Girl$ on The Money

Hey, everyone!

A brand new month is upon us and that means I have a brand new book on deck.

Here’s what I am reading February 2022:

Atomic Habits

By: James Clear

“Fun Fact”: I read this book back in 2019 (here’s proof). However, I enjoyed it so much I am reading it again.

And that’s all for now :). Questions or comments? Share below! If you missed my “what I am reading January 2022” post, you can check it out here.

And by the way – I recently made a GoodReads profile. If you’re on there, add me as a friend! You can find me under “Mabel Nunez.”

With love & gratitude,

Mabel

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Courses & Resources:

Understanding Your Investing Options: Starter Guide for Beginner Investors: New to investing and not sure where or how to begin?! This guide is for you! Check out details here.

Ready, Set Invest: A Crash Course on Being Ready to Invest – This is a best-seller workshop all about PREPARING to invest. Click here to enroll. 

Want the whole package? Check out The Beginner Investor Starter Pack®

Whether you are new to investing or consider yourself an experienced professional, a plan is always a good idea.

Below I share how I plan for the week ahead when it comes to investing.

I typically run through these steps on a Sunday morning or Sunday afternoon during my “leisure” time or as time permits.

It doesn’t take long. 

Plus – if you love investing as much as I do, you’ll love doing this and will look forward to going through the steps weekly or a couple of times per month. 

#1. Go over your Stocks Watchlist and make a plan of action.

A Stocks Watchlist is simply a list of Stocks or Funds (ETFs or Index Funds) that you want to buy. You can make this yourself using pen and paper, Google Sheets, or Excel. 

Some of the information you can include is the name of the stock or fund, the ticker symbol, the the price, and any other information you deem important.

Don’t feel like making the list yourself? Invest our exclusive Watchlist Worksheet. You’ll get the original worksheet I share with my students in the Stocks Bootcamp, instructions on how to complete it, and access to me if you have any questions :). Grab it for $9.99 $4.99.

Take a look at your list every week and ask yourself if it’s still “accurate” – Perhaps you want to add new companies to the list or remove any stock that you no longer have an interest in buying. 

How is this helpful? Well, if during the week ahead you notice that the market is going through a sudden “downturn,” you’ll be able to immediately pull out your list to see if any of your prospective investments have gone “on sale.” 

Instead of panicking on rough days, you’ll look forward to looking at your watchlist and might get excited to do some shopping.  

OR, you can also choose to ignore whatever is going on in the markets and go on about your life 😉.

#2. Check your investment account – do you have any cash available? Or, is all the money you have in there 100% invested? 

Having cash on the sidelines is always a good idea. You’ll have the money there to take full advantage whenever opportunities present themselves. If there is no cash in your account and there’s something you want to buy, you’ll need to go transfer money manually, which can take 2-3 business days, depending on your broker. 

Pro-Tip: The best way to always have “fresh” cash in your investment account is by setting up automatic transfers from your checking to your investment account at the interval of your preference and the dollar amount you can comfortably afford. For example, $50 a week or $150 a month.

#3. Check if any of the companies where you own stock will be reporting earnings that upcoming week. 

There’s a little something called “Earnings Season” that happens every few months. Earning Reports are the perfect opportunity to get a “briefing” directly from “the horse’s mouth” regarding how a particular company is doing. You’ll get informed about any new developments, changes, or acquisitions that can internally impact the business for better or for worse. An informed investor is a successful investor.

And that’s all, folks! Let me know what you think. Is there anything else you would add to this list?

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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!

Questions? Comments? Feedback? Let me know below or email us: Hello@girlsonthemoney.com.

Cheers to Health & Profits,

Mabel

Do you wish you had a way to keep track of prospective investments so that you are always READY when opportunities present themselves?

We have a tool for that! 🙂

*New resource alert!*

Check out the official Girl$ on The Money Watchlist Worksheet.

