5: Money Magic During Hard Times

1. Check Your cash flow for next 3 months. This is especially important if your income is variable or in jeopardy. Start with cash you’ve got on hand at the beginning, estimate the income you might get, focus on expenses, and then how much cash is left over at the end of the month. Do this for the next three months and you will feel more confident about your cash flow.

2. Looking at your investments and wondering what to do? In times of crisis, we watch our money go down. Gas prices are going up at the pump, interest rates are rising, and inflation has increased record levels. What do you do?

   1. Consider these types of investments:

      1. Mutual funds that pay dividends such as value funds to provide more cash.

      2. Clean energy mutual funds or ETFs which can provide a respite when traditional energy is at stake. Plus good for the environment.

      3. Total stock market index mutual fund. Buying the market when it’s low.

      4. Thinking about converting an old 401k or IRA to a Roth IRA? Now might be a good time since the balance is lower so you’ll pay less taxes.

3. Stay connected. Especially if you are having financial hardship. Many religious organizations have funds that they set aside for members in need.

4. Find More Room in Your Budget

   1. Continue investing in local small businesses.

   2. Find a bank that has free checking

   3. Shop for lower insurance

   4. Commute to deal with higher gas prices

   5. Shop online for groceries to manage total costs

   6. Keep up routine car and home maintenance

5. Take advantage of lower interest rates while they remain low.

   1. If you still need help paying your bills, consider refinancing your loans or consolidating credit card debt.
      

Charities we’ve researched on charity navigator: CNN IMPACT, Save the children

Voices of Children Ukraine, United Help Ukraine, Together Rising and Razom for Ukraine.

1. The most popular birthday on the planet is September 9th (which means those babies were conceived on December 17th. Happy Holidays!)

2. The oldest person to ever skydive was 103 years old and 181 days.

3. A jar of peanut butter lasts 2-3 months after it's opened. Yum!