Making Money Personal

Cyber Safety During Global Conflicts - Money Tip Tuesday

When global conflicts arise, it’s especially important to be vigilant and watchful over your data and personal information. Conflicts bring about new security threats and dangers, but fortunately you can take steps to stay safe even during unpredictable times. 
https://www.rapid7.com/blog/post/2022/02/25/russia-ukraine-staying-secure-in-a-global-cyber-conflict/ 
https://blog.knowbe4.com/wartime-suffering-as-phishbait 
Report scams to the US government at this page: https://www.usa.gov/stop-scams-frauds 
Like what you heard? Go ahead and share on your social media! Visit trianglecu.org to learn more about how we can serve you and don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Transcript:
Welcome to Money Tip Tuesday from the Making Money Personal podcast.  
Recently, the Data Services department at Triangle sent out a notice reminding staff of the dangers that can come from a global crisis.  
Jose, Vice President of Data Services shared, “As the world watches the events happening in Ukraine, news of Russia’s army of computer hackers has become the next threat. In particular, against Australia, Russia’s leadership has voiced to hack Australia’s computer networks. The Australian Cyber Security Centre site has a list of proactive cyber security measures for businesses and government agencies to evaluate and deploy controls to protect data and their networks. The United States must remain alert as well because cyber threats are global. 
Even if you haven’t seen evidence yet of any attacks, you should remain on high-alert for suspicious emails carrying harmful viruses or suspicious websites asking for personal information.”  
Triangle’s staff makes data security a top priority. But you also must take steps to protect yourself due to the potential rise in global cybercrime. 
Remember to keep a watchful eye out for potential threats that could include malware and ransomware.  
Make it a priority to safeguard your devices by keeping them up to date, setting security measures like Multi Factor Authentication with strong passwords, and making full use of antivirus apps that can flag and block ransomware attempts.  
When it comes to phishing scams, stay alert for deceiving emails, texts, or phone calls, that might look or sound like legitimate news sites sharing updates, or charities asking you to donate to relief efforts. 
To avoid getting scammed, make sure you set up any spam filters and use attachment scanners to avoid these and other types of email threats.  
Here’s a quick list of 5 other good habits to get into to protect yourself against cyber-attacks:  
Use antivirus protection software to keep yourself safe when going online. Make sure it’s enabled and check in occasionally to run scans and confirm that your device is protected. 
If you suspect an email to be malicious, do NOT open it, do not reply to it a d do open any attachments or click links. You can report suspicious emails and scams to the US government for investigation. Visit usa.gov to learn more about how and where to report.   
It’s good practice to log out of any applications or online accounts when you are not using them. 
Don’t forget about your phone. It can also be at risk. Be careful when you install apps and make sure you trust the app developer before you download any. 
And, remember, do not share your passwords or personal information. 
If you want to learn more about cyber threats and how to best protect yourself, check the show notes for links to additional resources. 
If there are any other tips or topics you’d like us to cover, let us know at tcupodcast@trianglecu.org and don't forget to like and follow our Making Money Personal FB page and look for our sponsor, Triangle Credit Union on Instagram and LinkedIn to share your thoughts.  
Thanks for listening to today’s Money Tip Tuesday and be sure to check out our other tips and episodes on the Making Money Personal podcast.  
Have a great day! 

