Blonde woman counting money

She Spent Her 20s Keeping Everything in a Checking Account With No Plan Behind It and Just Hit $12,000 in Savings Two Years After Finally Starting and Still Wishes She Hadn’t Waited So Long

ByKristin Stones

She was in her late 20s and had only actually started saving seriously about two years earlier, a timeline she wasn’t entirely proud of looking back. For years before that, she’d kept everything sitting in her checking account without any real budgeting structure behind it, money coming in and getting spent without much intentional separation…

Woman sitting with her hands on her face looking worried

9 Ways Rising Costs Are Shifting Generational Priorities

ByKristin Stones

For many years, each generation followed a fairly similar financial script. People worked toward buying homes, building careers, raising families, and eventually retiring with a sense of stability. The details sometimes changed from one decade to the next, but the general path remained recognizable. As living costs rise across housing, healthcare, education, and everyday necessities,…

Couple talking on couch

His Wife’s Car Was Burning Three Quarts of Oil a Month and He Found Her a Replacement for $10,000 Before Anything Was Even Signed, and She Called Him an Ass for Taking Her Choice Away

ByKristin Stones

His wife’s current car had been steadily falling apart, an ongoing maintenance project he’d personally managed since, in her own words, she didn’t know much about cars herself. Over the past year, he’d worked hard trying to keep the vehicle functional, with the most recent problem being an engine burning through three quarts of oil…

Man looking very upset sitting on the couch with his face in his hands

He Spent $2,500 on His Best Friend’s Bachelor Trip and Now He’s Looking at a New Tuxedo, a Traditional Chinese Outfit, Two Nights at an Upscale Venue Hotel, and a $4,000 Total Bill Before the Wedding Even Happens

ByKristin Stones

One of his closest friends was getting married in a couple of months, and he genuinely wanted to be there to support him, confident that the same support would come back around if their positions were ever reversed. Even holding that genuine goodwill, though, he couldn’t shake how drained the whole process had already left…

Parents arguing with adult daughter

Her Parents Told Her the $2,000 They Gave Her for a Car Was a Gift With No Strings Attached, and Now That Her Brother Needs Money They’re Asking for It Back and Calling Her Selfish for Saying No

ByKristin Stones

Two years earlier, her parents had given her $2,000 toward a used car, explicitly telling her at the time not to worry about it and that it was a gift. She thanked them, bought the car, and moved forward with her life the way anyone would after receiving a genuinely generous, no strings attached contribution…