Good morning, money nerds, and welcome to another week of Apex Money. Each weekday, Jim and I share a handful of our recent favorite stories about money (and more) collected from blogs, news sites, and YouTube. Let’s get started.
The smart money is in cash. [Study from the Federal Reserve Board] — “We find that financial literacy is strongly predictive of having three months of liquid savings, controlling for income, income variability, and even parental resources. We also find that financial literacy predicts liquid savings across the income distribution. These results indicate that accumulation of an emergency fund is not simply a function of income.”
The $0 home makeover. [Surviving and Thriving] — “Thanks to lockdowns and layoffs, we’ve spent a lot more time at home in the past couple of years than some of us would like. Not everyone can afford to redecorate. But almost anyone can move a few things around.”
Seven low-maintenance plants to help you beat the winter blues. [Consumer Reports] — “The key to making it all work? Find plants that fit your lifestyle and the time and energy you’re willing to devote to them. To help you get started, we turned to experts for their take on the ones that are prime for beginners and people with little time to care for them.” [Yes, my previously-mentioned houseplant obsession is still going strong. Now I’m trying to convert you too. ;)]
To close things out today, here’s a fun little video that has nothing to do with money. Or anything else, for that matter! It’s simply a recreation of the film Titanic using a housecat.
If you’ve never seen any of the other film parodies from Owlkitty, you should check them out. They’re all short and they’re all clever.
That’s it for Monday. I’ll be back tomorrow with more. See you then.