March: The Mad Money Month - Money Tip Tuesday

Does the winter blues have you down? March is the perfect time to do something fun, and today we’ll talk about why it’s okay to spend some mad money in March! 
Check out Groupon for some travel and activity inspiration 
Like what you heard? Go ahead and share on your social media! Visit trianglecu.org to learn more about how we can serve you and don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Transcript:
Welcome to Money Tip Tuesday from the Making Money Personal podcast. 
If you’re like me, by March you have recuperated from the holidays—not so much because you went into debt buying presents, but you just got tired of buying things. I go into hibernation mode in January because that’s what most of us do in New England. February is my finance month and it’s short, so it doesn’t really count, and then there’s March—my mad money month! 
March is when you give yourself permission to spend a little money to celebrate the fact that you survived another winter! I definitely recommend you budget for anything fun that you have planned, but if you haven’t budgeted or don’t have the money right now, there is still plenty of free stuff to do—you just have to look a little harder for it. 
Here are my top three recommendations for March—all with a specific dollar allocation. I’ll start with the cheapest and free item first, then we’ll go up from there. 
At no dollar signs (meaning it’s free) you can (drumroll) take a walk on the beach with a picnic from whatever you have in your fridge. Ok, now I know some listeners don’t have a beach nearby so to you I say, “it’s time to move.” Actually, that might not be an option, so you’ll have to find another amazing destination: like a lake or park, somewhere cool nearby. The point is: it’s time to get out of the house and enjoy the great outdoors. I live about 45 minutes from the beach, so it does take some planning to get there, but I love the beach this time of year. No crowds, no issues parking, no problems! My only recommendation is to check the weather and pick a warm day—and not a windy day (after all, you want to be able to enjoy it). Bring a picnic basket—whatever you have from the fridge and have a good time! 
Ok, next is $ sign so this is not free, but affordable. This is an activity that will cost somewhere between $10 - $25 per person. So, what can you afford to do in that price range? A ton! You can go to the movies, a local see-science museum, a gallery, or dinner out with some friends. Now, the key is: if you have a family, you can’t take the whole family out for $20 so negotiate with your partner and have him/her watch the kids and you go out with your friends for some social time. 
Next is $$ signs, so this is a little more expensive—maybe in the $25 - $50 range. At this point, there’s even more to do, like attending a comedy night, local play, an escape room. Again, at this price point, it won’t be a family adventure, but it will be good for YOU to get out the house and enjoy some friend time. 
So, here’s my point. There is a ton of stuff to do, and you don’t have to break the bank to do it. So often we get caught up in budget-budget-budget, but you have to make room in the budget and take time out of your busy schedule to have some fun. There is no better time to do that than March! As soon as this podcast is over, make a note to text 3-4 friends and schedule some fun activity within the next couple of weeks. Oh, and if you’re having a brain block on what to do, check Groupon for ideas and discounts on all the fun stuff that is happening near you—you  might be inspired to try something new and save some cash doing it. 
Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed this episode—after all, I encouraged you to get out of the house and spend some money! If you like what you’ve heard, we’d like to hear from you about thoughts on this show or maybe you have some ideas on other topics we should cover,  email us at tcupodcast@trianglecu.org. Be sure to subscribe to the Making Money Personal podcast for our full episodes and weekly Money Tips wherever you listen to podcasts and follow us on Facebook for more great content. 
Thank you to our sponsor, Triangle Credit Union, and thank you, as always, for listening. 
Have a great day everyone! 

