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Emily Guy Birken

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About

Emily Guy Birken is a former educator, lifelong money nerd, and a Plutus Award-winning freelance writer who specializes in the scientific research behind irrational money behaviors. Her background in education allows her to make complex financial topics relatable and easily understood by the layperson. She is the author of four books, including End Financial Stress Now and The Five Years Before You Retire.

  • 401(k) Early Withdrawal: Pros & Cons Of Tapping Your Retirement Accounts

    Taking an early withdrawal from a 401(k) retirement account before age 59½ could have steep financial penalties. Sometimes those consequences might be worth it—and they may even be entirely avoidable. Here’s how to decide if a 401(k) early withdrawal is...
    401(k) Early Withdrawal: Pros & Cons Of Tapping Your Retirement Accounts

  • How Married Couples Can Save For Retirement With A Spousal IRA

    Generally, you can’t contribute to an individual retirement account (IRA) unless you earn an income in a given year. The spousal IRA, however, is an exception to this rule, allowing each spouse in a couple to contribute up to the...
    How Married Couples Can Save For Retirement With A Spousal IRA

  • Understanding Bond Rating Agencies

    Bond rating agencies help you understand the risks of investing in bonds. These private companies assess the creditworthiness of bonds and the companies or governments that issue them. What Are Bond Rating Agencies? Bond rating agencies work somewhat like credit...
    Understanding Bond Rating Agencies

  • Top Passive Income Ideas For 2024

    Making money in your sleep is the ultimate dream for hands-off investors. Finding the best sources of passive income may allow you to do just that. What Is Passive Income? Passive income is money you can earn without too much...
    Top Passive Income Ideas For 2024

  • Bittrex Review 2024

    Note: After closing U.S. operations on April 30, 2023, Seattle-based Bittrex filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on May 8, 2023. The company said it still has in its possession assets of customers who did not withdraw their funds by the...
    Bittrex Review 2024

  • PenFed Credit Union Review 2024

    Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PenFed) was established in 1935 and is now the second-largest credit union in the nation. As of June 2022, PenFed serves more than 2.8 million consumers worldwide with over $36 billion in assets. Though membership was...
    PenFed Credit Union Review 2024

  • Social Security Full Retirement Age

    Full retirement age—also called normal retirement age—is the age when Americans receive full Social Security benefits. Your full retirement age varies depending on the year you were born. Contrast this with the so-called early retirement age of 62, when people...
    Social Security Full Retirement Age

  • How To Buy NVIDIA Stock (NVDA)

    Even if its name is somewhat unfamiliar, chances are you’ve used NVIDIA’s products in a gaming console or a personal computer. Today, NVIDIA dominates the market for graphics processing units, and in the future it’s products could form the backbone...
    How To Buy NVIDIA Stock (NVDA)

  • Kraken Review 2024

    Launched just two years after Bitcoin (BTC), Kraken is one of the most established crypto exchanges on the market. While the oldest isn’t always synonymous with the best, Kraken offers a platform with top-notch security with more than 200 coins...
    Kraken Review 2024

  • How Much Social Security Will I Get?

    Since its inception in 1935, Social Security has been a key source of retirement income for older Americans. Despite the program’s enduring popularity, many potential beneficiaries have no idea how much money they can count on from Social Security once...
    How Much Social Security Will I Get?

  • When Should You Start Taking Social Security?

    Determining the best time to begin receiving Social Security benefits is a complex decision. You might have heard you’re supposed to wait until at least full retirement age, but that advice doesn’t work for everyone. Countless factors, like your own...
    When Should You Start Taking Social Security?

  • Your Complete Guide To Direct Deposit

    Over the past 20 years, direct deposit has gone from being a perk to the default for most workers. But just because direct deposit is ubiquitous doesn’t mean everyone knows all the ins and outs of this payment method. So...
    Your Complete Guide To Direct Deposit

  • Return On Investment (ROI)

    Return on investment (ROI) is a metric used to understand the profitability of an investment. ROI compares how much you paid for an investment to how much you earned to evaluate its efficiency. Let's take a look at how it's...
    Return On Investment (ROI)

  • Bad Advice From Financial Advisors

    How do you know that your financial advisor’s advice is in your best interest? While many advisors are fiduciaries required to put your financial interests first, that doesn’t always protect you from inappropriate, outdated or just plain bad advice. Whenever...
    Bad Advice From Financial Advisors

  • The Russell 3000 Index

    The Russell 3000 stock market index tracks the shares of the largest 3,000 publicly traded companies in the United States. Managed by the U.K.-based FTSE Russell Group, the Russell 3000 also serves as the basis for its component Russell 1000...
    The Russell 3000 Index

  • The Russell 2000 Index

    The Russell 2000 is a stock market index that tracks the performance of 2,000 small-cap U.S. public companies. Managed by the U.K.-based FTSE Russell Group, the Russell 2,000 is a subset of the Russell 3000 index. What Is the Russell...
    The Russell 2000 Index

  • The Russell 1000 Index

    The Russell 1000 tracks the performance of the 1,000 largest public companies in the U.S. Managed by the U.K.-based FTSE Russell Group, the Russell 1000 is a subset of the Russell 3000 index. What Is the Russell 1000 Index? The...
    The Russell 1000 Index

  • Do You Need A Business Checking Account?

