Nearly three years into BudgetDog Academy, Gayle sat down to run her balance sheet after one of the most demanding personal and financial seasons of her life. The number she saw told a clear story: her net worth is up $385,000 since she started the program. That result did not happen because things were easy.Continue reading “$385,000 in Net Worth Growth: Gayle’s Financial Progress Through Life’s Biggest Changes”
Tag Archives: Investing
Advanced Investing Questions Answered — Roth IRA Rules, Tax Loss Harvesting, and More
This week’s BudgetDog Academy open Q&A went deep. Students brought advanced investing questions covering tax strategy, retirement account mechanics, employer equity compensation, and the ongoing debate between paying off debt and investing. Here is a thorough breakdown of every topic covered. Vanguard Cash Drag Cash drag happens when money sits uninvested inside a brokerage account,Continue reading “Advanced Investing Questions Answered — Roth IRA Rules, Tax Loss Harvesting, and More”
Your Biggest Investing and Planning Questions Answered — BudgetDog Student Q&A Recap
Every week inside BudgetDog Academy, students bring their real questions to an open Q&A session. These are not hypothetical scenarios — they are the actual investing and financial planning questions people are working through right now, with real money and real stakes. This week’s session covered a wide range of topics. Whether you are justContinue reading “Your Biggest Investing and Planning Questions Answered — BudgetDog Student Q&A Recap”
Four Weeks In, Laura and Brady Have Already Saved Over $10,000
Laura and Brady did not need years inside a financial program to start seeing results. They needed four weeks, the right tools, and a framework that gave them something they had not had before — a clear direction. In their first month inside BudgetDog Academy, they contributed over $10,000 toward their Phase 1 goal ofContinue reading “Four Weeks In, Laura and Brady Have Already Saved Over $10,000”
Emergency Fund vs. Investing, Backdoor Roth Walkthroughs, and Hidden 401(k) Fees — Your Q&A Answered
Every week inside BudgetDog Academy’s Coach’s Circle, students bring their real financial questions to an open Q&A. These are not hypothetical scenarios — they are the specific decisions people are working through in real time. This week covered a wide range of topics: emergency funds versus investing, margin investing risks, backdoor Roth IRA mechanics, hiddenContinue reading “Emergency Fund vs. Investing, Backdoor Roth Walkthroughs, and Hidden 401(k) Fees — Your Q&A Answered”
25 Rules of Thumb for Personal Finance Every Adult Should Know
Good financial decisions do not always require a spreadsheet. Sometimes you need a fast, reliable benchmark — a rule of thumb that tells you whether a decision is in the right range before you dig into the details. BudgetDog Academy students use these benchmarks constantly. They apply to housing, debt, cars, investing, retirement, and everydayContinue reading “25 Rules of Thumb for Personal Finance Every Adult Should Know”
BudgetDog’s Brennan Schlagbaum Featured in Good Financial Cents on Passive Income Taxation
Budgetdog founder Brennan Schlagbaum was recently featured in a Good Financial Cents article examining how passive income is taxed — a topic that sits at the intersection of two things most people misunderstand simultaneously: how passive income actually works, and what the IRS does with it. The piece, published at goodfinancialcents.com, walks through the taxContinue reading “BudgetDog’s Brennan Schlagbaum Featured in Good Financial Cents on Passive Income Taxation”
From $22K to $100K Invested in 5 Months: How Heather Changed Her Financial Life Without a Financial Advisor
When Heather joined Budgetdog Academy in December 2025, she had $22,000 spread across all of her accounts, no budget in place, and had never once sat down to build a balance sheet. She was paying a financial advisor but had no real visibility into what was happening with her money. Five months later, the numbersContinue reading “From $22K to $100K Invested in 5 Months: How Heather Changed Her Financial Life Without a Financial Advisor”
Don’t Lose Another Year of Opportunity!
In just a few short days, we will turn the calendar page to a whole new year. It will be 2023. Just as we have new opportunities each day for a fresh start and a new beginning to expunge anything that may have taken us off our game a bit whether that is overspending, overeating, or overindulging in any area, we also have a fantastic opportunity to embark on a new year filled with ample opportunities, dreams, and goals. Now, Take a step back and think about the past year. What was good and what are the areas where improvements can be and should be made?
The BEST Investment Account That Only 9.6% of People Have
Medical items and bills can actually be something we can use as a huge tax saving. How? It is an often misunderstood and little utilized account called an HSA which stands for a Health Savings Account. A beauty of the HSA is that there is a triple tax advantage. This works because the money goes in tax-free as pretax income, this money grows tax free, and the money comes out tax free. HSAs are the only account that has pretax contributions AND tax free withdrawals, but you must have qualifying medical expenses.