Hello, my dear community!

In the spirit of thanksgiving week and showing gratitude, I am re-sharing a list of the free resources we offer here within Girl $ on The Money.

Yes – we have highly rated investing courses, books, and a Bootcamp that are excellent investments that will help you grow your wealth over time!

However, for those of you that want to check out the free99 resources first, here you go:

Money Management and Investing Blueprint (Digital Guide)

Click here to request your copy!

Preparing Yourself to Start Investing – 8 Day Email Course

Click here to register for the mini-course!

When you sign up for this email series, you’ll receive one new lesson per day over 8 days right in your inbox. Some of the topics we cover are as follows:

1. Steps you should be taking BEFORE you embark on an investing journey
2. The types of (legit) investments where you can put your money: Stocks Vs. Funds
3. The different types of investment accounts – understanding the difference

….a whole lot more!

Our Bi-Weekly Investing Newsletters

Click here to sign up for the newsletters!

These are sent out every other Saturday. This newsletter is so great (and unique!) because it is also a way for me to share investing lessons and education consistently.

I share information on the most recent stock market news (explained in plain English). Regarding education, I sometimes answer the investing question of the week and other times share important investing concepts.

By being part of the newsletter list, you’ll also be the first to know about upcoming courses and workshops.

If you have ANY questions about any of the above resources or investing in general, send me an email: Hello@Girlsonthemoney.com.

And that’s all for now 🙂

Cheers to HEALTH & Profits!

Mabel

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Courses & Resources:

Click here to check out a list of our best-seller investing courses
OR
Click here to get access to our best-seller books and starter workshop

Today is my blog anniversary. We are celebrating its 9th birthday! In honor of this special day, I want to share the “back story” on how the name was born. 

Back in 2013, I was working on Wall Street. My office was right across the New York Stock Exchange. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I loved working right in the middle of the financial capital of the world! 

If you are a New Yorker, this is going to sound crazy, but I actually looked forward to my commute. It meant that I got to walk down Wall Street daily, and I LOVED that.

I have so many cool anecdotes from my time in downtown Manhattan. One of my favorites was running into Jim Cramer one day while shopping at the local Duane Reade during my lunch hour:

This photo was taken back in 2013 and that explains the quality. But I will forever treasure this moment!!! :). I almost shied away from asking for a picture but gathered up the courage to do so. So glad I did. 

The location was my dream, but the actual job – not so much. I often found myself planning my future and next steps on what I actually wanted to do with my life.

Either way, I felt incredibly blessed and so grateful to have that job. I knew in my heart; it was all part of the grand plan. A “means to an end.”

Ironically, that was the same job where, while sitting at my cubicle one day (daydreaming about the stock market), the words: “Girl$ on The Money“ popped into my head. 

Kind of like magic. 

I am one of those people who believe God sends us each “personalized” great ideas. I see those ideas as gifts from up above. 

It is up to us to take one (or several) of those ideas and make sure they reach their highest potential and purpose.

If you’ve ever read the book “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert, that theory makes perfect sense.

Although the name Girl$ on The Money sounded perfect for what I felt would be a significant part of my life purpose, I didn’t run to buy the domain right away.

I think I waited at least 3-6  months or maybe longer before I purchased it. 

I am not sure why. 

I do remember continually checking to see if it was still available, and it always was. 

It was reserved, especially for me. 

I know that might sound a bit corny, but that’s the reality of how I felt about it. If you are a business owner and/or have built a brand around a particular name that you came up with, you know exactly what I mean. 

Finally, on 11/12/2013, I purchased the domain, and the journey towards creating Girl$ on The Money officially begun :). Today we celebrate!

This cake was a birthday gift from my sister 3 years ago 🙂

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for being part of our community. 

For reading our newsletters, enrolling in our courses, asking questions, participating in surveys, following us on social media, and everything in between. THANK YOU. 

I wouldn’t be doing this work if it wasn’t for your support and because I know education around the topic of investing is extremely necessary.

Cheers to Health & Wealth!

Mabel

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Upcoming Courses & Resources: 

Have you heard of our popular Beginner Investor Starter Pack? The bundle deal includes our best-seller books and starter workshop. 

