS OF 529 PLANS

529 Plans Primer: What Exactly is a 529 Plan?

How Much is TOO MUCH Credit Card Debt?

What Tax Bracket Are You In and Why Does It Matter?

HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU GO TO THE CASH MACHINE?

WHAT IF A RELATIVE NEEDS FINANCIAL HELP?

CAN I "AFFORD" A NEW PAIR OF SHOES? WHAT DOES AFFORD MEAN TO YOU AND YOUR PARTNER?

Figuring Out the Best Car Insurance Deductible for You

Are Your Housing Costs "Normal"?

5 Tips to Make Sure You Are Buying from a Safe Online Retailer (Before Your Credit Card Number Goes In)

6 Dos and Don’ts for Back-to-School Budgets (Hint: none of them have to do with coupons or sales)

What's the MOST IMPORTANT Thing to Know About the Person Managing Your Money? (66% of Clients Don't Ask)

Lori Atwood Fearless Finance - Welcome to My Blog!