Kate Underwood

I'm a freelance writer and proofreader with a passion for the written word. I create engaging content for news agencies and personal finance blogs. As a skilled ghostwriter for bloggers, I channel their own unique voices into web content that sells. My specialty is personal finance, especially the niches of frugality and side hustles. Let me provide the professional writing and editing you need for your website!

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Business Insider • 15th July 2022

The key difference between ordinary and qualified dividends is the tax rate you'll pay on them

• Ordinary dividends are payments made to shareholders that are taxed at the same rate as their regular income. • Qualified dividends are taxed at a lower capital gains rate of no more than 20%. • Most dividends from stock in US companies held for more than 60 days will pay qualified dividends. Many investors purchase shares of stock in companies that pay dividends, or payments made directly to shareholders as a portion of profits. For some, dividend investing is part of a strategy to produce

Money Crashers • 18th May 2022

What Is Estate Planning - Basics & Checklist for Costs, Tools, Probates & Taxes

Have you considered what will happen to your money after you’re gone? Plenty of people focus most of their energy on making more money now, and for good reason. Estate planning tends to take a backseat to seemingly more pressing matters of the here and now. But you can’t live forever, so you need to make some vital financial and personal decisions now. There’s no better time than right now to begin developing your estate plan. You can even get started in as little as 10 minutes with a company l

Business Insider • 21st April 2022

Deciding whether to pay off debt or save for retirement is tough. Here's how to prioritize both goals

• People often wonder what to prioritize with extra cash: debt repayment or preparing for retirement. • Aggressive debt payoff can be beneficial, but delaying retirement savings for too long can be risky. • Ideally, you can strike a balance between paying off debt and investing for retirement simultaneously. If you have cash remaining after covering your monthly expenses, how should you use it? Do you pay down nagging debts, or pour all the money into your retirement savings? There's no perfec

Business Insider • 23rd March 2022

Buying real estate with an IRA is possible, but complicated. And even a small mistake can be quite costly

• Buying real estate with an IRA is a way you can diversify your investment portfolio. • This type of investment requires a self-directed IRA, and you can't live in the property. • Purchasing REITs is a simpler way to gain real estate exposure in your IRA, with fewer risks. Individual retirement arrangements (IRAs) are among the best ways to save for retirement. They offer significant tax advantages and flexibility and can be an alternative or a supplement to an employer-sponsored retirement p

Well Kept Wallet • 22nd April 2021

10 Alternative Investments With a High Yield

For most people, investing involves a typical retirement account like an IRA or 401(k). However, many investors can benefit from diversifying their portfolios with alternative investments. There are many assets that are considered alternative investments. Better yet, they have the potential to bring in higher returns when your brokerage account is lagging. If you want to figure out whether or not alternative investments are for you, this article can help.

Student Loan Planner • 14th April 2021

Average Accountant Salary: Is It Worth the Student Debt?

Is the average accountant salary is worth the amount of student debt required to qualify for an accountant position? Although some careers come at extremely high educational costs relative to the potential resulting salary, accounting is fairly reasonable.

Due • 22nd February 2021

Pros and Cons of Pension Plans Today

When you hear the word “pension,” you might immediately think of the company jobs that gave employees a living after retirement. Not so long ago, it was pretty common for someone to work their entire adult life at one company, then retire to a comfortable pension. Pension plans still exist, but they’re not nearly as common as they used to be. So here we’ll talk about what pensions are, the alternatives, and the pros and cons of pension plans today. A pension plan is a benefit that some employer

Life And My Finances • 18th February 2021

How to Talk About Money With Your Partner

Valentine’s Day recently passed, which my husband and I don’t mark with candlelit dinners or gifts. What’s more romantic than spending a bunch of money in mid-February? Learning how to talk about money with your partner—that’s a really big key to a successful relationship! Questions to Discuss With Your Partner A tip on how to talk about money with your partner is to start with questions. These can be sprinkled into casual conversations to help give you an idea of who the other person is. • No

Due • 25th January 2021

Financial Reasons to Prioritize Your Health

Keeping our priorities straight is a challenge, but it’s essential to prioritize your health. Without a healthy body, everything you’re working for doesn’t mean much. Finances and health are nearly impossible to separate. After all, health care costs money, and making money is a lot simpler when you’re healthy. You may be thinking you just don’t have time to focus on healthy habits like a balanced diet, exercise, or sleep. But you might change your mind if you consider the many financial reason

Due • 6th January 2021

New 401(k) Rules for 2021

A 401(k) is a fabulous tool for savvy retirement savers, and it’s a great idea to get a jump on your retirement contributions early in the new year. With the beginning of 2021 comes a fresh start on a lot of financial things, so be sure you know the 401(k) rules for 2021 in order to make your plans. A lot about your 401(k) doesn’t have to change at all in 2021, while a few other aspects will adjust somewhat. Know what the rules are regarding 401(k)s for 2021. That will help you plan ahead and f

Life And My Finances • 31st December 2020

Top 12 Best Paying Jobs in Finance

We all want a secure, high-paying job, and finance has traditionally been a field where people can earn a good living. But what are truly the best paying jobs in finance? If you’re anything like Michael Scott (from the U.S. version of The Office), you might be unaware of how many options exist for careers in finance. (When his friend tells him to impress girls by saying he “works in finance,” Michael’s version of that is to say he’s a bank teller.) Unfortunately, while a full-time bank teller

Market Realist • 20th November 2020

Which Companies Offer College Tuition Reimbursement?

