These are free / low cost products we would recommend to our grandmothers.
Transparency is VERY important at AskFlossie. Please read our affiliate policy and disclosure, and check TrustPilot, the BBB and other third party review sites before giving anyone your dollars.
Investing
AskFlossie doesn’t teach investment strategy, because other women are doing it better!
Amanda Holden’s Invested Development
Amanda is a finance pro who offers GREAT investing education, both free and paid. She aims to make investing education accessible and fun. She’s an expert, but also funny as hell, especially on Instagram @dumpster.doggy.
Insurance Products
Health Insurance
The most important – and expensive – insurance for American Families. Health Insurance is complex, so check out my post on How to Pick Health Insurance for how to choose a plan.
My experience with this is to figure out what kind of plan you want and shop around. We buy directly from Blue Shield, because it’s actually the most affordable.
If you have a lower income, you might get a better deal from the ACA Marketplace, because they have special income-based discounts.
Life Insurance
To paraphrase Tiffany Aliche, “unless you’re Beyonce, you don’t need whole or universal life insurance.” Read my full post on Life Insurance for Women for why.
Group life insurance through your employer is often the cheapest, but you can probably buy inexpensive term life insurance directly. I have used Bestow and have also heard good things about Ladder.
Disability Insurance
Disability Insurance is really important for single moms (check out my post, Is Disability Insurance Worth It?)
Again, group disability is often cheapest through work, but PolicyGenius is a great way to shop for disability insurance directly.
Property Insurance (Car, Homeowners/Renters, Umbrella)
Bundle Bundle Bundle! This is one area where shopping around and buying everything together can save a lot of money. Generally, studies show the cheapest rates are Geico and USAA. I have been with Geico for almost 20 years, and their customer service is so good, I have never price shopped them.
Tax Resources
Free Tax Prep with VITA (The IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance)
The IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax prep, by certified volunteer tax nerds like me. VITA has been helping people for over 50 years. The VITA sites offer free tax help to about half the people in the US.
While “official” the VITA income limit is $58,000, I encourage anyone making under $100k to find the nearest VITA Site. (No one knows your taxable income till we do your tax return, and it’s all relative). Our site doesn’t check income, and has never turned anyone away.
Use the Locator VITA tool.
FreeFile Your Taxes With An IRS Partner
TaxSlayer (affiliate), H&R Block and TurboTax process the most American taxes and all have free options for simple returns. If you’re a homeowner, or self-employed, you can upgrade with any of the big three and your situation will be covered, but otherwise many people can ignore the upgrade prompts.
I use TurboTax for my own taxes and TaxSlayer (affiliate) for VITA clients. Both are great.
Here’s a coupon for 25% off if you need to upgrade your 2022 return at TaxSlayer (affiliate).
Personal Finance Books I Love
Get Good With Money By Tiffany Aliche, The Budgetnista
I am a huge fangirl of Tiffany, because she takes on real topics, but doesn’t go over your head. Her book lays out a path to basic money health, from budgeting and debt to investing and generational wealth. She reads the audiobook, and it’s like getting advice from a girlfriend.
Amazon (affiliate) | Audible (affiliate) | Free Library Ebook | Free Library Audiobook
Finance for the People by Paco De Leon
Chapter One of this book, “Why are we weird about money?” is a great read if you are starting your finance journey. Ultimately, personal finance is mostly personal, and everyone has money baggage. Paco has a lot of experience communicating about money, and this is a great resource for starting on your money issues.
Amazon (affiliate) | Audible (affiliate) | Free Library Ebook | Free Library Audiobook
Smart Women Finish Rich by David Bach
Shoutout to the old school. This guy invented “the latte factor,” which is problematic, but this was huge for me early in my money journey. After 20 years and a million copies, it’s still very highly reviewed, because he modifies the traditional advice for women’s reality, e.g. real talk about why we need a higher savings rate. Take the meat and leave the bones.
Amazon (affiliate) | Audible (affiliate) | Free Library Ebook | Free Library Audiobook
Podcasts
Queer Money Podcast
This is a great resource for everyone! Queer Money helps the LGBTQ+ community understand money and achieve financial success. They get AWESOME guests, and their recommendations are both conservative and smart.
Queer Money Podcast on Spotify | Queer Money on Apple Podcasts