Reasons to Use Your Identity Protection Services - Money Tip Tuesday

If you haven’t thought about setting up an identity protection service, it’s always a good time to do so. Identity threats can be found almost anywhere, so taking the time to safeguard your identity now will save you a lot of time and money if it ever gets compromised in the future. 
Learn more about Triangle's Better Checking account with identity protection
Log into idprotectme247.com to register and review your credit information
Like what you heard? Go ahead and share on your social media! Visit trianglecu.org to learn more about how we can serve you and don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Transcript:
Welcome to Money Tip Tuesday from the Making Money Personal podcast. 
The threats to your identity are real. 
Every day people are coming up with new and clever ways of stealing information from others. 
Since so much of our activity is done online and digital, our personal information is all over the place.  
If you’re like me, you probably have dozens of logins with UNs and PWs, you’ve got credit cards, rewards accounts, email accounts, and more.  
If you don’t have an identity protection program yet, it’s time to get on it.  
You’re probably thinking that there’s not much more to identity theft protection than, well, just guarding your identity. 
Even though that’s true, the fact is, and I’ve recently learned, there’s a whole lot more that you can get with it. 
I recently logged into idprotectme247.com that comes with my Better Checking account and I was pleasantly reminded why it’s important to use these protections.  
It started when I got the regular, monthly notice in my email inbox that something in my credit changed. 
Usually, I get the monthly message, but it always says no activity. This time it was different.  
After the moment of panic, because there wasn’t anything I could recall that would affect my credit history, I sprang into action, and logged into idprotectme247.com. 
When I logged in and checked my messages it came as a great relief to discover that the only thing that changed in my credit history was that I had an old credit card I was no longer using, so the bank closed it.  
I checked all my other notices and even my credit report, and everything appeared to be in good shape with no suspicious activity to report.  
The relief was great knowing that my identity had not been stolen. I even appreciated the notification because I wasn’t paying close enough attention to know that that credit line was closed.  
So, if you’re not already using an ID protection service, I’ll share some of the most useful benefits of an identity monitoring platform. 
I’m specifically referring to the ID Protect product that comes with a Triangle Better Checking account, but if you’re subscribed to a different one many of these benefits could be present as well.  
First of all, the peace of mind is worth it. You know that if something happens you’ll be informed right away. No surprises. I get a monthly email stating if there’s activity. Most of the time there’s nothing, but at least I know that something’s running in the background and will let me know right away if something suspicious pops up.  
It reminded me to review credit score and report. It’s important to be up on this. Without the notice, I wouldn’t have discovered that one of my credit lines was closed.  
You also get more information than just your credit score. You get to see all your lines of credit, your payment history, and any notifications related to those accounts. It will literally show me a breakdown of all my payments and whether they were late or on time.  
It has a widget that assessed my “identity threat” which was enlightening. Seeing green was a relief because that meant that my identity threat was low. 
It’s just good to be aware of this stuff.  
If you have a Better Checking account, you’re already partway there!  Visit idprotectme247.com and register with your information and the access code you got when you opened your account.   
Once you have access a simple 5-10 minute review every month is all you’ll need to make sure your identity is in good shape.  
If you’re using a different id protection service, then I hope I’ve reminded you to log in and look around. Get familiar with your platform and check back regularly to make sure things continue to look good.  
If there are any other tips or topics you’d like us to cover, let us know at tcupodcast@trianglecu.org and don't forget to like and follow our Making Money Personal FB page and look for our sponsor, Triangle Credit Union on Instagram and LinkedIn to share your thoughts.  
Thanks for listening to today’s Money Tip Tuesday and be sure to check out our other tips and episodes on the Making Money Personal podcast.  
Have a great day! 
 

Episode 42: Money Matters for Couples

It's the season of love and what better time to discuss couples and money then this month! In this episode, Terri, Liz and Wil go through how they and their spouses handle finances at home and offer some personal tips and tricks that you can use to enhance the financial condition in your own relationship!
The contest mentioned in the episode has expired. Be sure to subscribe and listen to new episodes for more opportunities to win prizes.
Learn more about budgeting with our Budgeting 101 webinar
Gain tips on how to get out of debt with our Financial Freedom: Your Path to Debt Free Living webinar.
Learn more about the Every Dollar app
View episode transcript.
Like what you heard? Go ahead and share on your social media! Visit trianglecu.org to learn more about how we can serve you and don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
 

Fraud Prevention: Protect Your Accounts with Multi Factor Authentication - Money Tip Tuesday

