10 Smart Money Moves to Retire

Retire with more by starting with these easy moves

Crush High-Interest Debt First: Debt with double-digit interest rates is like trying to fill a leaky bucket. Pay down credit cards and personal loans aggressively. Every dollar you wipe out in interest is a dollar that can start working for you instead of the bank.

Catch Up Like It’s Your Last Job: Being 50 or older comes with a financial bonus — bigger contribution limits. You can put thousands more into your 401(k) and IRA each year. It’s like a legal cheat code to build your nest egg faster while also lowering your taxable income.

Turn Idle Time Into Income: Your free time has value — especially if you use it to build passive income. Start a side hustle, buy dividend-paying stocks, rent out a space, or sell your expertise online. People who retire early often have more than one stream of income. You can too.

Track Every Dollar (Just for 30 Days): Most people think they know where their money goes — until they write it all down. Do a one-month audit of your spending. You’ll spot patterns, cut waste, and uncover cash you can redirect toward savings or investing. Awareness is the first step to wealth.

Put Your Savings on Autopilot: The easiest way to save more? Stop relying on willpower. Set up automatic transfers into a high-yield savings account or retirement fund. Even small amounts grow fast when they move consistently.

Claim special travel benefits by doing this (see if you're eligible)

If you're someone who loves to travel, the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card(Rates and fees) is the perfect companion for your adventures. New cardholders can enjoy $100 to use on Capital One Travel during your first cardholder year. Plus, earn 20,000 bonus miles once you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening (limited time offer).

But that's not all. When you use the VentureOne card, you can earn 1.25 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day and 5 miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

Redeem miles for flights, hotels, and car rentals, OR statement credits, gift cards, and transfers to over 15 airline or hotel partners! This means that your dream vacation could be closer than you think, thanks to the rewards you earn from everyday purchases! There is also no annual fee and no foreign transaction fee.

So if you're gearing up for your next adventure, the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card(Rates and fees) should be at the top of your wallet.

Annual fee: $0

Purchase and Transfer APR: 18.99% - 28.99% (Variable)

Click here to apply for the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card now

Save potentially $1,000 or more on home insurance in Columbus

Most people don't even think twice about what they pay for home insurance. Huge mistake. Especially if you want more money in retirement. If you live in Columbus and you haven’t checked rates recently, you could save potentially $1,000s.

This tool is actively helping homeowners score huge savings on better home insurance. They bring top insurance providers together to compete for your business, potentially giving you a better deal. This could drive the cost down for you by orders of magnitude.

You could slash the cost of home insurance by tapping into potential discounts and incentives most homeowners probably don’t even know exist.

You might be eligible if you check these 3 boxes:

1. You own your home.
2. You are willing to switch providers to save money.
3. Your ZIP code qualifies.

Complete this short questionnaire to see if you qualify

Learn 7 ways to generate income with a $1,000,000 portfolio

If you have $1,000,000 saved up, this guide is for you. The last thing you want in retirement is to run out of money. Instead, you want your money to generate a real income while you enjoy your life.

Now you can learn the strategies wealthy retirees use to fund their retirement with $1,000,000 — and how you can, too — with this new guide: The Definitive Guide to Retirement Income from Fisher Investments.

Fisher Investments has helped tens of thousands of investors retire comfortably since 1979. With over $332 billion under management, they provide tailored money management to help achieve long-term goals. Download the guide today!

Get your guide here

Take advantage of massive discounts at restaurants and meal delivery companies

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:

• Restaurants (save up to $450 per year!)
• Meal deliveries
• Airfare, Hotels, Cruises and Rental Cars
• Eyeglasses and even prescriptions that aren’t covered by insurance

Plus you’ll also get insider info on social security, job listings, caregiving, and retirement planning.

How to become a member today:

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

Get 25% off your AARP membership, making it just $15 the first year with auto-renewal

Get up to $1,000 in stock when you fund this account

Get up to $1,000 in stock¹ <p class="">Probability of Member receiving $1,000 is a probability of 0.026%; If you don’t make a selection in 45 days, you’ll no longer qualify for the promo. Customer must fund their account with a minimum of $50.00 to qualify. Probability percentage is subject to decrease.</p> <p>The stocks shown are meant to be a representative sample and are not meant to convey a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell.</p> when you open this SoFi® Active Invest² <p><b>INVESTMENTS ARE NOT FDIC INSURED • ARE NOT BANK GUARANTEED •&nbsp;</b><b>MAY LOSE VALUE</b></p><p>Brokerage and Active investing products offered through SoFi Securities LLC, member FINRA(<a href="https://www.finra.org/">www.finra.org</a>)/SIPC(<a href="https://www.sipc.org/">www.sipc.org</a>).</p> account and fund it with at least $50. It’s so easy I can’t believe more people aren’t doing this.

