The Money Cruncher
Personal finance creator who critically evaluates “fintech banks,” account safety, FDIC/program bank structures, and risk.
Booker Proposes Bigger Deductions, Child Credits Funded by Corporate Taxes
Senator Cory Booker just proposed a major tax bill: - increase the standard deduction to $75,000 (married) or $37,500 (single) - child tax credit increase to $3,600 per child (age 6 to 17) with an additional $2,400 “baby bonus” This would be paid by “raising the corporate tax rate, increase taxes on stock buybacks, and tightening limits on executive compensation deductions” Thoughts?
Buffett’s 17% Tax Rate Shows Investor Tax Advantage
Warren Buffett paid $6.9M of federal taxes on $39.8M of taxable income in 2010, or a 17.3% effective tax rate. Most of his income came from capital gains & qualified dividends taxed at a max rate of 15% back then. This is...
Most Homeowners Miss Tax Savings Worth Thousands
2 in 3 households own a home, yet most have no idea how homeownership taxes work. If you own a home (or plan to), here are some tax tips that will save you thousands:
Wealth Blueprint: Invest, Spend Smart, Upskill for Income
Things to focus on to build wealth: - invest wisely (tax advantageous accounts, low cost index funds, consistently) - spend wisely (especially big $$ expenses like cars) - acquire new skills to make more $$$ (certifications, degrees with good ROI) This is the blueprint.
Start Investing: Prioritize 401k Match, HSA, Then Roth IRA
"I'm a new investor. How do I start?" 1. Sign up for a 401k/403b. Select Vanguard/Fidelity funds with low expense ratio. Contribute at least up to the match. 2. Open and max out HSA, if eligible 3. Roth IRA/max out the 401k/403b This is the...
Short‑Term Cash: Treasury MM or HYSA, Not Stocks
"I need to park $50k of cash for 12 months. What are my options?" > $VUSXX (Vanguard Treasury MM Fund) or any Treasury equivalent. State/local tax exempt, 3.63% yield > HYSA (FDIC insured, ~3%) Don’t invest it, unless 12 months turns into 12...
Ignore Market Noise; Stick to Long‑term Plan
If you're not retired: > stop obsessing over share prices, it's just noise > stop stressing about daily market moves, they don't matter > stop panicking over short term drops, they are normal Just stick to your long term plan. Stick to your allocation....
529 Plans: Tax‑Free Education Savings for Kids
If you have kids, please get a 529 plan: • many states have a tax deduction for investing • money grows tax free • tax free withdrawals for education (tutoring, college, private schools, certificates, etc) • could rollover up to $35,000 to their Roth...
Small Monthly Investments Build Powerful Compounding Habits
Many people think it's pointless to invest $100-200/mo. But: 1. It's better than $0/mo 2. You let your money compound instead of wasting it on useless things 3. You form a habit of investing, which could be even more valuable than the initial...
AI Finds Coupons, Saves $100 in Minutes
Was buying a small grill for outside. Used AI and said “find me coupons for this brand” It found a “BLACKDOGBBQ20” coupon code for 20% off Easy $100 in savings for 5 minutes of effort Use AI to search coupons whenever you are buying...
T‑Bills Avoid State Taxes, Boost Long‑Term Returns
Interest from HYSA is taxed at federal AND state/local level. But interest from T-Bills is only taxed at the federal level, saving you anywhere from 0-13% in state/local taxes. T-bills also generally have better yields. Small adjustments can make a big difference over...
Early 401k Withdrawals Penalty‑free with Smart Strategies
Early in my career, I didn't want to max out my 401k… I was worried about liquidity for early retirement. That quickly changed as I learned about: • 72t SoSEPP • rule of 55 • roth conversion ladder All of these allow you to pull from...
Focus on After‑Tax Return, Not Just Tax Minimization
The goal isn’t to minimize taxes. The goal is to maximize after-tax return. Say you have $100k in 0.1% savings account. You earn $100 interest, pay $24 of tax. Now say you have $100k in 3.5% savings account. You earn $3.5k interest,...
Multiple Quotes Save Money—30 Minutes, $100+
Most people overpay simply because they never get multiple quotes. Need insurance? Get multiple quotes. Need a wedding cake? Get multiple quotes. Need a plumber? Get multiple quotes. It’s the best ROI on your time. 30 minutes can save you $100+
Simple Habits, Big Advantage over Average Savers
Basic personal finance habits: • get 401k match • track your spending • route % of paychecks into savings automatically • avoid cc debt • keep at least 3 months of expenses in HYSA • max Roth IRA Do these consistently and you'll do much better than...
Invest Early, Skip Fancy Cars, Learn Finance Now
I asked 50 year olds for their best advice for people in their 20s: 1. Buy less alcohol, invest instead 2. Stop buying fancy cars. It's a terrible financial decision. 3. Become financially literate asap. Retirement will be easier. Anything to add?
Vanguard's Clunky App Discourages Active Trading, Use Auto‑Buy
Vanguard literally has the worst Ul and app. Charts aren’t real time. Absolutely terrible. But that's by design. They want you to prevent you from trading too much, making FOMO decisions or even logging in. Set up automatic buys and just don't...
Young Investors Should Embrace Market Crashes for Long-Term Gains
If you are in your 20s or 30s, you want the stock market to crash. You should be looking forward to 20-30% drops. This is because you have 20+ years until retirement. You have time. Just buy good funds and you’ll win in...
Invest $5 Daily, Turn $5k Into $100k
Over the last 784 days, l've invested $5/day in $VGT to show that you don't need a lot of money to start investing. These purchases made me over $800 so far. Balance is at $4.8k. It will grow to $100k in...
T‑Bills Yield Over 3%—Skip Low‑Rate Savings
The national average savings account interest is 0.39%. Yet T-bills are paying ~3.6% and no state/local taxes. Can buy them from TreasuryDirect or your broker. Or Treasury ETF (e.g $VBIL) or Treasury MMF (e.g $VUSXX) pay ~3.64%. Don't let your savings earn pennies.
Gift Stocks, Let Kids Pay Zero Capital Gains
A dad has $1M in a brokerage account and wants to gift $19k to each of his 3 adult children. Instead of selling and giving cash, he should gift them stocks instead. Depending on their income, his children can sell the shares...
Married Couples Can Withdraw $100K Tax‑Free Strategically
Being strategic with pulling money out of your portfolio is key to paying $0 in tax. If you are married, you can pull: > $32,200 from your pre-tax 401k > $57,800 of long-term capital gains from brokerage account > $10,000 from your Roth IRA =...
Avoid Unnecessary State Tax on 2025 Money Market ETFs
If you held money market funds or Treasury ETFs in 2025, you may be paying state tax you don’t owe. And majority of people report this wrong. Here's how to save on taxes:
Park Sale Proceeds in Money Market, Not Stocks
"I got $500k from the sale of my home. What to do with the cash if I need to buy another home within a year?” Money Market Fund (like $VUSXX) paying 3.64%. State tax free, so it’s a great choice, or HYSA. Unless...
Dividends Are Taxed—High Earners Should Chase Growth, Not Yield
Just fyi: Even if you reinvest dividends, you still have to pay taxes on them. If dividends are qualified, you'll pay 0-23.8% in tax. If non qualified, you'll pay 0-40.8% tax, and state/local taxes. High earners shouldn’t chase high dividend funds. Focus on...
BoA Hikes Cash‑back Boost Threshold to $1 Million
Bank of America is changing its cash back rewards program. Previously, you could get 5.25% cash back on a selected category (e.g. online) or 2.62% unlimited CB if you held $100k+ with Merrill Edge brokerage. Starting in May, you will need $1M...