Single factor authentication is no longer enough to keep your accounts secure… today we should always take advantage of Multi-factor Authentication. Multi-factor authentication or MFA for short is the process of verifying that you are who you claim to be when logging in to an account.
This tip comes from an article provided by KnowBe4 Security Awareness and Training Solutions. 
Learn more about KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training 
Get identity protection for your and eligible family members with a Better Checking account
For more MFA resources check out Google Authenticator and Authy.
Like what you heard? Go ahead and share on your social media! Visit trianglecu.org to learn more about how we can serve you and don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Transcript:
Welcome to Money Tip Tuesdays from the Making Money Personal Podcast! 
So, what is Multi-factor Authentication exactly? Multi-factor authentication or MFA for short is the process of verifying that you are who you claim to be when logging in to an account.  
Lets use logging onto Amazon as an example. Amazon has both single factor and multi factor for their customers however when creating your account, it is defaulted to single factor, in other words, it only requires your regular password to get in. You will need to go into your account settings and manually turn on multi factor authentication. What this will do is that in addition to your password being required to log on, Amazon will also require you to enter a six digit numerical code. You get this code sent to you in a couple of different ways. 1 via text message, 2 via email, or a phone call that has a robot telling you the code. Another way to get it, and this is my favorite, is that you go into an app on your phone that has the code in there already and it changes every minute. There are a couple of different apps you can use. Google has one called “Authenticator” and there is another popular one called “Authy.” These are certainly not the only ones out there but they are the most popular. Go to your favorite search engine and type in “Best Authenticator Apps” and read reviews to get a sense of what would work best for you.  
So what can you use MFA for? MFA can be turned on and used for numerous accounts and devices. I have it turned on for finance websites like my online banking, shopping websites like Amazon, social media accounts, and my email.  
In addition to a code being delivered to you, you can also opt to enter a PIN or something that you know. This is something you’ve memorized. You must supply the correct PIN to log in to your account.  
Why do you need it? I highly highly recommend you run to your nearest online account and turn this feature on. In our digitally-driven world, passwords are no longer enough to keep your information safe. These days, it takes minimal effort for hackers to break into, or social engineer their way into, accounts that are only protected by passwords. Adding an extra step to access your accounts, such as entering an authentication code, means that hackers would also need to have your phone to break in. 
Create an additional layer of security and make it harder for criminals to access your data by using multi-factor authentication. If you need help turning this feature on feel free to send us an email an TCUpodcast@trianglecu.org and we’ll get in touch.  
Do you have any additional tips or advice that will help our listeners with this topic or other financial matters? Send us an email! That email address again is TCUPodcast@trianglecu.org or look for our Facebook page and get connected!  
Thanks for listening to today’s Money Tip Tuesday and be sure to listen to our other tips and episodes on the making money personal podcast.  
Take care. 

Top Scholarship Apps to Try Out - Money Tip Tuesday

Once you complete the FASFA for your soon-to-be college Freshman, your next move is to find the best scholarships to help supplement the cost of the undergrad degree. This money tip walks you through top rated online resources you can use to navigate the scholarship world.
View the article at greatvaluecolleges.net
Learn more about Scholarship Owl
Learn more about the Raise Me app
Learn more about Plexuss
Learn more about the Going Merry platform
Search more scholarships at Scholarsnapp and College Board
Like what you heard? Go ahead and share on your social media! Visit trianglecu.org to learn more about how we can serve you and don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Transcript:
Parents, if you’re suffering from sticker shock on the cost of your student’s undergrad degree, get in line. It’s crazy and only getting worse. As a parent, I’m very thankful we have online resources to help navigate the scholarship world. I recently downloaded my first scholarship app. Then I realized, I’m entering all this data for my student, but is this even going to work?  
With a quick Google search, I found their top ten scholarship apps, according to greatvaluecolleges.net. I won’t go into the full list, but I will share their top three and a brief description of each one. Again, this is an excerpt list from greatvaluecolleges.net: 
#1 ScholarshipOwl - Recommended by a whole line of reputable organizations such as Forbes and NewsWatch, ScholarshipOwl really can help all kinds of scholarship-minded users. With this great app, one can register their information and educational goals, and then the app automatically works to find applicable scholarship opportunities matching that individual’s qualifying specs and educational goals. 
# 2 RaiseMe - Beginning as early as the 9th-grade year, students using the RaiseMe app can begin to accumulate valuable micro-scholarships. Essentially, once a student is registered with the RaiseMe app, they can post accomplishments to it and then be rewarded with scholarship monies depending on the weight of their particular accomplishments. In addition to generating scholarship funds, this app also serves as a basic but very helpful information resource for US colleges and their associated attendance costs. 
#3 PLEXUSS - Another great, app-based tool for locating scholarships [and] comes by way of the PLEXUSS College Admission Help app. In PLEXUSS, users can not only locate any number of excellent scholarship opportunities, but they can also find the best-fitting colleges for them, information on financial aid, and more. The app’s “Connections” feature even allows for making connections and communicating with other, like-minded users for further versatility and networking options toward those goals. Source: greatvaluecolleges.net 
Interestingly, when I searched the App store, my strategy was to download the app with the best reviews. Based on my search, I chose Going Merry Scholarships, with a 5-point star rating with 5.2K reviews; RaiseMe also had a 5-star rating with 16K reviews; ScholarshipOwl had a 4-star rating with 816 reviews, and PLEXXUS had 5-stars with 197 reviews.  
Whichever app you choose, the process is pretty simple. After you download the app, enter your student’s information and some filtering data, and then the app will identify the best scholarship matches for you. In my own experience, with Go Merry, the app identified $316K scholarship opportunities and allowed me to search scholarships by value and due dates. My daughter focused on those with an immediate due date and filled out applications and uploaded essays as required. 
My simple Google search also produced information on College Board Scholarship Search (formerly ScholarSnapp). Apparently, this is a free tool that helps you apply to scholarships that is connected to your student’s Common App account. Per the description online, College Board Scholarship Search is integrated with the Common App and allows students to apply to several scholarships by reusing application information. I haven’t tried this yet but plan to look into it a little deeper. 
The amount of online scholarship information will make your head spin. As a parent, I’m going to narrow down which app works best for me and my student, and that’s it. I did find the aforementioned, greatvaluecolleges.net site helpful. In addition to their assessment of the apps, they also listed “30 Great Scholarships” based on field of study. 
My biggest struggle is: will the time that we’re committing to this pay off? I can’t tell you with 100% surety that it will, but as a parent looking for some help in paying for college, I’m willing to spend a little time and take a little risk. 
Hopefully, you found this episode helpful. If so, we would like to hear from you about thoughts on this show or maybe you have some ideas on other topics we should cover,  email us at tcupodcast@trianglecu.org. Be sure to subscribe to the Making Money Personal podcast for our full episodes and weekly Money Tips wherever you listen to podcasts and follow us on Facebook for more great content. 
Thank you to our sponsor, Triangle Credit Union, and thank you, as always, for listening. 
Have a great day everyone! 