This account is one of the easiest ways to buy and sell stocks and ETFs with no commission.³ <p>Other fees, such as exchange fees, may apply. Please view our fee disclosure to view a full listing of fees. </p> You get access to fractional shares of stocks like Amazon, Netflix, and NVIDIA, letting you own a slice of huge companies for as little as $5.⁴ <p>There are limitations with fractional shares to consider before investing. During market hours fractional share orders are transmitted immediately in the order received. There may be system delays from receipt of your order until execution and market conditions may adversely impact execution prices. Outside of market hours orders are received on a not held basis and will be aggregated for each security then executed in the morning trade window of the next business day at market open. Share will be delivered at an average price received for executing the securities through a single batch order. Fractional shares may not be transferred to another firm. Fractional shares will be sold when a transfer or closure request is initiated. Please consider that selling securities is a taxable event.</p>

How to get up to $1,000 in free stock:

1. Open a SoFi Active Invest account at the link below.
2. Fund your account with at least $50 within 45 days of opening the account (important — don’t skip this step!).
3. That’s it! You’re now eligible to get up to $1,000 in stock.

SoFi Active Invest is one of the top investing platforms on the market with an “Excellent” rating on TrustPilot based on over 9,000 reviews.

Open and fund your account with $50 here for your chance to get up to $1,000 in stock.

Ohio homeowners could access up to $400,000 thanks to this

If you want to renovate your home or consolidate debt before you retire, you could get a loan. But if you own a home in Ohio and have decent equity, you need to see this instead. This popular program lets you tap into up to $400,000 fast, without affecting your mortgage rate or getting into more high interest debt.

Rocket Mortgage is actively helping homeowners use their home’s equity to wipe out toxic high interest debt or finally tackle big home upgrades. Their tool finds your lowest eligible fixed rate and gets you the money you need so you can use it immediately. No hidden fees. No long waits. No hassle.

Slash your interest burden and fix what’s broken without giving up your current mortgage rate.

You might be eligible if you check these 3 boxes:

1. You’ve owned your home for 2+ years.
2. You’ve built some equity.
3. Your credit score is 680 or higher.

See how much cash you can access (no impact to your credit)

See if your credit card debt is eligible for this debt relief program

If you have a lot of credit card debt, getting out of it can feel stressful (and nearly impossible). Here’s the problem: the longer you put off tackling it, the harder it gets to fix. If you don’t take control of it early on, it can add undue stress to your life for years. But what if there was a way to resolve your debt once and for all?

ClearOne Advantage can help.⁵ <p>ClearOne Advantage, LLC is a debt settlement company, not a lender, loan broker, creditor, credit services organization, or debt collector. ClearOne Advantage, LLC does not assume or pay any debts; receive, hold or control funds belonging to consumers; or provide bankruptcy, legal, accounting or tax advice. You should review full program terms and conditions before enrolling. To the extent that any aspect of the debt settlement services relies on or results in the consumer’s failure to make timely payments to the consumer’s creditors or debt collectors, the use of the debt settlement services: (1) Will likely adversely affect the consumer’s creditworthiness; (2) May result in the consumer being subject to collections or being sued by creditors or debt collectors; and (3) May increase the amount of money the consumer owes due to the accrual of fees and interest by creditors or debt collectors. Not available in all states. Some third-party fees may apply. C.P.D. Reg. No. T.S. 12-03822.</p> If you have more than $30,000 in debt from credit cards, medical bills, collections, or personal loans, their representatives may be able to help you resolve your debt for less than you owe — with one low monthly program payment.

Best of all? There are zero upfront fees, and you could be debt-free in 24-48 months. To get started, just answer a few simple questions and get connected with a caring representative. The consultation is completely free and only takes a few minutes to see if you qualify!

See if your $30k+ in credit card debt is eligible for ClearOne Advantage

Get the budgeting app that truly does it all

You think you're doing fine financially. You pay your bills, you save some money, and you're not eating out every meal. But do you really know exactly where your money’s going?

Monarch lets you visualize your spending with intuitive diagrams. Most people are scared to look. But once you see exactly where every dollar goes, you can finally take control.

This powerful all-in-one budgeting app is not only great for tracking, but gives you a true view of all your assets in one place, and our editor Greg loves it.