Click here to learn more:

Here is a question I’ve gotten several times over the years from members of the Girl$ on The Money community:

How do you feel about financial advisors? Do you recommend getting one? What should I look for when picking an advisor?

And here are my two cents:

While I 100% respect the financial advisor industry and believe there are great people out there doing that job, I am personally not a big fan of ‘blindly’ handing over my hard-earned money to anyone and having them manage it for me.

Time and experience have taught me that we all can learn how to make intelligent investment decisions and manage our own money. It is a skill like any other that gets better and better with time and experience.

Financial advisors can be costly, and how they get paid can depend on whom you hire. The advisor might take a percentage of your overall assets yearly (regardless of how your investments perform). Or, they might get paid via commission based on investments they tell you to buy. 

With that said, I understand that some people out there may feel they have overly complex financial situations and might feel like hiring a financial advisor is the only way they can get peace of mind. 

Others might need help creating a will or other financial plans and feel they could potentially benefit from an expert in those areas.

In those cases, I would recommend doing the following:

• #1. Before you officially hire anyone – Interview at least three different advisors! Come up with a list of potentials and then get to work. You can get some ideas via word of mouth (ask your friends if they are working with one). You can also use a nonprofit database like the National Association for Financial Advisors to find people in your area. Side note: I would not recommend just taking a random recommendation and going with it. Even if it’s a close friend or family member. Remember Bernie Madoff? His clients were mostly gathered via word of mouth and he turned out to be a huge fraud. Be careful!

• #2 Confirm that the advisors you are talking to are Fiduciary. A fiduciary means the advisor is legally required to always act in your best interest. Their recommendations should be tailored to you and your financial situation (not to benefit their pockets).

• #3. During the interview, ask how they get paid and whether they get a commission from the products they talk to you about

• #4 Ask them these kinds of questions: “If I were your relative or close family member, would you be giving the same advice?”

• #5 Ask them how they invest their own money!

This is by no means an ‘exhaustive’ list of things to ask. Just throwing out some ideas on questions I consider important.

I cannot emphasize this enough: You must understand fee structures and how much you’ll get charged for services if the money is not already being deducted from your overall assets. 

An idea I REALLY like (and would personally prefer) is to hire an advisor for a one-time fee to help you draft a plan based on your specific needs. I am not a fan of paying an ongoing monthly fee or a percentage of my assets if I am not actively using the advisor. Just my personal opinion!

Hiring a financial advisor should be similar to hiring a therapist. You want to feel comfortable with that person and ensure they have YOUR best interest at heart. Compare and “shop around.”

At the end of the day, if you decide to hire someone, I think it is still wise to understand how investing works so that you at least have an idea of how your money is being managed.

We work hard for our money and want it to work hard for us without spending a fortune or unnecessary fees in the process!

Questions? Comments? Let me know below.

Cheers to health and profits!

Mabel

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Courses + Resources for Beginners:

Have you heard of our popular Beginner Investor Starter Pack? The bundle deal includes our best-seller books and starter workshop. 

Click here to learn more:

Hello, Future Investors!

During a recent workshop, I shared a personal story about one of the most important things saving my money and investing it has allowed me to do. Here’s the gist of it:

When I started working at my first corporate job (at the age of 21), I realized VERY early on that I did not want to depend on an employer for the rest of my life.

I noticed how MANY of my co-workers who had been at the company for 20-30 years were very miserable. Some were just counting down to retirement, while others were getting laid off and replaced for “making too much money” or for other inexplicable reasons.

It terrified me to ever see myself in their shoes.

I wanted to “someday” have the freedom of flexibility to do any of the following:

-> Change jobs at any time (if I felt like it) without the feelings of pressure or desperation that I “needed money to pay my bills.”

-> Have the ability to take time off at some point, maybe to travel a bit, figure out my next career move, or simply pause without having to wait until the average retirement age to do so.

I soon realized that the only way I could do any of that would be to reach a level of financial freedom that would allow me to peacefully do so.

I wasn’t 100% sure what that ultimate goal would be. However, I did know that investing my money would eventually afford me the freedom I was looking for.

Once I reached 30, I found my passion and life work. I started Girl$ on The Money, and it began taking its “first steps.”

Around that time, I had finished my MBA degree and had to make a decision.