    Business checking accounts are an essential tool and typically a requirement for any business operated as a separate legal entity from the owner. But in the modern world where side hustles, gigs and multiple income streams are common, the question...
    Do You Need A Business Checking Account?

  • Gate.io Review 2024

    Gate.io supports just about the biggest selection of crypto assets of any cryptocurrency exchange, currently more than 1,400 coins. Unfortunately, due to recent changes in the regulatory environment in the U.S., Gate.io is no longer providing any services at all...
    Gate.io Review 2024

  • What Are The Different Types Of Stock?

    Stocks are the basic building blocks of investing. Whether you’re planning to buy individual stocks or invest in mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that own the shares of many companies, here’s what you need to know about the different...
    What Are The Different Types Of Stock?

  • Vanguard Online Brokerage Review 2024

    Founded almost 50 years ago, Vanguard was a pioneer of the passive investing revolution. Today, Vanguard’s online brokerage remains a good option for slow-and-steady, buy-and-hold investing. That said, the Vanguard platform has quirks that set it apart from many competitors—and...
    Vanguard Online Brokerage Review 2024

  • KuCoin Review 2024

    KuCoin’s rich feature set and low fees could make it a compelling choice for advanced crypto investors, particularly outside the U.S. Unfortunately, KuCoin is not licensed to operate in the U.S., although the site can still be accessed for various...
    KuCoin Review 2024

  • Best Checking Accounts For Customer Experience Of May 2024

    Don’t underestimate the difference that a great customer experience can make in your daily banking life. Knowing you can count on excellent and easy-to-use channels for communication—as well as convenient customer service access and well-designed online portals and mobile apps—can...
    Best Checking Accounts For Customer Experience Of May 2024

  • Best No-Fee Checking Accounts Of May 2024

    A fee-free checking account is a common banking promise, but few financial institutions truly offer accounts with no fees. When banks and credit unions refer to an account as "fee-free," they typically mean it has no monthly maintenance fee. To...
    Best No-Fee Checking Accounts Of May 2024

  • Best Online Checking Accounts Of May 2024

    Banking customers in the 21st century expect to be able to handle bill pay, funds transfers and other transactions both online and via a mobile app. So the checking accounts with the best digital banking experience must have efficient, intuitive,...
    Best Online Checking Accounts Of May 2024

  • The Great Resignation And Your Retirement

    With nearly 4.2 million people quitting their jobs in October 2021 alone, the so-called Great Resignation is well underway. American workers are re-evaluating how they want to spend their working lives as they navigate a once-in-a-generation pandemic. “We have all...
    The Great Resignation And Your Retirement

  • Robinhood Review 2024

    Robinhood has become one of the most popular brokerages in the U.S., thanks largely to its easy-to-use trading app that can make investing appear very simple. For some investors, this makes it a good choice—but there are reasons to be...
    Robinhood Review 2024

  • Understanding Return On Assets (ROA)

    Return on assets (ROA) is a measure of how efficiently a company uses the assets it owns to generate profits. Managers, analysts and investors use ROA to evaluate a company’s financial health. Return on Assets: What Is ROA? Return on...
    Understanding Return On Assets (ROA)

  • Webull Review 2024

    Webull is a mobile-first brokerage platform that offers a unique community-driven experience. Its very well-designed mobile app prioritizes ease of use, helping beginners jump right into the world of investing. However, learning on Webull’s platform is held back by comparatively...
    Webull Review 2024

  • bitFlyer Review 2024

    Founded in Japan in 2014, bitFlyer offers a very short menu of coins—just five in total—at industry-low trading prices. It’s this focus on doing just a few things extremely well that has led bitFlyer to become one of the largest...
    bitFlyer Review 2024

About

Emily Guy Birken is a former educator, lifelong money nerd, and a Plutus Award-winning freelance writer who specializes in the scientific research behind irrational money behaviors. Her background in education allows her to make complex financial topics relatable and easily understood by the layperson. She is the author of four books, including End Financial Stress Now and The Five Years Before You Retire.