Financial wellness

A sinking fund is a savings strategy to plan ahead for upcoming expenses. It involves breaking up a savings goal into smaller, monthly goals as part of your budget. Then you “sink” the money into a savings account until you need it. It’s a smart way to consistently save for upcoming costs that are separate from your emergency fund. To plan for a sinking fund, you just need to know how much you want to save and the amount of time you have until you want to use the money.
start learning how to budget and try to set a little extra savings aside as a beginning emergency fund. Getting a side hustle can help boost your spending power while in college, as can a credit card– as long as you know how to manage it responsibly.

Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to get a prenuptial agreement before getting married. There are many driving forces, such as protecting a future inheritance, ensuring financial transparency, and avoiding the same messy divorce they saw their parents live through. Find out more about how younger couples are financially preparing for their weddings, what happens if you skip the prenup, and alternatives to consider.

A no-spend challenge is a short-term commitment to pause non-essential spending for a set timeframe to reset spending habits and accelerate savings. Participants focus solely on essential needs like rent, groceries, and medications for a weekend, week, or month. Setting clear personal rules, planning free activities, and reflecting on impulse spending patterns during the challenge helps you build stronger spending habits and take control of your budget long after the challenge ends.

The most common financial mistakes include living without a structured budget, neglecting an emergency savings fund, missing out on employer 401(k) matches, overusing credit cards, and lacking a clear debt repayment plan. You can avoid these costly pitfalls by implementing a flexible 50/30/20 budget, building three to six months of emergency savings, routinely reviewing unused recurring subscriptions, monitoring your credit reports, and comparison shopping for major purchases. Mastering these foundational money management habits protects your credit score, eliminates high-interest debt, and builds long-term financial security.

The key to budgeting irregular income is to identify your bare-bones spending needs, then make a plan for any income you earn above that. It’s important to account for taxes, savings, and discretionary spending on top of your basic living expenses. Set yourself up for financial success with clear priorities on how to handle both busy and slow months. The longer you earn money from your side hustle, the more data you have to predict future income trends.

A holiday sinking fund is a mini-savings goal where you set aside extra cash to cover your anticipated extra spending in December. Even if it feels like it’s too late to make any real progress, there are actually several ways to cut back, earn more, and save plenty of money before Santa comes down the chimney. Start with a clear holiday budget, then create a plan for the next three months. Temporarily cut back recurring expenses, implement a no-spend challenge or two, lower your grocery bill, and declutter your home to earn some extra cash. In just three months, your holiday sinking fund will look merry and bright!