Would I continue working in the corporate setting, perhaps at an investment bank (making the rich richer), or pursue my business full time? I decided on the latter.

The MAIN factor that allowed me to do that with peace of mind was the savings and investments I had built over time. Emphasis on the investments!!

Had I not been investing the money I was saving over the years, there is no way I would have felt comfortable and free to leave that “good-paying job with great benefits.”

Investing my money allowed me the freedom to do just that and start building my business. It has been one of the best decisions of my life.

I had accomplished that goal I had set for myself in my early 20s. What an incredible feeling.

What do YOU believe saving and (most importantly) investing will allow you to do? What kind of goals or freedom are you seeking?

Let me help you get there!

I’d love for you to join us in the upcoming Investing Bootcamp and interact with fellow like-minded individuals.

Investing is one of the most valuable skills you’ll learn in your entire life.

It goes well above and beyond “making money.” It means having the freedom and flexibility to create your ideal life.

For more information about our updated and upgraded Investing Bootcamp, click the link below. We start on October 10th 🙂

Investing Bootcamp for Investing Beginners

Cheers to health and profits!

Mabel ❤ $

UPDATE: Starting November 1st, 2022, and through May 1st, 2023, the NEW rate on Series I bonds is 6.89% (adjusted from 9.62%). Keep reading to learn more about what iBonds are.

Hello, my Dear Community!

After a recent Instagram Reel where I mentioned Series I Bonds as a vehicle to save money in the short term and get higher interest rates, I received many questions about these government bonds.

Here’s a quick post where I share the BASICS of Series I Bonds. Please note that this is by no means comprehensive. If you have specific questions, drop them in the comments below, and I’ll do my best to answer them.

Six facts about Series I Bonds:

#1 The Bonds are backed by the US-Government

#2 They have a variable interest rate which is set based on inflation. In other words, the higher the inflation, the higher the interest paid by these bonds (and vice versa)

#3 The rate is reset twice per year – on May 1st and November 1st of each calendar year.

#4 The current rate is 6.89% and is subject to change in May of 2023 (as noted).

#5 You can purchase these bonds for as little as $25 (if you buy them electronically via treasurydirect(dot)com) and as high as $10,000 per year. They do allow you to invest an additional $5K per year if you use money from your tax refund.

You MUST leave the money alone for at least one year (think of it as a 1-year CD).

You are free to take your money out after one year. However…

To get ALL of the interest on your money, you must leave the money invested in the bond for at least five years. If you “cash out” before the 5-year mark, you give up three months’ worth of interest.

Side note: Check out this very informative podcast episode from the amazing Suze Orman, where she explains how interest is calculated and how it is reflected in your account.

#6 The interest you earn from these bonds is exempt from state and local taxes. However, you will still be responsible for federal taxes.

If interested, you MUST purchase the Series I Bonds directly from the government website treasurydirect.gov. Emphasis on the .gov. There are tons of other bonds on that website. Make sure you are looking at the Series IBonds section specifically.

IMPORTANT: Beware of scammers or anyone else trying to “sell” you these bonds. They must be purchased from the government site!!!

And that’s all folks!

If you found this post helpful, please let me know and share it with those in your circle who can benefit.

Cheers to health and profits!

Mabel

Reminder: This post is NOT sponsored by ANYONE. It has been shared for educational purposes.

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Courses & Resources:

The Beginner Investor Starter Pack: The bundle includes all the “ingredients” you will need to motivate you to take ACTION and begin your investing journey with CONFIDENCE.

It is no secret that I am a huge stock market fan.

The fact that we have the privilege of investing our money in high-quality stocks and funds that help us build wealth over time is fascinating to me.

With that said, something to keep in mind is that we shouldn’t have all our money invested.

There is a “little” something called emergencies that does not give us a warning. They just show up. Unannounced.

Before allocating any money towards the markets, make sure you have cash in a LIQUID account that is easily accessible when needed.

My favorite accounts for emergency savings (and beyond) for several years now are as follows:

CIT Bank -Savings Connect Program

The highest interest rate comes from C.I.T’s Savings Connect Program. They are paying 3.25% interest as long as you are enrolled in ongoing monthly deposits of $100 – an incredible incentive to save consistently. Click here to learn more.