Upon payment, you will receive access to the following:

1. The official worksheet: A resource I only share with my Stocks Bootcamp students. You’ll get access to the GoogleSheets and Microsoft Excel version.
2. Step by Step Instructions

Yes, I want this!

Questions? Email us at hello@girlsonthemoney.com

Cheers to Health & Profits!

Mabel

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Investing resources for beginners *New Bundle!*

Are you new to the investing world and don’t know where to start? I recently introduced our  Beginner Investors Starter Pack®! More details here. 

I recently received a great question from one of my students: 

Hi Mabel!
I have a question: how much (%) should you have in your checking vs savings vs investment account? What do you recommend? Thank you!

For anyone else out there who might be wondering the same thing, here’s how I answered it:

Hi, Gabriela! That is a great question. Here is how I would personally approach it:

Checking account: 

Only keep the money you need to pay your monthly bills. Also, any “extra” spending money for personal care, entertainment, or anything else you need “immediate access” to.

Savings: 

In the savings account, send all the money you won’t need anytime soon, but you want to have access to it when and if required. 

For example, your emergency fund money should be in your savings. 

Also, let’s say you are saving for something specific. A particular item, asset, or experience you want to buy within the next 1-2 years – that money should also be accumulating in your savings account.

And by the way – I would not recommend leaving your savings at a traditional brick and mortar bank. For example, Chase Bank, Citibank, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, etc., pay almost no interest. 

Instead, I would keep my money in an online savings account. I personally like CIT bank (the savings builder account pays 0.40% APR). and Marcus by Goldman Sachs (high yield savings account pays 0.50%). Check out this blog post where I talked more about this topic.

Investment account: 

Send money to your investment account that you will not need within the next 3-5 years, but you want to see it grow and compound for bigger goals.

If you want me to suggest how much to start within your investment account, I would say $500 is a good starting point. 

Then, I highly recommend setting up automatic transfers from your checking and into your investment account at an interval that feels good to you. For example, it can be $50 every week or $100 a month. You’ll start accumulating money in that account and always have cash available when you want to buy a new stock or fund or when market opportunities present themselves.

Let me know if this helps!

Mabel

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Investing resources for beginners *New Bundle!*

Are you new to the investing world and don’t know where to start? I recently introduced our  Beginner Investors Starter Pack®! More details here. 

Many investing fanatics (myself included) probably wish the market was open year-round.

However, that’s not the case.

Below, I share the dates on which the stock market will be closed in 2022:

• Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Monday, Jan. 17
• Washington’s Birthday/Presidents Day: Monday, Feb. 21
• Good Friday: Friday, April 15
• Memorial Day: Monday, May 30
• Juneteenth National Independence Day: Monday, June 20 (observed, because June 19, the date of the Juneteenth holiday, falls on a Sunday)
• Independence Day: Monday, July 4
• Labor Day: Monday, Sept. 5
• Thanksgiving: Thursday, Nov. 24
• Christmas: Monday, Dec. 26 (observed, because Christmas Day falls on a Sunday)

And that’s all folks! Questions? Comments? Let me know below! 🙂

Courses and Resources for Investing Beginners:

Are you new to the investing world and don’t know where to start? Check out our awesome New Bundle:

The Beginner Investor Starter Pack® –  More details here. 

Many people stay on the sidelines of investing because of fear and uncertainty.

First, they don’t understand the stock market – which often translates into fear.

Then, they aren’t sure which resources would be good to start with to educate themselves, which creates uncertainty.

To help you immediately eliminate both roadblocks, I’ve put together this incredible package:

The Beginner Investor Starter Pack®.

The package includes all the “ingredients” you will need to motivate you to take ACTION and begin your investing journey with CONFIDENCE.

