Hello, friends, and welcome to another day of Apex Money. Let’s jump right into the stories I’ve collected for you today.
How to reset your finances in the new year. [Gen Y Planning] — “The one (and possibly only) step you need to take to level up your finances next year is simple but may be uncomfortable: Check your bank and credit card statements. The goal is to get a clear sense of where you are now, what triggers impulsive spending, and what can be improved moving forward. Many credit card companies provide an annual spending report – read it!”
Would you rather owe taxes or get a refund in April? [Bitches Get Riches] — “In the short term—say, between when you pay your taxes and when you file your tax return—someone is benefitting from holding onto your tax dollars. If you get a tax refund, that someone is the government. They get to hold onto the extra cash you withheld for taxes for a few months or even a year, using the money any way they please in the meantime. It’s like you just gave the government an interest-free loan, entirely on their terms. And yet we feel grateful when they give our own money back to us in the form of tax refunds!”
“The best gift-giving advice I’ve ever received.” [Small Potatoes] — This is one of those articles from which it’s impossible to get a good pull-quote, so I’ll just give a quick pitch. The author gives examples of three great types of gifts…then suggests a fourth type of gift that can be used in any circumstance. I liked this.
Today’s little bonus feature isn’t a video. Instead, it’s yet another weather website. I know, I know. There are a bajillion different weather sites. Who needs another one? I agree. But this one is different.
World Weather Online offers a cool map of the entire world and allows you to view a variety of current weather conditions: temperature, precipitation, humidity, cloud cover, etc. It’s not super useful, I know, but it’s fun.
I keep wishing I had a way to display this on a separate monitor just so I could sit and stare at it now and then. (Yes, I’m a weird. Surprise!)