Note: C.I.T is in no way affiliated with Citibank. It is an entirely different institution.

Marcus by Goldman Sachs –

Some of you might recognize Goldman Sachs as a leader in the investment banking industry. However, as of 2006, the business branched out into consumer services. One of those services is online savings accounts for the general public!

They are currently paying 3.00% interest.

Remember that the higher the interest rate, the more money you’ll receive in interest payments based on your bank deposits. However, keep in mind not all banks are created equal! Do your due diligence before opening up an account.

Both of the banks mentioned above operate under the most up-to-date security standards. They are safe, trustworthy, and highly regulated financial institutions.

Where do you currently have your savings? Is it time to make adjustments?

Questions? Comments? Let me know below! Also, remember you can always email me at hello@girlsonthemoney.com.

Cheers to health and profits!

Love,

Mabel ❤$

PS: The rates above are effective as of November 13th, 2022.

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Courses and Resources:

Are you new to investing and have no clue where or how to begin? Check out our Beginner Investor Starter Pack. The bundle deal includes our best-seller books and starter workshop. Click here to learn more:

Are you a beginner in your investing journey and are looking for books that are easy to read? Check these out:

One up on Wall Street

by Peter Lynch (Stock Investing)

“Understand the nature of the companies you own and the specific reasons for holding the stock. (“It is really going up!” doesn’t count.)”

-Peter Lynch

The Little Book of Big Dividends

By: Charles B. Carlson

“Dividends are ultimately paid out of a company’s profits, so pay attention to the relationship between the two.”

-Charles Carlson

The Little Book That Beats the Market

By: Joel Greenblatt

“Choosing individual stocks without any idea of what you’re looking for is like running through a dynamite factory with a burning match. You may live, but you’re still an idiot.”

― Joel Greenblatt

Stock Market Investing Mini-Lessons for Beginners

By: Mabel Nuñez

“I aim to dispel any misconceptions around stock investing and show that you don’t need to work in Wall Street, have a PhD in Finance, or wear an expensive suit to participate in the stock market. Pretty much anyone who makes a conscious and committed decision to learn this subject can do so and benefit from it”.

-Mabel Nuñez., MBA

Stock Analysis 101:  A Step by Step Guide

By: Mabel Nuñez

“I can’t emphasize enough how important research is. If you plan to buy stocks solely based on what someone told you to do or something you see on social media, but fail to do your research – you run the risk of losing a lot of money fast.”

-Mabel Nuñez., MBA

And that’s all for now. Have you read any of these books? And/or do any catch your eye for future reading? Let me know in the comments!

Cheers to health & profits!

Mabel

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Courses & Resources:

Not yet investing but want to get the ball rolling asap? I highly recommend you check out the Beginner Investor Starter Pack®. The bundle includes books and resources that will teach you the basics of investing and how to get starter on the right foot.

If you follow media trends, you might know that on Wednesday, 04/20, many were “celebrating” 420, which many recognize as the official day of cannabis around the world.

I felt this would be an excellent opportunity to re-share with my community why I’ve never invested in cannabis stock in my almost 14 years of investing experience. 

Here are a few reasons why:

If you missed my blog post about penny stocks, you can check it out here.

Remember – this is just my PERSONAL opinion and for educational purposes only. I know there are a lot of “die-hard” fans of cannabis stocks out there, and I respect that.

Questions? Comments? Have you had an experience with a cannabis stock that you want to share with me? let me know below 🙂

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Courses & Resources

Our six-week Stock Investing Bootcamp is BACK! Registration is officially open! Click here to request FULL details (including the promotional rate). You will love this class if you want to transform from a novice to an educated and successful stock investor!

I recently had a conversation with a friend who started investing not long ago. Her portfolio has a significant amount of penny stocks.

At that moment, I had mixed feelings.

On the one hand, I was proud that she was investing and taking action. On the other hand, I was disappointed that she was putting her hard-earned money in companies that I consider trash.

Many people who start investing fall into buying penny stocks without really understanding what they are. Sometimes they get burned so badly that they give up on investing altogether.

If they don’t get “burned” (lose most or all of their investment), they soon realize that most penny stocks don’t go anywhere and linger around the same price for a long time.

