As I’m writing this, it’s two years to the day since I saved my first $100,000 at 25 years old. This goal, of course, is what helped me launch my business, Her First $100K, where I teach others how to negotiate, save, spend, invest, and overall better manage their finances.
It’s been a wild ride from the very beginning, and now being two years past my milestone savings goal, I’m staying the course and continuing to invest and work towards my next major goals. Just two years after that day, I’m now on track to be able to retire early (I absolutely will not, but could if I wanted to), and I am continuing to use my platform to educate and advocate for women everywhere.
Personal Capital was and continues to be one of my favorite tools I utilize as I continue on my wealth-building journey. From its free tools to accessible content, here’s how I use Personal Capital to accomplish my goals and build my financial future.
Managing the big picture
When I was working towards my first $100K, I checked my Personal Capital account religiously. I loved the ability to see multiple accounts, including my investments, car loans, savings, and more. Even though all of these accounts were across multiple banks, Personal Capital allowed me to view them all in one place. No hand calculating, no wondering –– all the info I could ever need right in my dashboard.
Their projection tools helped me build a plan for making sure I hit that $100,000 savings goal on time. I initially said that as long as I hit my $100K sometime during my 25th year, it would count. Using Personal Capital’s projections calculators, I knew exactly what I needed to do in those final months to make sure that happened –– and at 25 years and three months, I did!
Advice from diverse perspectives
As a contributor to Daily Capital, I love sharing what I’ve learned during this journey. I share everything from my take on investing to how to negotiate your salary, and of course, how to save for your own $100,000. Writing has been a blast, but I also love reading articles from the other incredible contributors here.
One of the best pieces of financial wisdom I can give is that personal finance is personal. You might read one of my articles and say, “no thanks –– not for me!” and that’s 100% fine. Daily Capital has so many diverse perspectives from authors of all demographics. You won’t go wrong searching through articles on topics you’d most like to learn about –– managing family finances, love and money, investing, retirement, and tons more on personal finance topics.
Always coming up with new tools
One of the great things about working with the Personal Capital team is learning about their continuous evolution and introduction of new tools to help you manage your finances. They’ve built out countless calculators, budget managers, projection tools, and more. They even have an education planner to help you navigate the cost of education for yourself or children down the road.
There are many more tools to check out, and Personal Capital continues to add and innovate their already incredible platform.
Security matters
Tech is moving faster than ever, and with innovation comes more risk for user safety and security. I take my financial security incredibly seriously, and I love that Personal Capital does, too. Their website’s encryption is rated A by the world-renowned Qualys SSL Labs, a stronger rating than most major banks or brokerages –– so I know my information is safe.
It might make you anxious to upload all of your account information in one place, but knowing Personal Capital takes the security of your personal information so seriously helps me breathe a little easier.
Another perk of having all my accounts in one place? It keeps me ahead of the game on fraud or accidental charges. I know so much sooner if I’ve been charged incorrectly or even if a subscription I meant to cancel didn’t go through. I save hundreds a year just by checking my statements monthly –– easy peasy with the Personal Capital dashboard. No more logging into seven different accounts just to have my monthly money date.
Personal Capital has changed my financial game for the better, and its tools are so accessible for anyone at any level of personal finance. I can’t wait to see what they do next.
Get Started with Personal Capital’s Free Financial Tools
Personal Capital compensates Tori Dunlap of Her First $100k (“Author”) for providing the content contained in this article. Compensation not to exceed $500. Author is not a client of Personal Capital Advisors Corporation. Additionally, in a separate referral arrangement between Author and Personal Capital Corporation (“PCC”), Author is paid $70 and $150 for each person who uses Author’s webpage (www.HerFirst100k.com) to register with Personal Capital and links at least $100,000 in investable assets to Personal Capital’s Free Financial Dashboard. As a result of these arrangements, Author may financially benefit from referring potential clients to Personal Capital and/or be incentivized to present blog content that is favorable to PCC. No fees or other amounts will be charged to investors by Author or Personal Capital as a result of the Referral Arrangement. Investors that are referred to PCC and subsequently subscribe for investment advisory services provided by PCC’s affiliated adviser, Personal Capital Advisors Corporation (“PCAC”) will not pay increased management fees or other similar compensation to Author, PCC or PCAC as a result of this arrangement. The content contained in this blog post is intended for general informational purposes only and is not meant to constitute legal, tax, accounting or investment advice. You should consult a qualified legal or tax professional regarding your specific situation. Keep in mind that investing involves risk. The value of your investment will fluctuate over time and you may gain or lose money.
