Joe Pietrzak

What you should have learned in school but probably didn’t

There are many subjects taught to us while growing up and in school. Unfortunately, personal finance and proper money management are not one of them. I have worked in the financial services industry for many years now and it still astounds me at the lack of general regarding even a simple savings account. More andContinue reading “What you should have learned in school but probably didn’t”

Last minute ways to reduce your Tax bill

This time of year, with all the holiday festivities going on it is easy to see why your taxes might not be top of mind, but a few easy solutions can help you potential save thousands when you file your taxes next year. Make sure all your deductions will add up to more than theContinue reading “Last minute ways to reduce your Tax bill”

NORMAL sucks! It’s time to get WEIRD

What is considered normal today sucks! Normal is 55% of credit card users have debt. Normal is in March 2019 the amount of credit card debt was at 1.057 TRILLION dollars. Normal is 78% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Normal is the average student loan debt is $35,359. Normal is 85.4% of all vehiclesContinue reading “NORMAL sucks! It’s time to get WEIRD”

Basics of the 401(k)

As of 2019 the maximum contribution you can make to your 401(k) is $19,000, $25,000 if you are over 50. That amount will increase to $19,500, $25,500 if you are over 50 in 2020. If you are planning on leaving your current job or already have and your 401(k) is still sitting there you haveContinue reading “Basics of the 401(k)”

Stop paying someone else’s mortgage

More and more people are turning to renting instead of owning their own home in 2019. There are some that decide to rent vs purchasing for any number of reasons. I have heard everything from they don’t want to deal the day to day maintenance and upkeep of owning a house or they want toContinue reading “Stop paying someone else’s mortgage”

Why your credit card debt is killing your ability to build wealth, and 5 ways to pay it off.

The average American household has a roughly $9,333 in credit card with an average interest rate of 19.24%. Yikes! If you were to pay $170 a month every month it would take you 134 month or just over 11 YEARS to pay off that debt. Households with a negative net worth or net worth ofContinue reading “Why your credit card debt is killing your ability to build wealth, and 5 ways to pay it off.”