Two options:

Option A: All Digital Access
Your Investment: $39

Includes:
-Stock Market Investing Mini-Lesson for Beginners (eBook)
-Stock Analysis 101 (eBook)
-Understanding Your Investing Options Starter Guide (eBook)

Click here to invest in the Digital Package ($39)

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Option B: The “Old School” Way (Paperback)

*Paperback/printed option is available for Pre-Order*

Your Investment: $68

Includes:
-Stock Market Investing Mini-Lesson for Beginners (paperback)
-Stock Analysis 101 (paperback)
-Understanding Your Investing Options Starter Guide (printed)
–Bonus: Girl$ on The Money Tote Bag & Bookmarks (as pictured)

Click here to invest in the Paperback Package ($68)

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Want to take it a step further?

You can add our highly-rated “Ready, Set, Invest” workshop to the bundle:

Click here for Workshop + Digital Resources (Your Investment: $105)
*Includes all items outlined above (in digital form) plus access to the Workshop

Click here for Workshop + Paperback Resources (Your Investment: $125)
*Includes all items outlined above (paperback, printed) plus access to the Workshop.

And that’s all, folks!

Prices are subject to change! This starter pack deal is only for a limited time. I want you to kick off the year tackling your investing goals and save some money in the process.

Questions? Comments? Share them below or send me an email: Hello@Girlsonthemoney.com.

Cheers to HEALTH & Profits,

Mabel ❤

On Monday 01/03/2022, Apple became the first publicly-traded company to briefly reach a market capitalization (value) of $3 Trillion:

Now, you might wonder what that means, and why should I care?

Here’s a quick lesson:

The term Market Cap, short for “Market Capitalization,” refers to the size of a publicly-traded company. 

The formula boils down to the stock’s current share price multiplied by the number of shares available to the public. 

Market cap = Price of the Stock X Number of shares outstanding

Based on that formula, we can conclude that when a company’s stock price increases, so do its market cap or “size.” 

Another way to think of Market Cap is how much it would cost someone to buy the entire company.

For instance, if you wanted to buy Apple (the entire business – including all assets, cash, debt, etc.) – the company would need to be on sale (first of all).

Then, you’ll need to write a nice little check for $3 Trillion!

And here’s a cool image, courtesy of the New York Times and FactSet, which shows how quickly Apple has been reaching each milestone thus far:

Quick update (1/4/22): After soaring briefly to a new high, Apple stock price has pulled back a bit since yesterday’s euphoric times. The market cap is back down to ~2.94 Trillion. 

However, based on what I’ve seen over the last several years of studying the stock, I don’t doubt it will rise back to the record high and proceed its way up from there.

And that’s all, folks! Question? Comments? Share below 🙂

Cheers to Health & Profits,

Mabel

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Courses & Resources:

Understanding Your Investing Options: Starter Guide for Beginner Investors: New to investing and not sure where or how to begin?! This guide is for you! Check out details here.

Ready, Set Invest: A Crash Course on Being Ready to Invest – This is a best-seller workshop all about PREPARING to invest. Click here to enroll in the upcoming edition!

Hey, everyone!

Happy first Monday of the year! :). I wanted to kick off the day by sharing the books I’ll be reading this month.

Last year I kind of slacked on my “one book per month goal” sometime during the middle of the year (in May to be exact).

I welcomed a lot of exciting changes to my personal life and my business life. That also meant that certain things did take a back seat.

However, WE’RE BACK on the book saddle!

Here’s what I am reading January 2022:

Make Your Bed

By: Admiral William H. McRaven

**The book looks a little “beat up” because I borrowed it from the library 🙂

Checking In

By: Michelle Williams

The book below (Jesus Calling) is a one-year devotional which I’ll be reading throughout 2022:

Jesus Calling

By: Sarah Young

And that’s all, folks! 🙂

Wishing you all an amazing week ahead.

Let me know in the comments if you’re reading anything this month.

With love & gratitude,

Mabel

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Courses & Resources:

Understanding Your Investing Options: Starter Guide for Beginner Investors: New to investing and not sure where or how to begin?! This guide is for you! Check out details here.

