1043. Dreaming of your next getaway, but need to do it on a budget? Laura demystifies the world of “travel hacking” for complete beginners. You’ll learn how to leverage everyday spending to earn valuable reward points, maximize their redemption value for free travel, and strategically use credit cards without hurting your credit scores or accumulating debt. This is your secret weapon to travel more for a fraction of the cost.

Key Takeaways:

• Travel hacking isn’t about buying things you don't need, but routing daily bills, groceries, and gas through rewards cards to earn a "rebate" on your regular budget.
• High interest rates on rewards cards can wipe out the value of any points earned. If you carry a balance, travel hacking doesn't work.
• Various bank currencies like Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, and Capital One Miles are transferrable, giving you freedom.
• Instead of shopping directly on a retailer's site, use a shopping portal that allows you to stack rewards on top of card points.
• Redeeming points for cash back or merchandise usually yields less than 1 cent per point, which gives you a low value.
• Transferring points directly to airline and hotel loyalty programs, especially during bonus promotions, can boost their value significantly.
• Once you have bank cards with flexible rewards, add specific airline or hotel cards (like Hyatt or Delta) to unlock status, free checked bags, and annual free-night certificates.

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Transcripts available at QuickandDirtyTips.com.

Email: Laura@LauraDAdams.com or leave a voicemail: (302) 364-0308.

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On a road trip, tackling a summer cleanup, or just catching up on podcasts? QDT has you covered with Summer Saturday encores from your favorite shows. See the full Summer Saturday lineup on Spotify and enjoy this episode, which first aired in November, 2024.

Laura reviews money rules for couples who want to avoid common pitfalls and have a healthy financial life.

Money Girl is hosted by Laura Adams. A transcript is available at Simplecast.

Have a money question? Send an email to money@quickanddirtytips.com or leave a voicemail at 302-365-0308.

Find Money Girl on Facebook and Twitter, or subscribe to the newsletter for more personal finance tips.

Money Girl is a part of Quick and Dirty Tips.

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941. Should you buy a rental property before your first home? Laura answers a listener's question about the pros and cons of 'house hacking' as an investment strategy — including how much you really need to save, what lenders require for investment properties, and whether becoming a landlord first is actually a smart path to building wealth.

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Transcripts available at QuickandDirtyTips.com.

Email: Laura@LauraDAdams.com or leave a voicemail: (302) 364-0308.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1042. Laura Adams interviews Mark Notarainni, an 18-year veteran at Intuit, to explore how integrated platforms and artificial intelligence (AI) are revolutionizing personal finance. Find out how combining tax data, credit histories, and everyday spending can help you take control of your financial life.

Key Takeaways:

• Connecting your tax, credit, and spending data into a single ecosystem gives you a complete picture of your financial health and can improve decision-making.
• Credit Spark allows you to build credit history through routine payments, such as utility and cell phone bills, that typically don’t get added to your credit reports.
• Using a tool like Card Optimizer can help you identify and claim credit card perks, such as cash back and travel rewards.
• Don't wait until January or April to think about your taxes. Mid-year is the perfect time to audit your bookkeeping, organize expenses, and avoid costly year-end tax surprises.
• Use AI as an assistant to synthesize complex financial data, find savings opportunities, and present actionable choices, but you should always maintain control over your money decisions.

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Money Girl Newsletter

The Money Stack Newsletter

Transcripts available at QuickandDirtyTips.com.

Email: Laura@LauraDAdams.com or leave a voicemail: (302) 364-0308.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On a road trip, tackling a summer cleanup, or just catching up on podcasts? QDT has you covered with Summer Saturday encores from your favorite shows. See the full Summer Saturday lineup on Spotify and enjoy this episode, which first aired in July 2025.

Laura provides tips for using money as a tool for getting more joy from life.

Transcript: https://money-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/8-ways-to-spend-money-for-a-happier-life/transcript

Have a money question? Send an email to money@quickanddirtytips.com or leave a voicemail at (302) 364-0308.

Find Money Girl on Facebook and Twitter, or subscribe to the newsletter for more personal finance tips.

Money Girl is a part of Quick and Dirty Tips.

Links:

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1041. If you have extra cash, should you pay off a low-interest mortgage or invest it? Laura answers a listener’s question about balancing financial math with the emotional peace of mind that comes from being mortgage-free.

Key Takeaways:

• Paying off a debt yields a guaranteed return equal to your loan’s interest rate.
• Make sure you have a healthy emergency fund before making extra debt payments.
• Consistently investing 10% to 15% of your income for retirement and capturing any employer matching should take priority over prepaying a low-interest debt.
• Eliminate high-interest debt, like credit cards, as soon as possible.
• Low-interest, tax-deductible debt, such as a mortgage should be your lowest payoff priority.
• Younger investors benefit from decades of compounding market returns, while pre-retirees should focus on preserving wealth and reducing living expenses.

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Email: Laura@LauraDAdams.com or leave a voicemail: (302) 364-0308.

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1040. Laura explains the hidden risks of canceling credit card accounts. You’ll learn how credit utilization works, when closing an account is and isn’t worth it, and how to protect your credit if you do decide to close a credit card.

Key takeaways:

• Closing a credit card shrinks your available credit, which causes your credit utilization ratio to spike, resulting in an immediate reduction in your credit scores.
• Canceling a card you’ve owned for a while lowers your average age of credit, which can lower your scores.
• Before canceling a high-fee card, consider applying for a replacement so you maintain your total available credit and won’t see your credit scores go down.
• If you don’t want a card or its annual fee outweighs the perks, closing it can be worth a temporary credit score dip–unless you plan to make a significant purchase, like a car or home, within the next six months.
• If you’re not disciplined with credit cards, closing them can be worthwhile to prevent overspending and future financial problems.

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Money Girl Newsletter

The Money Stack Newsletter

Transcripts available at QuickandDirtyTips.com.

Email: Laura@LauraDAdams.com or leave a voicemail: (302) 364-0308.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On a road trip, tackling a summer cleanup, or just catching up on podcasts? QDT has you covered with Summer Saturday encores from your favorite shows. See the full Summer Saturday lineup on Spotify and enjoy this episode, which first aired in July 2024.

Take stock of your finances with Laura’s mid-year checklist for more money success.

Money Girl is hosted by Laura Adams. A transcript is available at QuickandDirtyTips.com

Have a money question? Send an email to money@quickanddirtytips.com or leave a voicemail at 302-365-0308.

Find Money Girl on Facebook and Twitter, or subscribe to the newsletter for more personal finance tips.

Money Girl is a part of Quick and Dirty Tips.

Links:

https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/

https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/money-girl-newsletter

https://www.facebook.com/MoneyGirlQDT

https://twitter.com/LauraAdams

https://lauradadams.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.