Ideal number of bank accounts: Is one bank account enough? Probably not. My pal, Clark Howard, recommends at least two bank accounts, but you may need more if you’re married or use payment apps. Subscribe to Clark’s free newsletter to receive more must-have money tips every day.
Carmakers will charge for anything, including your safety
New cars are basically snazzy computers on wheels, packing 1,000 to 3,000 processors. That means we get all kinds of great features, but that’s not all — the more complex our cars get, the more at risk we are. I’m not talking about theft; I mean remote carjacking … or worse.
Picture this: Someone with enough skill and bad intentions could stop your car while you’re driving it. Want a car with all the features, security, safety and otherwise? Get ready to shell out cash on top of your lease or car payment.
🚗 Pulling one over on you
Paying extra for add-ons when you buy a car is nothing new. But these subscription costs will have you laughing, groaning or rolling your eyes.
- BMW offers a dashcam function for $19 monthly or $430 for the vehicle’s life. You can buy a pretty sweet dashcam for 40% off.
- Cadillac’s hands-free driving system will run you $25 a month or $250 a year.
- Ford’s BlueCruise driving system is even pricier, at $49.99 monthly or $495 annually. Unless you drive lots on highways, don’t waste your money.
- Mercedes charges you $60 per month or $600 yearly to get from 0 mph to 60 mph one second faster.
- Porsche will help protect your vehicle from theft … for $280 annually.
- Toyota wants $80 a year or $8 a month just for remote start.
Do you really own your car if you’ve gotta pay a subscription to unlock its features? It isn’t just the fancy bells and whistles.
They put a price on protection
Charging a subscription to go faster is one thing, but charging for an important safety feature? That’s shady.
Automatic crash notification, or ACN, uses your car’s built-in communication tools or a paired phone to notify emergency services in case of a crash. This can save your life if you’re knocked unconscious or otherwise unable to make the call yourself.
Some manufacturers include ACN for free, while others expect you to fork over as much as $180 a year. If you don’t pay, you lose it. Despicable.
- One-year free trial or less: Acura (Security package tier), Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Nissan (2023 and older) and Toyota.
- Three-year free trial: Genesis, Nissan (2024 and newer) and Subaru.
- Five-year free trial: Kia, Mitsubishi, Ram and Volkswagen.
- Free: Audi, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercedes, Polestar (active warranty), Porsche (active warranty) and Volvo.
Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Lexus and Ram give you 10 years without charges — not bad. Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC all offer eight years free.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
Tech to-do: Get your free credit report and look for these mistakes
The other night, I was out to dinner with a friend who works in medical billing. She shared a story that really stuck with me.
One of her coworkers forgot to include a patient’s disability status on a billing report. That disability status covered her medical treatments. When the bills came due, the patient didn’t pay — why would she? The medical office sent thousands of dollars to collections, and it tanked her credit.
An allowance for grown-ups: Social Security is upgrading its login system and ditching mySocialSecurity usernames and passwords. Using the mySocialSecurity site? You’ll need to create a new login ID for Login.gov. If you already have a Login.gov account or an ID.me login, you’re good to go. Yeah, it’s confusing, but what do you expect from the government?
Looking for work? 5 mistakes that will hurt your chances of getting hired
Social media is a place where we can loosen up a little. You can post jokes, silly pictures, or whatever on Instagram, X, Facebook and more. Unlike most social media sites, our sponsor, LinkedIn, is pretty buttoned-up.
Surveys that can make you a ton of cash (really!)
People always call the show and ask, “How do I make money with online surveys?” I tell them two things: First, you’ll probably earn gift cards instead of actual cash, and second, those gift cards could be worth $50 with the right sites.
🤑 It’s cozy-up-with-a-book season: If you have Amazon Prime, grab two free e-books from their monthly First Reads selections. It’s early access to popular new books. Sweet!
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
Banks close, just like other businesses: Search the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation site to see if money in your name was left in failed financial institutions. For funds left in credit unions, search the National Credit Union Administration site. It’s like the digital version of finding a $20 bill under the couch cushions!
A buck is a buck: If you stream music on Spotify, you’re most likely on the $11.99-a-month plan that includes 15 hours of audiobooks a month. Go into your account and downgrade to the basic plan ($10.99 per month) if you don’t listen to audiobooks. It all adds up!
Sick of QuickBooks? There’s a better way!
Stop fighting with spreadsheets and trying to figure out what the heck you did with last year’s inventory list. I have the solution — my sponsor, NetSuite by Oracle.
You get visibility and control of your financials, inventory, HR, planning, budgeting, and more — all from one easy dashboard. Don’t just take my word for it — over 37,000 businesses already use NetSuite.
💸 See what you’re spending: Apps and subscriptions add up. On an iPhone, go to Settings, tap your name, then Media & Purchases > View Account > Purchase History. You can pick a date range at the top. Team Android, open Google Play, tap your profile icon, then go to Payments and subscriptions > Budget & history.
Gen Z is paying the price: Around 47% plan to use buy now, pay later services for their holiday shopping, and about 65% like using credit card installment plans — higher than any other generation. But many Gen Zers are spending on things like meals at fancy restaurants, designer goods and first-class plane tickets. This isn’t going to end well.
Ship smarter: This website compares rates for all available carriers, including UPS, FedEx and DHL, so you know the best price. They include current discount codes, too. Score.
Streamline workflow with these automation tips
Are you sick of wasting time on repetitive tasks? You don’t have to go it alone. Automation can streamline lead generators, customer service and other business needs. We’ll show you how in our step-by-step guide to small business automation.
🗑️ One man’s trash: Microsoft’s Trade-in Program turns old gadgets into green. Head to its site, pick what you’ve got (laptops, tablets, gaming consoles — whatever), and receive up to $500. Amazon has the same program, so check to see which offers you more moolah.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
Deals without tracking: Download your grocery store’s app for the best possible prices. No one says you have to use your real email address and phone number if you’re not into the data collection. Make a burner account!
Making money in podcasting: It’s not easy. Spotify wants to lure creators away from YouTube. Their plan? Pay hosts of popular shows and let premium subscribers watch ad-free (paywall link). YouTube pays creators 55% of ad revenue; Spotify estimates a show pulling in between 1 million and 2 million views a month would earn about $50,000 with them. That’s not a bad return, btw.
Got this question from Sharon in Chicago: “How much can I make selling books on Amazon?” Be careful how you price your books. For e-books priced between $2.99 and $9.99, you’ll get 70% in royalties. Anything above or below that range drops your royalties to 35%. For paperbacks, you’ll get 60% of the list price (minus printing costs, which depend on page count, size and color). What a novel way to make a living!