10 Brilliant Ways to Build Wealth After 40

SAVING & SPENDING
Last updated Oct. 7, 2024 | By FinanceBuzz Editors
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Your 40s (and beyond) is a great time to get serious about building your wealth. There's a good chance your career is taking off and you're earning more money than you ever have before. With upcoming expenses like college and retirement looming, investing smartly and saving money are more important than ever.

Now is the time to make sure you're putting that money to work for you. 

Ohio Driver? Cancel your car insurance

We’ve got bad news. You could be wasting $600 every year on overpriced, second-rate car insurance. And you should probably cancel your existing insurance right now, because there’s something much better.

This new tool from FinanceBuzz can tell you if you’re overpaying for your car insurance in just a few clicks. We match drivers with companies that report saving drivers up to $600 or more per year when they switch! Each driver’s savings will vary by driving history and how many discounts you’re eligible for. And once you try it out, you’ll never have to look for affordable insurance again because we find you the lowest rates that other companies can’t match.

Oh, and it’s also free. And come on — you can’t tell us you don’t want to save up to $600. To find out if you're losing up to $600 or more a year, just answer a few questions, and then make sure to enter your zip, dob, and email, to see if you qualify for a lower rate. It takes less than 2 minutes.

See if you’re overpaying

Pay no interest until 2026

Imagine getting an introductory 15 months with 0% intro APR on a big purchase or balance transfer (APR then 17.74% - 27.74% Variable). Sounds great — right? You could dramatically change your financial picture with one of the industry-leading no-interest cards — the Discover it® Cash Back(Rates and fees).

Cardholders get a generous intro APR of 0% for 15 months on purchases (APR then 17.74% - 27.74% Variable) — that means you can cover bills, large purchases, or whatever you need to charge and not pay interest until 2026! 

If you want to kick high-interest credit card debt to the curb, this is one of the leading get-out-of-debt cards available. Transfer your high interest debt to this card with a 0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers (APR then 17.74% - 27.74% Variable). Your payments can go directly to paying down your balance without incurring a pile of additional charges. That could save you hundreds of dollars in interest!

The best part? The Discover it® Cash Back card is accepted by 99% of merchants, boasts an exceptional cash back rewards rate, and there's no annual fee.

Click here to Apply Now

Get rid of $25,000 in credit card debt

The amount of outstanding debt you have is an important factor in your credit score. If you have a lot of credit card debt or you've been missing payments, it could be negatively impacting your credit score.

Freedom Debt Relief can work with your creditors to reduce credit card debt and get your finances back on track without needing a loan.

You could resolve your credit card debt in as little as 24-48 months with one low monthly payment, even if you don’t have great credit. The sooner you get your debt under control, the sooner you could start to work on improving your credit.

Freedom Debt Relief is America's largest debt company and has settled over $17 billion in debt and served over 1,000,000 clients. Take action now and start working toward a debt free future.

Check eligibility from Freedom Debt Relief

If you’re over 50, take advantage of massive discounts and financial resources

Over 50? Join AARP today — because if you’re not a member you could be missing out on huge perks. When you start your membership today, you can get discounts on things like travel, meal deliveries, eyeglasses, prescriptions that aren’t covered by insurance and more.

How to become a member today:

  • Go here, select your free gift, and click “Join Today” 
  • Create your account (important!) by answering a few simple questions 
  • Start enjoying your discounts and perks!

You’ll also get insider info on social security, job listings, caregiving, and retirement planning. And you’ll get access to AARP’s Fraud Watch Network to help you protect your money, as well as tools to help you plan for retirement.

Important: Start your membership by creating an account here and filling in all of the information (Do not skip this step!) Doing so will allow you to take up 25% off your AARP membership, making it just $12 per year with auto-renewal.

Become an AARP member now

Turn Your Home’s Value into Extra Cash

If you want to pay a large expense now, like a home improvement project or credit card debt, you may have considered using your home equity as leverage to borrow a large sum of money.

But with interest rates rising in recent years, a cash-out refinance or home equity loan may not make financial sense.

Here’s a potential solution: Get a home equity line of credit (HELOC) instead.

Using LendingTree’s simple HELOC matching tool1 (yes, the company from the commercials), you can compare rates and see what works for you.

How a home equity line of credit is different: Your line of credit acts similar to a credit card, where you can withdraw funds when you need them, and you’re only responsible for minimum monthly payments for what’s called the “draw period,” which is usually 10 years. After this borrowing period ends, you pay off the rest of your balance during an extended repayment period, which is usually 20 years.

Plus, as a revolving line of credit, rates are usually variable, so you won’t be locked into a fixed rate if they ever go higher.

To get started:

  1. Check out LendingTree’s HELOC matching tool.
  2. Answer a few questions.
  3. Be matched with personalized offers for you.

Visit LendingTree

Get life insurance and protect your loved ones

Life insurance is not something many of us want to think about, but we all want to protect the ones we love.

Imagine if you were suddenly gone tomorrow: Would your family be able to afford your mortgage? Would your children be forced to quit pursuing a degree or your spouse forced to work longer before retirement?

You may sense it's time to shop for life insurance but haven't yet because it's an intimidating and painful process. Financebuzz has a quick and easy solution.

Just fill in a few details about yourself and Financebuzz instantly connects you with ways to get your quote — allowing you to find an affordable life insurance policy without the headache.

The good news? You can get a free quote online after you answer few simple questions.

If you're concerned about being unprotected going into a certain age, take a few minutes to see policy rates today.

Get a free quote instantly

Earn a $400 bonus with this checking account

We hate to tell you this, really. But if you aren’t banking with Truist Bank, you’re missing out on extra cash. Don’t worry though … it’s easy to fix.

Earn a $400 bonus when you open a new Truist One Checking account online between February 28, 2024 and October 30, 2024 using promo code TRUIST400AFL24. Terms apply.2

Complete the following within 90 days of account opening:

  • Receive at least one qualifying direct deposit of $500 or more.
  • Complete at least 15 qualifying debit card purchases.

This is practically passive income and a great way to supercharge your earnings.

Plus, you can enjoy other benefits like no overdraft fees, a $100 negative balance buffer,3 and automatic upgrades for access to growing perks.

Open your new Truist One Checking account here

Borrow up to $200k to finally crush your debt

If you have multiple credit cards or other outstanding debt, you could be spending a huge amount of money just on interest. With a personal loan you can consolidate all your debt into one, low interest monthly payment.

In just 2 minutes, our partner, Credible will you help you find out if you qualify for a lower rate through their marketplace of lenders. Find the loan that fits your specific needs. If you have excellent credit you can borrow up to $200,000 with APR rates from 6.94%-35.99% (as of Oct. 21, 2024).

Check your rates here

  • You could save up to $600 with some companies
  • Compare dozens of providers in under 5 minutes
  • Fast, free and easy way to shop for insurance
  • Quickly find the perfect rate for you