Top Money Management Challenges to Overcome - Money Tip Tuesday

Are you having trouble with the financial challenges in your life? If you’ve been struggling, this tip has a few suggestions on how to avoid some of the common money management challenges you may be facing right now. 
Watch Triangle's Financial Freedom: Your Path to Debt Free Living webinar
Watch our Budgeting 101 Workshop to learn more about setting up a budget
View these additional resources on improving your financial life:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/financialfinesse/2013/08/29/three-common-financial-challenges-and-how-to-overcome-them/?sh=7eaef2735b12
https://www.investopedia.com/personal-finance/most-common-financial-mistakes/
Like what you heard? Go ahead and share on your social media! Visit trianglecu.org to learn more about how we can serve you and don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Transcript:
Welcome to Money Tip Tuesday from the Making Money Personal podcast. 
Money management challenges can lead to confusion, anxiety and even stress that can interfere with living a financially free life.  
If you’re feeling the pressure, know that there’s hope. When you understand the cause of your burden, you can find a solution to free yourself.  
There are many reasons people face money management challenges. I’m going to share some of the most common ones here. 
One common money management challenge is lack of knowledge which can lead to confusion on how money works, a misunderstanding of the concept of value, it can interfere with your ability to prepare for unexpected events, and you may end up missing important opportunities to build wealth. 
Another challenge to mention is lack of discipline. This can lead to overspending, not saving enough, missing payments, and wasting resources. 
A third challenge is poor goal setting which can lead to procrastination, delayed achievement, conflict with others, and low confidence in your own ability to succeed. 
These challenges are so common, that practically everyone has had to deal with them at one time or another in their lives. It’s not uncommon to struggle with these things.  
So, if you’re feeling the struggle here, you’re not alone and many have gone before you. There are ways to work through them. 
Okay, what can we do to improve and overcome our money management challenges?  
First you can get organized!  
This includes not only doing a budget, but it includes keeping track of all your bills as they come in so you don’t miss any. This is vital to building a good credit score, and avoiding unnecessary fees from missed or late payments.  
If you can get organized, and stay organized, it will pay off for you in the future because you’ll likely get lower interest rates on car loans, mortgages and credit cards.  
Getting organized can be tricky at first, fortunately there are a bunch of tools like apps, websites, online platforms, and more at your disposal. Use your phone to set calendar reminders or use a good old-fashioned planner.  
The next thing you can do is get educated!  
Seriously, learn all you can about money. It’s an important investment of your time. 
Listen to financial podcasts, read articles, find some books, follow influencers, watch videos and really seek out resources that you can use to motivate yourself to get serious about your financial well-being. 
There is a plethora of resources out there to look at. Take some time each day or week to review something new about money or finance. Don’t forget, other people can be a great resource as well so if you know someone who is good with their money, ask them questions, pick their brain, it’s likely they would be thrilled to share their knowledge with someone who shows a genuine interest.  
Set some goals! 
If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ve got nothing to drive you. Setting goals will help you get motivated. Starting simple is the best way to begin.  
If you’re new to this, don’t overwhelm yourself. It’s better to start small so you can celebrate small wins instead of attempting a goal so large you miss it and lose momentum.  
Perfect goals to start small would be: 
Save $100 or $500 in an account 
Make 1 extra payment towards your debts 
Save an extra $5 a week  
If you’re ready to set some longer-term goals. Some good ones to work towards could be: 
Paying off all your credit card debt, student loans, or car loan 
Saving for a house down payment 
Reaching a certain number in your retirement account 
Goals will give you the framework and roadmap that you can use to achieve things you never thought you could.  
Managing your money is not out of reach. Starting now will get you on the right track to overcoming these challenges and will give you further momentum to live the life you’ve dreamed of.  
If you have any other tips or topics you’d like us to cover, let us know at tcupodcast@trianglecu.org and don't forget to like and follow our Making Money Personal FB page and look for our sponsor, Triangle Credit Union, on Instagram and LinkedIn to share your thoughts.  
Thanks for listening to today’s Money Tip Tuesday and be sure to check out our other tips and episodes on the Making Money Personal podcast.  
Have a great day! 
 

