Personal Finance · Rewards · Real Life
Smart takes on investing, travel rewards, credit cards, and everyday money moves — written for people who want to live well, not just save more.
Holiday fares are up as much as 31%, and a forced overnight on top of a $452 ticket is a second bill nobody budgets for. Many travel cards will reimburse up to $500 in hotel, meals and essentials after a long delay, but only if you paid for the ticket the right way. Here's a 5-minute wallet check, a worked December 23 snowstorm example where $305 comes back, and the steps that keep a claim from getting denied.
Nearly half of Gen Z owes a friend or family member more than $1,000, and most of those IOUs go quiet instead of getting settled. Here's a 10-minute triage, three copy-paste texts and a rule for when to let it go.
59% of Gen Z cardholders pay only the minimum, and just 20% know their card's APR. Here's how to find your real rate in 2 minutes, why paying the minimum on a $3,000 balance costs about $4,500 in interest over 15 years, and the three-move, 10-minute fix that cuts that to under $800.
Rally’s Tip of the Week
Got an investment sitting in the red in a taxable account? Don’t just stare at it like I stare at the treat jar. Sell it before December 31, buy something similar, and a $1,200 loss can turn into $264 off your federal taxes at the 22% bracket. Just don’t buy the same thing back within 30 days. The IRS calls that a wash sale, and it cancels the deduction. Here’s the 15-minute checklist →