With college expenses rising year after year, students need to be more careful about how they choose to proceed with college. Paying for college isn't just about the tuition cost per year. Students can choose to work for companies that pay for part of their college costs. Holding a part-time or full-time job while completing a college degree can benefit students in two ways—the money they earn and the potential reimbursement for tuition and related expenses. Here are some of the companies that

Life And My Finances • 10th November 2020

How to Make $100,000 a Year

For a lot of us, $100,000 represents a major milestone. It’s that mythical “six-figures” that many of us aspire to earn each year. But then of course there’s the big question of how to make $100,000 a year! Is it actually possible? It’s a great goal to shoot for—you can live very well in most of the U.S. on that salary, after all. There are plenty of routes that can get you to six figures. Let’s look at how to make $100,000 a year, whether through your career, passive investments, or a lucrati

Due • 4th November 2020

Stepping Up to Have Retirement Conversations with Older Relatives

Many of us have older relatives that are already enjoying retirement or are just a few short years away. One of the most caring things you can do for your older parents, aunts, uncles, or other relatives is to make sure they’re all set for retirement. A recent Federal Reserve report showed that 13% of those 60 and older who weren’t yet retired had no retirement savings or pension to rely on. Only 45% of those said they thought their retirement was “on track” (so, unfortunately, over half did no

Life And My Finances • 13th August 2020

Top Tips For Working From Home Effectively

Remote work is a concept that’s here to stay. Even before the pandemic struck, more and more Americans were choosing to telecommute at least part of the time, but working from home presents some challenges to productivity. So it’s time for us to tackle the top tips for working from home effectively! Whether you’re working from home 100% of the time, or you only go into an office or workplace a few days a week, you want to be productive. Prove to your employer and yourself that you can be just a

Life And My Finances • 20th July 2020

Best Side Hustles in 2021 (The Year of Online Side Hustles!)

Whether you’re looking to bridge the gap between full-time jobs or you just need some extra money to help you reach your goals each month, side hustles are a great way to do it. Side hustles can help you to build your emergency fund, , save for a major expense, and make progress toward many other financial goals. Flexibility of remote work will only become more popular, so here’s a roundup of some of the best side hustles in 2021! This post was written by our talented staff writer, Kate Underwo

Club Thrifty • 29th June 2020

5 Best Ways to Use a Personal Loan

One of the best ways to use a personal loan is to consolidate high-interest credit card debt. Paying off credit card debt is an important step in reaching financial freedom. It’s always a good idea to get rid of any credit card debt as soon as possible, and a personal loan might be a helpful part of your journey to reach that goal. The interest rates on credit cards can be astronomical. These high rates, which sometimes creep past 20%, make it extremely difficult for consumers to escape the cy

Life And My Finances • 18th May 2020

How to Help Elderly Parents With Finances (and Tough Conversations)

Money is never an easy subject to discuss with others, especially not your own parents. If you want to help your elderly parents with finances, you’d better be prepared going in. Your parents have raised you and guided you throughout your life. Now, the dynamics may be shifting. They may not be able to handle their finances as they always have, and it becomes your job as their grown child to help them. I’m so thankful that my parents, who are in their seventies, are still healthy. But my broth

Credit Knocks™ - Build and Repair Credit, Save Money on Loans • 26th March 2020

Why Do Credit Scores Drop (And How to Improve A Low Score)

Since your credit score is meant to measure how well you can manage credit, a missed or late payment on a loan causes your score to drop. Even if you only pay one loan a few days late, this will cause a decrease in your credit score. Your credit utilization is how much debt you currently have divided by your total credit limit. • Total debt of $8,000 divided by a credit limit of $16,000 = 50% credit utilization rate • Total debt of $8,000 divided by credit limit of $32,000 = 25% credit utilizat

Life And My Finances • 20th February 2020

Why Slow FI is Better For Me Than FIRE

In the past few years, the FIRE movement has gained momentum and recognition. If you’re not familiar with it, it stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early. But within this community is the “Slow FI” movement, which takes a slightly different approach: focusing on enjoying the journey rather than simply the end goal of retirement. Why Slow FI is Better For Me Than FIRE This ridiculously awesome post was written by our staff writer, Kate Underwood. This post may contain affiliate links. A

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