The Pros and Cons of Working a Side Gig - Money Tip Tuesday

Have you been asking yourself if you should pick up an extra job to get ahead with your finances?
This Money Tip Tuesday presents the pros and cons of picking up a side gig to supplement your income and why there really hasn’t been a better time to consider getting an extra job if you could use the extra money!
Like what you heard? Go ahead and share on your social media! Visit trianglecu.org to learn more about how we can serve you and don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Transcript:
Welcome to Money Tip Tuesday from the Making Money Personal Podcast. 
On todays episode of Money Tip Tuesday I will go over with you the pros and cons of picking up a side gig to supplement your income and why there really hasn’t been a better time to consider getting an extra job if you could use the extra money! 
There are many pros and cons about having a second job but I am going to give you 3 pros and 3 cons. Lets get right into it! 
So, a little personal story! A couple of years ago, I decided that I wanted an extra job to supplement my income so I picked up ride sharing with one of the big ride share companies.  
A big PRO on having a side gig with a ride share company in particular is that you get to work when YOU want to. You’re not asked to work a certain schedule and you can take all the time off you want. This is extremely important for me personally because I have a family and there is always something going on that I need to be there for! Ride sharing makes it very flexible for you.  
Another pro of having a side gig is that it opens up more opportunities for you! A strong network is powerful to have. I firmly believe that the key to getting ahead, aside from hard work, is who you know. People helping people is the credit union mantra and in my opinion, it is the same with life. When I was driving strangers around, it opened the door to me meeting new people from all walks of life. Meeting new people will allow you to potentially meet THAT person who will introduce you to something amazing like a new industry you can work in that you hadn’t thought about and would be very good at!  
The last pro, you’ll achieve your financial goal much faster. What would an extra 2 to $400 do to your budget? I can tell you that often, that is the difference between being able to pay your rent or mortgage and not being able to. That’s a couple of hundred dollars you can throw at debt or your emergency fund! Even $100 extra per month is helpful!  
Lets get into the cons! Again, there are plenty of them just like there are plenty of pros. Here are my personal ones 
First and foremost, you lost time with your family. My family is #1 always so losing time with them is tough. If you are going to start a second job, realize that you will lose some time with your family.  
Second, you could get burnt out. Working your traditional 9-5, coming home, eating dinner then going to a second job can be tough. If all you do is work and you are the type who needs time to decompress, then think hard about the hours that you need to devote to a second job. If you need a second job, plan  your exit ahead of time. For example if you say to yourself, okay, I am going to sacrifice 6 months to work non-stop and get myself set up financially, then go for it! Now you know that this is just temporary and that will help you mentally. Those six months could set you up for decades if you do it right! 
Lastly, working a second job can and likely will test your patience. There will be days where you may want to quit and just stick with one job which is why I recommend that you get into it with a “WHY.” Why are you doing this? What happens when you get to your why? How long do I have to do this for? Answering these questions will allow you to really get mentally tough and sticking with it until your WHY is accomplished.  
That’s going to do it for the pros and cons but earlier I mentioned that right now may be the best time for a second job and that is because small businesses are hurting. If you find yourself needing the extra money, and having the extra time, go see if you can pick up and extra few hours delivering pizzas at a local pizza shop that likely needs the help. I see posts all the time on social media from businesses saying that they are closing early due to lack of employees and that they are hiring. Small businesses are vital to your local economy. Help them if you can! 
Thanks so much for tuning in to this weeks Money Tip Tuesday! Do you have any additional tips or advice that will help our listeners with this topic or other financial matters? Email us at TCUPodcast@trianglecu.org to let us know! Also, follow us on Facebook! Search for Making Money Personal Podcast and please give it a like and feel free to engage with us whenever we post new content!  
Thanks for listening to today’s Money Tip Tuesday and be sure to listen to our other tips and episodes on the making money personal podcast.  
Take care. 

