Disclosure: We’re letting you know that this post contains sponsored links which The Smart Wallet receives compensation for, which may impact their order of appearance because talking about money should always be an honest discussion.
Parents have had to be the MVPs during this past year juggling both work, kids, and not strangling each other. Congrats for making it this far!
And now that things are slowly heading back into the new normal, it’s time to re-evaluate family finances if you don’t do so on a regular basis. It’s easy to forget when the day-to-day flies by and all you want do is sleep.
So here are some smart money moves to kickstart your money gears if you haven’t oiled them lately!
Set Up a Free Debit Card for Your Teen to Build Smart Money Habits
Since schools aren’t universally teaching kids about personal finance, it’s up to you to look for other ways.
Copper Banking is a free banking app built specifically for teens, and it gives you and your teen(s) freedom and convenience. You’d be able to track their spending in real-time as well as send money instantly whenever they need it. No more having to pull out cash or letting them borrow your card.
Teens will get a debit card in their own name and will be able to withdraw money for free at over 55,000 ATMs, plus use it for spending anywhere in-store, online, and with Apple or Google Pay! There are no credit checks, overdraft fees, hidden fees, and money is FDIC-insured up to $250,000.
Your teen will also learn about saving, budgeting, goal setting and just making smarter money decisions on their own with the help of Copper’s Financial Literacy experts. They’ll even earn $3 for every friend they refer. It only takes minutes to set up an account so help your teen build better money habits now!
Get Free Stock Worth Up to $225
Investing may seem expensive and most people put it off until they have “enough” money for it.
But time is the most important factor and Robinhood lets new investors get started with just $1.
This free trading app lets you trade stocks, ETFs and options, along with cryptocurrency, commission-free! When your application is approved, they’ll give free stock worth $2.50 up to $225 for new members, with chances to get a high-value stock in Facebook, Microsoft, etc.
With a near-perfect 4.8 score from 2.3 million people, it’s a popular app that you should check out if you’re interested in investing.
Scan the Stuff You Buy & Get Free Rewards
The exclusive National Consumer Panel (NCP) program is opening up again for more participants! This is your opportunity to make your consumer voice heard! (And get paid for it)
When you become a panelist, just use the app to scan the barcodes of items you purchase, provide a few additional transaction details, and you’ll earn points for:
- Gift Cards
- Tablets
- Electronic Equipment
- Flat Screen TVs
- and much more from their gift catalog!
Plus, all panelists are automatically entered into weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual drawings to win extra points and gift cards – even a quarterly sweepstakes to win $5,000!
The more you share your shopping habits (scan barcodes), the more rewards you can get. You can also answer surveys and share information about your overall shopping trip.
“Scanning my purchases is fun! I also enjoy taking the surveys. Earning points is fast and easy and they have a great selection of rewards.” – Jennifer B.
It’s a fun way to earn more rewards on items you’ve already purchased and at no extra cost to you.
Register now to see if you’re eligible to be a National Consumer Panelist. Eligibility will be based on your location. If you don’t get accepted this time, don’t worry! They’re always expanding locations, so check back again.
You’re Probably Wasting $720 Without Even Knowing It - Here’s How to Check
We know you’ve had a lot on your mind. Everyone is going through mental Olympics to stay sane during this on-going pandemic.
But if you realized you could be wasting $720 and didn’t know, you’d race to figure out how to stop it. And you can do it easily with Rocket Money, a free money management app that shows you exactly where you’re wasting money, all your subscriptions, your bills, and teaches you how to budget even if you’ve never tried.
Also, the average American thinks they pay about $80/month on various subscriptions but it’s actually over $200/month. Let Rocket Money root out all the subs you forgot about and cancel the ones you don’t want anymore. You don’t have to make any phone calls since they do the legwork for you. They’ll even find opportunities to lower monthly bills. On average, Rocket Money members save over $720/year!
5-star reviews include “It’s like having a personal accountant tracking my money” and “this app is a lifesaver.” They’ve already helped people save over $14M in unwanted subs, lower bills, and refunds on fees and outages so check to see where you can save too!
Easily Invest in Your Child’s Financial Future (With Help from Family/Friends)
It takes a village to raise a child, and you can make it even easier for your family and friends to contribute alongside you with EarlyBird.
EarlyBird provides a meaningful way for parents and anyone to collectively invest in a child’s financial future. It’s an investment account for your child combined with social gifting, and when the child turns 18, it’s all theirs to pay for college, start a business, take a vacation, anything! (At 18, it transitions into an adult brokerage account)
Cash slipped into holiday cards or birthday checks can now be turned into gifts of investments, making it more valuable when contributors can see their EarlyBird gift for your child grow over the number of years! Even better is with each contribution, a short personal video can be recorded and your child will be able to watch, keep the memories, and be financially empowered.
So give the gift of financial freedom for your child (with the help of loved ones). The earlier, the better! For parents, EarlyBird is FREE for the first $200 invested, and then just $1/mo per child subscription fee after that to maintain the portfolio.