In this post, my mission is to educate you to reach your conclusions and make your own decisions about these kinds of investments.

Ever since I started my investing journey (over a decade ago!) I have stayed away from penny stocks. I consider them risky and speculative. If you have my first book I talk about this topic in lesson #24.

What exactly is a penny stock?

The Securities and Exchange Commission* (SEC) formal definition for a penny stock are those that trade for about $5 per share or less.

However, the most “popular” penny stocks trade for less than $1. They are generally companies that no one is familiar with but claim to be the “next big something.”

Most people that buy these stocks have no clue about how much money the business generates (if any), whether they have any debt, cash, sales, and other vital details.

They are essentially buying a lottery ticket and hoping for the best.

*The SEC is the government entity that regulates publicly traded companies. 

Penny stocks trade very infrequently, meaning that you may very well be stuck with worthless shares that no one in “the market” will want to buy.

Penny stocks are considered speculative investments. Because most penny stocks are unregulated, the majority are not required by law to disburse any financial information to the public. They are not regulated to the extent that legit, established securities are.

For instance, public companies that are regulated and outside of the “penny stocks” spectrum, are required by law to provide information to the SEC year after year about every single thing that happens with the business.

The information is shared with the public in the form of annual reports, quarterly reports, proxy statements, press releases, and the list goes on.

The extensive disclosure of information allows investors to obtain most of the information they may need to make an educated decision on whether or not the investment would be profitable. Many penny stocks do not have these types of requirements. 

For the most part, you’ll be investing blindly with no clear understanding of the business or going.

Based on the above, you may lose all your money, and because there is no such regulation, there’s nothing much you can do about it. As clearly noted in the SEC website:

“Investors in penny stocks should be prepared for the possibility that they may lose their whole investment (or an amount greater than their investment if they purchase penny stocks on margin)”.

While it may be true that some people get “lucky” and actually make money in penny stocks, these stories are rare. Furthermore, those gains are often random and never sustainable.

And by the way – the “penny stocks world” has a whole lot of scammers. If you have ever heard of the phrase “pump and dump,” that’s where the term comes from. One main thing scammers do is ‘hype up’ a random ticker symbol to create demand. They do this by making up random stories and implementing marketing techniques.

The random demand will boost the stock price. Once these scammers see everyone is buying and the price is significantly higher, they will sell their shares and leave all those “followers” with nothing.

If you want to add some “cheap” stocks to your portfolio, at least look into the following:

1. Do you recognize the underlying business behind the stock? Do you understand how that business makes money?

2. Are you able to find an annual report or quarterly report that you can read and which can help you familiarize yourself more with the business?

3. If you were to invest and the company goes under – how would you feel about it? Would you care or would you just see it as “play money”?

My thoughts …

You work hard for your money. You want your money to work hard for you. Whether you are a fairly new investor just learning and just getting started, or an experienced well-seasoned investor, I always recommend focusing on companies that are well-established within their respective industries and that have a clear and specific competitive advantage.

If you want your portfolio to have a bit more ‘edge’ or more ‘risk’ with a possible high potential; go for companies that actually follow the SEC guidelines and that are regulated. Even if they have not yet ‘proven’ themselves, at least you’ll have the peace of mind that every move they make will be completely public and transparent for you because they are being monitored by a goverment agency that is there to protect investors.

And that is all my friends. Thank you for reading!

TELL ME, What are YOUR thoughts on this topic? DO you have any questions about this? Let me know in the comments! 

Cheers to profits,

Mabel

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Upcoming Courses & Resources: 

Our six-week Stock Investing Bootcamp is BACK! Registration is officially open! Click here to request FULL details (including the promotional rate). You will love this class if you want to transform from a novice to an educated and successful stock investor!

Hello, Future Investor!

THANK YOU for your interest in the Spring 2022 edition of the stocks bootcamp.

I am super excited to share that registration is finally OPEN!

Classes will kick off on Monday, May 9th, 2022, and space is limited. 

By registering in this class, you’ll be investing in a valuable skill that will stay with you for the rest of your life.

Check out the details below:

Stocks Bootcamp | Spring 2022 Edition

Cheers to health, success, and a whole lot of profits!

-Mabel