Homeownership is a major part of the American Dream. For many families, their home’s value is their wealth or makes up the majority of their net worth. June is National Homeownership Month and made me reflect on my own home buying experience and how I used home renovations to personally increase my family’s net worth […]
The Tools
Specific financial products and services that you can utilize in generating wealth. Reviews and recommendations are honest and never influenced. This is a resource to help you navigate the many offerings and separate the good from the bad.
7 Retirement Accounts for Building Wealth
Nearly half of all Americans have nothing saved for retirement, and the U.S. government knows it. In fact, the Social Security Administration recently added and bolded the statement below on the front page of your social security statement to ensure you’ve been warned. “Social Security benefits are not intended to be your only source of […]
Emergency Fund: What It Is, Why You Need It, How to Start It
This year marked the 10th year of my government career. It was also the first time I was told my position was non-essential. So when the government shutdown due to lack of funding on Jan. 20, I was told not to report to work until Congress signed a budget. When the government is under furlough […]
Real Estate Tax Strategies: Understanding the 1031 Exchange
Real estate is the investment of choice for many because it is one of the few asset classes that enjoy favorable tax treatment. Reducing your taxes is an important part of building your net worth, and a Section 1031 exchange is one of many great real estate tax strategies to do just that. If done […]
6 Ways to Build Wealth with Your Tax Refund
When my husband and I filed our 2016 taxes, we realized we owed almost $20,000 in federal taxes instead of getting a tax refund. I was shocked. I thought I was paying the right amount all year only to learn I was underpaying while my husband was paying just enough. This expensive lesson taught us […]
How I Used a 0% APR Credit Card to Build Wealth
In 2016 my husband and I decided to buy a new home, and this time we wanted to build. In the Washington, DC metropolitan area real estate is quite expensive. We soon learned it would be cheaper to move one hour from the capitol and buy new, versus purchasing an older home closer to the […]
529 Plan vs. Roth IRA: What’s the Best Way to Save for College?
Fun Fact: It’s possible to use retirement funds to help pay for children’s college expenses. Although there are a plethora of articles of how parents can use their retirement savings to pay for their kids’ college (I love my [future] children…but no), I’ll explain how you can CREATE a retirement account for your children and […]
Is Your 401k Enough to Build Wealth?
There is a savings crisis in our country. Incomes haven’t increased significantly over the years, while the costs of housing, healthcare, and even consumer spending have risen considerably. By some estimates, if you’ve been able to save $10,000 you’re already in the top 25% of Americans. With these numbers, you would think …
Avoiding Taxes with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)
This is a guest post by Liz of Open Mouth Gets Fed who has come to share her knowledge with the Wealth Noir Community. If you have been paying even a modicum of attention to political news, you may have noticed that healthcare is a thing right now. So are taxes (especially since the Senate […]
Save 5% on Everything! Well, Almost Everything.
Have you ever sat down and created a list of all the things you need to buy? Usually, more and more things keep popping up and your bill goes up with it. As I began to raise a family, I started looking into how to save money while shopping. Read on to let me teach you how to save money on Amazon and other spots as well.