E41: Maintaining a Positive Mindset to Bring Success with Barbara Hatfield

In this episode we talk about the importance of keeping a positive mindset with Lifestyle Coach, Barbara Hatfield.
Barbara talks about why we need to make sure we practice positive thinking, how it can affect others in our lives and offers strategies on how to keep a positive mindset through life's struggles and challenges. 
Follow Barbara on LinkedIn
Barb Hatfield Life Coaching on Facebook
Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself - Joe Dispenza
You Can Heal Your Life - Louise Hay
Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill
View episode transcript.
Like what you heard? Go ahead and share on your social media! Visit trianglecu.org to learn more about how we can serve you and don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Practice Stock Trades with Paper Trading - Money Tip Tuesday

If you’ve been interested in trying your hand at stock trading this year, here’s a way you can try it out and see how you do without risking a dime. Paper trading can be a great way to practice stock trades and gain familiarity with market terms and strategy. 
Like what you heard? Go ahead and share on your social media! Visit trianglecu.org to learn more about how we can serve you and don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Transcript:
Welcome to Money Tip Tuesday from the Making Money Personal podcast.  
The beginning of a year is the perfect time to try something new. 
If you’ve been interested in trying your hand at trading but may be a little apprehensive at the risk that’s associated with it, there is a way you can try out your own trades without risking your money.  
This practice has been used by many in the past and is just as useful today and it’s called paper trading. 
Paper trading was historically used to practice making trades by hand with a pen and paper to keep track of your positions, profits and losses. 
Today, if you want to do it the old-fashioned way you can, but it’s even easier now with digital simulators that make it more convenient.  You can find these as free online tools and some brokerages offer it as a special account tied to their own platform.  
If you’re a novice, it’s a good strategy to try out your trading without the chance of losing money. 
You’ll learn valuable information and get a better understanding of industry terms, learn how to recognize investments to see if they are worth buying, get experience researching companies, learning about their track record and their credibility, and just gain a more comprehensive understanding about how the trading world works. 
It also gives you an idea of how you would act based on market changes because fluctuations and corrections can impact your decisions.  
If you’re a more advanced investor, paper trading is a great platform to try out new investment strategies you might have in mind to get an idea of how they will perform. 
And if this year you were considering trading penny stocks, try it all out in a simulation first because penny stock trading can be volatile and you don’t want to lose your shirt on your first try. 
If you’re interested in finding a paper trading platform, for risk free stock trading , you can start by checking with your current brokerage account or if you don’t have one yet, do a quick search in Google for paper trade simulators and you’ll find a bunch of options to choose from.  
If you have any other tips or topics you’d like us to cover, let us know at tcupodcast@trianglecu.org and don't forget to like and follow our Making Money Personal FB page and look for our sponsor, Triangle Credit Union, on Instagram and LinkedIn to share your thoughts.  
Thanks for listening to today’s Money Tip Tuesday and be sure to check out our other tips and episodes on the Making Money Personal podcast.  
Have a great day!