Since the beginning of 2020, millions of new investors have entered the stock market.

A recent study polled 1,291 households to get more insight into why.

Of these households, 38% reported that they were first-time investors. The survey asked each respondent to identify up to three goals for their investment account. Regardless of experience, the most popular response was saving for retirement. The next two were “learning about investing” and “speculating.”

As someone who regularly writes about the importance of personal finance, I’m ecstatic that more people recognize the importance of investing — but, at the same time, new investors…

Electric vehicles (EVs) are often labeled as “the cars of the future” — but they actually have a lengthy past. Did you know electric vehicles were first introduced in the U.S. in the 1880s?

Over the ensuing century or so, they never quite got a strong enough foothold to make a dent in the auto industry.

Needless to say, EVs are finally a viable and commercialized option. People want them. Automakers have publicly committed to all-EV lineups. Governments not only incentivize consumers to buy EVs, but they’re also pushing massive infrastructure bills to accelerate the adoption.

ChargePoint is more than…

Don’t overcommit to saving for retirement.

That sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?

Why wouldn’t you prioritize building wealth and ensuring a smooth transition out of the workforce one day?

I’m not saying don’t save for retirement — just that you should revisit your strategy, especially if one of the next two sentences describes you:

1. Your only form of investing is automatic contributions to a 401k or IRA.
2. Your paychecks accumulate in a checking or savings account.

While these appear as two separate characteristics, they’re sequentially related. A lot of people are satisfied with only saving and investing for retirement. They think…

A lot of people got an allowance when they were little. Parents hand their kids a crisp green rectangle with George Washington’s profile and tell them it’s their dollar to keep. Usually, it was for cheap labor like folding laundry, mowing the lawn, or vacuuming the house. (Kids should unionize.)

This commences the typical person’s relationship with money and personal finance. At least, it did for me.

The relationship truly starts to blossom when we understand the fundamentals of money, the most basic of which is saving. Over time, we link the importance of saving with investing. …

I’m in the process of publishing a book. Man, what a process.

Last year, I wrote about my journey as a self-employed freelance writer and business owner. I wanted to pull back the proverbial curtain and give aspiring writers direct and transparent insights into the life of a freelance writer.

In a way, it’s more of a journal. Every day, from January 1 to December 31, I wrote daily entries that covered the lessons, emotions, challenges, failures, and successes that I experienced as a freelancer.

I put countless hours into this project, but do you want to know the hardest…

“I could never take such a risk.”

Whenever I explain that I’m self-employed to someone for the first time, they usually have this reaction. It’s hard to fathom ditching a stable paycheck and organizational structure for a world of uncertainty.

But switching from corporate to freelance writing wasn’t a risk — it was a calculated risk. I started freelancing in October 2017. I became a full-time writer in July 2019.

Far from a rash, spur-of-the-moment decision.

If you’re here, there’s a good chance you’re enticed by the idea of quitting your job or doing something radically different. …

Cresco Labs has been around for a while, but it’s still somewhat of an under-the-radar cannabis company. That’s starting to change, as the company’s aggressive acquisition strategy has significantly scaled operations over the last year.

Nevertheless, the industry as a whole exists within a confounding legal paradox.

Thanks to our nation’s governing hierarchy that separates state and federal laws, weed is legal in some places, illegal in others, and simultaneously illegal everywhere. Fortunately, the federal government is working on resolutions.

Until then, should you be high on Cresco Labs? Or just say no?

The Business

Cresco Labs Inc. (CRLBF) cultivates, manufactures, and…

Who knew rap could be so financially educational?

Rapper Lil Dicky (Dave Burd) outlined various ways he counters the opulent culture of the rap industry in his 2015 hit single, “$ave Dat Money.” In other words, he raps about saving money instead of spending it. While it has a humorous spin, the advice is quite practical and replicable.

If you haven’t seen the music video, which has 165 million views, I highly recommend it — mirroring the same theme of frugality, Lil Dicky filmed the entire video with minimal expenses.

In the video, he dances through a mansion, rolls…