Ready, Set Invest: A Crash Course on Being Ready to Invest – This is a best-seller workshop all about PREPARING to invest. Click here to enroll. 

Today is my blog anniversary. We are celebrating its 8th 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:

Side note: This photo was taken back in 2013 (using a blackberry) and that explains the quality. 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 believes 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 11/21/2013, I purchased the domain, and the journey towards creating Girl$ on The Money officially begun :). Today we celebrate!

Shout out to my sister for getting me this cake a couple of 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 critical.

Thank you for reading.

Cheers to Health & Wealth!

Mabel

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Courses & Resources: 

Ready, Set Invest: A Crash Course on Being Ready to Invest – This is a best-seller (2-hour class) all about how to be PREPARED to invest. To register, click here. *Use promo code abundance2021 for 20% off.

Understanding Your Investing Options: Starter Guide for Beginner Investors: New to investing and not sure where or how to begin?! This guide is for you! Check out details here.

Note: This post was updated on August 10th, 2022

Banks make money in a few different ways. One of them is by charging you interest or fees for the services they provide. Another major way banks make money is from YOUR money.

In other words, when you deposit money in a bank, the money doesn’t just sit there. It gets pooled with other deposits from millions of customers and is sent to work!

The money is invested in different things and generates billions of dollars for the bank. In return for “holding” your money, most brick and mortar banks will pay you a few pennies.

Back in the days when I started my very first job out of college, I needed a bank for direct deposit and where I could start saving some money.

The first bank I signed up for to deposit my hard-earned money was paying about 0.01% interest in savings. Note that this is standard (even to this day!) for many brick and mortar banks. 

I didn’t have a choice back in those days and had to go with it.

Here’s a simplified example of what it meant to get 0.01% interest on savings:

Let’s say I saved about $150 per month during one year for a total of $1,800.

By the end of the year, the bank paid me about $0.98 in interest in return for “holding” my money. Yup. You read that right. 98 cents. 

That means I’d end up with $1,800.98 in my bank account by the end of the year. Remember, the bank is making billions in the back end – for themselves.

Thankfully, I eventually learned to invest so that my money could work a lot harder (and more efficiently) for me.

Also, thankfully, online banks started emerging, offering interest rates significantly higher than the typical brick and mortar bank.

This meant I could now transfer my emergency fund (or any money I did not plan to invest) to an institution that respected me enough to pay me more than pennies.

Photo credit: @yaryincharge

Make sure you aren’t leaving money on the table by keeping your savings in a bank that uses your money to make millions but isn’t returning the favor.

I understand banks have a lot of expenses, and their duty is to keep our money safe. However, paying pennies to their customers is just plain disrespect.

And if you’re wondering – The reason why Online Banks can pay interest rates that are higher than the norm is that they don’t have overhead expenses. All the work is done electronically, and they can afford to return the bulk of the money they are saving back to the customer. 

When it comes to your emergency fund and your savings, I encourage you to have that money growing for you at an online bank.

Here are a couple of my personal favorites:

#1 CIT Bank (*not associated with Citibank).

Savings Connect account pays 1.90% APY

#2 Marcus by Goldman Sachs:

High yield savings account currently pays 1.50% APY

*Rates above are effective 08/10/2022

Interest rates are currently back on the rise thanks to policies from the federal reserve. Online banks offer rates significantly higher than the mediocre 0.01% provided by your standard brick and mortar branches.

Remember this: Whichever bank you decide to go with, just make sure it is a regulated, reputable, highly-rated institution such as the ones I outlined above.

If you aren’t ready to invest just yet and are in the process of building your emergency fund, I HIGHLY encourage you to save your money in a way that allows it to work hard for you. 

Tell me – how do YOU feel about online banking? Do you currently have an emergency fund?

Cheers to Health & Wealth!

-Mabel

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Courses & Resources

New to investing and no sure where or how to begin? Check out the Beginner Investor Starter Pack! Details here: