Monday morning upgrade

3 things, 5 minutes, infinite upgrade unlocked for your money

Before you dive into that second (or fifth?!) cup of coffee, let's do something that will make the rest of your week feel better.

Here are three small moves you can make in the next few minutes that have an REAL impact on your financial peace of mind.

1. The 2-Minute Sanity Check

That three-digit number, your credit score, can feel like a black box. But knowing where you stand is the first step to taking control. Instead of letting it be a source of anxiety, let's just look at it.

  • Your Move: Use the government-mandated free site, AnnualCreditReport.com, to pull your full report. No dings to your score, no sales pitches.

  • The Win: You’ve replaced a vague worry with a hard number. Knowledge is power, and now you have it. Congrats!

2. Find Your Forgotten Money

I can almost guarantee you're paying for at least one thing you don't use anymore. Hulu Plus? Paramount Plus? Martha Stewart Living Plus? It's like having a small hole in your pocket. Let's patch it.

  • Your Move: Skim your credit card statement for a recurring charge you’d forgotten about. That old fitness app? The streaming service you used for one show? Cancel it. Bye.

  • The Win: You just found money. A single $15/month subscription is $180 of found money this year. Treat yo self.

3. Give Your Savings a Promotion

This one is big. If your emergency fund or savings are sitting in a checking account or a traditional savings account from a big bank, you are leaving hundreds of dollars on the table every year.

  • Your Move: Check the interest rate on your savings account. If it's less than 3%, go to a trusted resource like Nerdwallet’s Savings Account List, pick one, and open an account. It takes about five minutes.

  • The Win: The difference is staggering. $20,000 in a traditional savings account might earn you $5 a year. In a high-yield account at 4%, it earns $800. You've just given your money a new job: making you more money while you sleep.

Three small moves, one giant leap forward for your week.

Make it a great one.

- Matt

P.S. If this was helpful, feel free to forward it to a friend. They'll thank you for it. Promise!

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