“I love Monarch Money. It was such an easy way to see where my money was going vs building a budget from scratch. The real value is giving my wife access so we can both follow along together!”

Monarch’s money tools are top-notch, which means they do come with a cost — as low as $8.33/mo. But you can get started today with a 7-day free trial. Plus, for a limited time, get 50% off your first year with code MONARCHVIP.

Try Monarch for free today and get 50% off your first year with code MONARCHVIP

You could be overpaying for your retirement planning

Fees matter. High fees can cut into your returns and affect your overall nest egg. But the ways fees are levied vary. Some are “fee only,” charging a flat rate regardless of usage. Others take a percentage of all assets under management. Some earn commissions directly from mutual funds or other financial products, which presents a significant conflict of interest.

This free matching quiz helps Americans get matched with up to three fiduciary advisors who serve their area so they can compare and decide which advisor to work with.

Paid Non-Client Promotion

FinanceBuzz doesn’t invest its money with this provider, but they are our referral partner. We get paid by them only if you click to them from our website and take a qualifying action (for example, opening an account.)

Ask this company to help you pay off your late tax debt

Past-due tax debt is overwhelming.

It weighs on your mind and causes massive anxiety. You end up emotionally and physically drained. Plus, owing back taxes could affect your Social Security benefits — the IRS can garnish a significant portion of your benefits to satisfy delinquent tax debt.

Alleviate Tax is designed specifically to help you get out of tax debt faster and could reduce some of the debt you owe.

While most tax companies just put you on a payment plan and file your taxes for you, Alleviate Tax talks to the IRS directly. They can help you pay off your tax debt faster while potentially reducing what you owe.

Important: Not everyone will qualify. To take advantage of this special program you must owe more than $10,000 in past-due taxes. If you're ready to make retirement what you always dreamed of and you're ready to get out of debt for good, take a few minutes to see if you're eligible.

Answer a few questions to get started

Set up direct deposit - pocket $300

If you aren't banking with SoFi®, you're missing out on a huge boost of extra cash just by following a few simple steps.

Earn a bonus of $50 or $300⁶ <p>New and existing Checking and Savings members who have not previously enrolled in Direct Deposit with SoFi are eligible to earn a cash bonus of either $50 (with at least $1,000 total Eligible Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period) OR $300 (with at least $5,000 total Eligible Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period). Cash bonus will be based on the total amount of Eligible Direct Deposit. If you have satisfied the Eligible Direct Deposit requirements but have not received a cash bonus in your Checking account, please contact us at 855-456-7634 with the details of your Eligible Direct Deposit. Direct Deposit Promotion begins on 12/7/2023 and will be available through 1/31/2026. Full terms at <a href="https://www.sofi.com/banking/">sofi.com/banking</a>. SoFi Checking and Savings is offered through SoFi Bank, N.A., Member FDIC.</p><p>SoFi members with Eligible Direct Deposit can earn 3.80% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. There is no minimum Eligible Direct Deposit amount required to qualify for the 3.80% APY for savings (including Vaults). Members without Eligible Direct Deposit will earn 1.00% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. Interest rates are variable and subject to change at any time. These rates are current as of 1/24/25. There is no minimum balance requirement.&nbsp;Additional information can be found at <a href="http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet" >http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet</a>.</p> when you open a SoFi Checking and Savings account and make an eligible direct deposit within the first 25 calendar days of the promotional period. Eligible direct deposits totaling $1,000-$4,999 unlock the $50 bonus, and $5,000 or more unlock the $300 bonus.⁶ <p>New and existing Checking and Savings members who have not previously enrolled in Direct Deposit with SoFi are eligible to earn a cash bonus of either $50 (with at least $1,000 total Eligible Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period) OR $300 (with at least $5,000 total Eligible Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period). Cash bonus will be based on the total amount of Eligible Direct Deposit. If you have satisfied the Eligible Direct Deposit requirements but have not received a cash bonus in your Checking account, please contact us at 855-456-7634 with the details of your Eligible Direct Deposit. Direct Deposit Promotion begins on 12/7/2023 and will be available through 1/31/2026. Full terms at <a href="https://www.sofi.com/banking/">sofi.com/banking</a>. SoFi Checking and Savings is offered through SoFi Bank, N.A., Member FDIC.</p><p>SoFi members with Eligible Direct Deposit can earn 3.80% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. There is no minimum Eligible Direct Deposit amount required to qualify for the 3.80% APY for savings (including Vaults). Members without Eligible Direct Deposit will earn 1.00% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. Interest rates are variable and subject to change at any time. These rates are current as of 1/24/25. There is no minimum balance requirement.&nbsp;Additional information can be found at <a href="http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet" >http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet</a>.</p> Easy.

