Brenda W. Hargroves

This post is longer than my usual renderings but worth the read. We often consider frugality and saving synonymous. As a Frugalista, I’m all for hacks that promote less spending. However, I wish to suggest that these terms are not the same. Frugality is simply one step in the saving process. Frugal people: 🚗 Buy high-quality used cars and keep up the maintenance 🛍️ Purchase with intention and use forever 📝 Shop with a list and buy generic whenever possible 🎟️ Take adva

Everything is presented in lists these days. 😎 I was pleasantly surprised that the first three items on a list of lessons for kids before they turn 18 were related to financial literacy. The items? Read a pay stub without guessing Set up direct deposit and know FDIC basics Handle teen taxes However, boys and girls should learn financial literacy skills long before they get their first real jobs. Children have to handle money throughout their lives, so it benefits them

I recently spent three weeks with a woman I’ve been friends with for almost 50 years. She’s the friend you can drop in for an extended visit without feeling guilty because her home feels like your home. Although we are that close, we live distinctly different lives. She owns a huge home in an urban city dwelling. I live in a one-bedroom apartment in a small Florida town. She and her husband have been married for almost thirty years. I became a widow in my late 40s. She comes

Every source of financial advice suggests the critical need for an emergency fund. But let’s be real. It's hard to start an emergency fund when your earnings disappear as fast as they’re deposited. The income you receive today must immediately answer yesterday's bill. How can you save when everything is an emergency? This topic reminds me of a workshop I once attended called, “How To Save A Dollar When You Don’t Have A Dime To Spare.” Interesting, huh? Saving Starts Here I

Cheap and frugal: two traits that are often confused. Let’s use me as an example to demonstrate the difference. Embracing frugality allows you to live a wealthy life without being cheap . I am a frugal person. My mantra throughout adulthood and into retirement has been based on maintaining a budget and living within my means. I save when I can, which allows me to spend on my needs and wants . Practicing frugality doesn’t always mean sacrificing. I eat out, take vacations, i

As inflation reaches further into our pockets, we sometimes find ourselves daydreaming about what we would do if we had a million dollars. While you may never reach this station in life, you can achieve financial security. The first step is to define what it means to you. My definition - having the ability to pay my bills on time and purchase what I want when I want without going into debt. (I’m shocked my editing program did not suggest adding commas to this sentence.) 😱 B

I recently attended a meeting of small-business owners. The facilitator pointed out that your brand is not your name, logo or any other feature which identifies you or your product. “It’s the way people feel after working with you.” With that thought in mind, she then asked the participants to reveal three words that describe their brand in terms of how other folks see them. Interesting, huh? The exercise reminded me of the standard icebreaker I used when I taught financial

You did all the right things to plan for this day. You followed smart financial literacy practices. Determined financial goals Taught...

I love how something old suddenly becomes new when given a trendy twist. Budgeting and saving are concepts that have stood the test of...

My April 2023 blog post outed corporations for the not-so-subtle ways they are making money at our expense. You know what I’m talking...

This is by far the longest article I’ve posted, but I think it’s well worth reading. Recently, I’ve noticed increased attention to the...

Many people find major unexpected car, home or health related expenses a serious blow to their already tight budget. The best way to...

I’ll never forget the words of civil rights advocate, John Lewis. In June 2018, he tweeted, "Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to …get in good trouble, necessary trouble." That is precisely how I feel about debt. Don’t get me wrong, I am a firm believer in eliminating debt. It’s one of the principles of living wealthy in retirement. But there is such a thing as good debt. And like Mr.

By Brenda Weathers Hargroves Living wealthy is the highest form of living well. Not rich in dollars, but wealthy in life. Career...

By Brenda Weathers Hargroves First KAREN, now we have HENRY (High Earner Not Rich Yet). HENRYs are young workers whose household income...

By Brenda Weathers Hargroves We’re at their mercy. I cringe when I look at the quality of goods and services we’re offered today. I’m...

By Brenda W Hargroves While facilitating a financial literacy class, a student once asked if I was a millionaire. His question threw me...

By Brenda Weathers Hargroves A recent Employee Benefits Research Institute survey revealed the top three reasons people retire early are...

By Brenda Weathers Hargroves Shortly after posting the article about credit secrets earlier this month, I was asked to talk a bit more...

By Brenda Weathers Hargroves Do you know how your credit score is calculated? This image shows the percentages assigned to each category....