Ever since Trump won the U.S. presidential election, and given his favorable stance on cryptocurrency, Bitcoin has experienced a massive spike in price. On Election Day (Nov 5), the USD price of Bitcoin was around $68K, and today, it sits at $104K—a nearly 60% increase. Of course, Bitcoin’s price can be volatile and may decline…
Author: budgetsense
The Easiest Saving Challenge You’ve Likely Never Heard Of!
When I heard about this cool savings challenge, I felt a bit embarrassed. How could I have been writing about budgeting and personal finance for so long without ever hearing about or implementing this method? So, what exactly is the 52-Week Savings Challenge, and how does it work? Simply put, you start by setting aside…
Stocks or Bonds? Find Balance with a 60/40 Portfolio
There are a lot of numbers, formulas and ratios in personal finance, and one that you have likely heard of is the 60/40 portfolio or investment strategy. This is a type of investment strategy that allocates 60% of the portfolio to stocks (equities) and 40% to bonds (fixed income). This approach strives to balance the…
Why Most High-Yield Stocks Fail—and What Smart Investors Do Instead
It is almost a cornerstone of my investment philosophy, at least for now and over the past few years: I virtually never touch a stock that doesn’t pay a dividend. In fact, not just any dividend—it has to be a good one, with a yield of at least 4% to 6%. This approach has worked…
It’s a New Year: What Can You Do to Ensure Financial Success?
New year resolutions are everywhere, and they are dime a dozen. And frankly, you are probably sick of seeing and reading about them, so I won’t give you more of these. Instead, I do want to talk about a few things you can do in the beginning of the year, to ensure you have a…
What 52 Lessons from 2024 Taught Me About Financial Freedom—And How You Can Use Them
As we close out the year, it’s time to reflect on the lessons that shaped my financial journey. Over the course of 52 weeks, I’ve uncovered practical, transformative insights—from boosting savings to mastering passive income. Here’s a roundup of the most valuable lessons that can help you level up your financial game in 2024. (also,…
Reverse Engineering My Way to Financial Freedom: Scaling Dividend Income from $100 to $10,000
If you want to enjoy your journey in personal finance, it is to keep things simple and focused on clear, achievable goals that align with your vision of financial freedom. With that being the case and in my effort to simplify my dividend investment plan, I have done the hard math to be able to…
725 Hours of Podcasts Later: Here’s What I Learned from My Favorites This Year
As the year winds down, I’ve been reflecting on my podcast journey. This year, much like 2023, I immersed myself in the world of podcasts, tuning into 150+ different shows and racking up a total of over 1,450 episodes. Assuming an average episode length of 30 minutes, that’s 725 hours of listening—nearly a full month…
How to Achieve Financial Independence by Your 40s—It’s Easier Than You Think!
Do you feel like you are getting old without much to show for it in terms of wealth building or retirement savings? This is a fear that increasingly more and more people are starting to feel, especially those approaching their 50s or 60s. One way to avoid feeling fear and be as financially ready as…
The Secret to Smarter Investing: How to Use Stock Screeners Effectively
When it comes to investing, things can quickly get complicated, or you can choose to keep it simple. One way to simplify investing is by opting for index funds, which have been gaining popularity over the last two decades. However, even index fund investing can become overwhelming when faced with the task of choosing from…