This is practically passive income and a great way to supercharge your earnings. It basically takes no extra work at all other than following the steps above. Plus, your new account could earn up to an insane 4.50% APY⁷ <p>Earn up to 4.50% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) on SoFi Savings with a 0.70% APY Boost (added to the 3.80% APY as of 8/5/25) for up to 6 months. Open a new SoFi Checking & Savings account and enroll in SoFi Plus by 9/3/25. Rates variable, subject to change. Terms apply at <a href="https://www.sofi.com/banking/#2">sofi.com/banking#2</a>. SoFi Bank, N.A. Member FDIC.</p> on savings (3.80% APY standard + 0.70% APY boost for six months) on top of the bonus.

Open your account and earn up to a $300 bonus

Cancel your car insurance

Driving without car insurance is illegal. But if you’ve been driving for decades and you do this, you’re not actually breaking the law.

This tool can help you see if you’re overpaying for car insurance in just a few clicks. You’d be shocked by the difference. $159 per month is what they wanted to charge me. I thought that was the best price, don’t even look anywhere else. Right? Wrong.

I used Insurify and now I’m able to pay just $51 a month for two cars.⁸ <p>Actual savings and coverage options vary based on factors such as driving history, location, and insurer policies. The rates shown in this example may not reflect what every user will qualify for.</p> Too many insurance companies do this. They push up our rates and make us pay even more. But if you want to try this tool and compare and potentially score same-day savings, here’s what to do:

1. Click the link below and enter your zip code, date of birth, and phone number.
2. Answer a few questions about your car’s make and model to get matched with top offers.
3. Choose the best quote for you and lock it in before rates go up.

Compare rates now and see if you could score same-day savings today!

I can hardly believe I waited so long to do this, but I’m glad I finally did. It only took me two minutes. Super fast. You have to trust me on this. Just try it out.

Don’t pay a CENT to contractors for home repairs until you do this

Sounds crazy. And maybe you’re not even sure if this is real. But … you’re probably curious anyway, especially if you want to retire soon. Choice Home Warranty makes it so you might be able to save $100s in home repairs!

They’ve been around since 2008 (so you know they’re legit) and they offer affordable plans to cover appliances and systems in your home that could break down from routine wear and tear.

Think of it like this: Say your air conditioning unit breaks down during a heatwave. Instead of paying $1,500 for repairs, you may only need to pay a $100 service fee with Choice Home Warranty, and their techs come and fix it ASAP. This could save you $1,400 almost instantly!

Choose a plan here and you can still lock in their ultra-low 2024 rates (for a limited time). Then, whenever a covered system in your home breaks down, all you have to do is make your claim online or give them a call. Their team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.⁹ <p>CHW reserves the right to offer cash back in lieu of repair or replacement in the amount of CHW's actual cost (which at times may be less than retail) to repair or replace any covered system, component or appliance. In the event that CHW makes such payment, CHW will provide written notification of the basis for the amount of the payment. First Month Free with purchase of any single payment home warranty plan. The product being offered is a service contract and is separate and distinct from any product or service warranty which may be provided by the home builder or manufacturer.</p>

Choose a plan from Choice Home Warranty here and lock in 2024 rates

P.S. Use the links above and you’ll get $50 off and 1 month free. We don’t know how long this will last, so take advantage of it today before it disappears.

Diversify your hard-earned retirement savings with gold

You’ve spent your whole life building up your retirement savings, but market volatility and inflation could be threatening everything you’ve worked so hard for.

American Hartford Gold is actively helping Americans like you find greater retirement security with precious metal investments. They offer everything from physical ownership to IRAs in gold and silver that have a proven track record during unstable markets.

In fact, from 2005 to 2020, the price of gold increased by 330%. And during the stock market crash of 2008, the value of gold actually increased by 25%.¹⁰ <p>Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Any historical returns, expected returns, or probability projections may not reflect actual future performance. All securities involve risk and may result in significant losses.</p>

Take control of your legacy today in 3 easy steps:

• Request your FREE Gold IRA guide.
• Speak to a dedicated specialist about the best option for you.
• Transfer or invest to better diversify your portfolio.

You're in good hands, as they boast an A+ rating with the BBB, are ranked #1 gold company on the Inc. 5000 list, and are exclusively endorsed by Bill O’Reilly. Take control of your savings and download your FREE Gold IRA Guide to get started.