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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

  • Top Passive Income Ideas

    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

  • PenFed Credit Union Review 2025

    Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PenFed) offers an array of interest-bearing checking and savings products. Anyone can join PenFed, and membership comes with extensive branch and ATM access. However, some of the credit union's accounts charge monthly fees, and you can...
    PenFed Credit Union Review 2025

  • 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

    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

  • 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 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?

  • 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

    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

  • Best Online Checking Accounts Of 2025

    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 2025

  • Robinhood Review

    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

  • 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

    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

  • Understanding The Yield Curve

    A yield curve is a tool that helps you understand bond markets, interest rates and the health of the U.S. economy as a whole. With a yield curve, you can easily visualize and compare how much investors are earning from...
    Understanding The Yield Curve

  • Looking For Fee-Free Notary Services? Visit Your Bank

    Getting a document notarized is a universally accepted method for ensuring its authenticity. The process of notarization requires you to sign the document in the presence of a notary public, a public official appointed by the state government to be...
    Looking For Fee-Free Notary Services? Visit Your Bank

  • IBAN Vs. SWIFT Code: Understanding International Funds Transfer Options

    A financial transfer between banks in two different countries would be a logistical nightmare if there weren’t a standardized method for identifying both the sending and receiving bank accounts. There are two such standardized methods: the International Bank Account Number...
    IBAN Vs. SWIFT Code: Understanding International Funds Transfer Options

  • Gemini Review

    Gemini is a beginner-friendly crypto exchange that’s well regarded for security, as it’s never been hacked. In addition, Gemini is one of the few leading exchanges that is available in all U.S. states. This includes New York, a frequent omission...
    Gemini Review

  • Joint Bank Accounts During A Breakup: What You Should Know

    Joint bank accounts can be a convenient way to share expenses with a significant other. By pooling your finances into a joint checking or savings account, you can simplify your shared finances and work together toward mutual goals. But what...
    Joint Bank Accounts During A Breakup: What You Should Know

  • 6 Ways to Increase Your Social Security Benefits

    Maximizing your Social Security benefits is one way to build your retirement paycheck. Unlike investment portfolios, annuities or pensions, Social Security is the only retirement income that is guaranteed for life and backed by the full faith and credit of...
    6 Ways to Increase Your Social Security Benefits

  • DollarSavingsDirect Review 2025

    DollarSavingsDirect is an online-only division of Emigrant Bank, an institution founded in 1850 by Irish emigrants as a mutual savings bank. Emigrant Bank currently holds $6.4 billion in assets, according to the FDIC. As an online-only savings bank, DollarSavingsDirect can...
    DollarSavingsDirect Review 2025

  • Heritage Bank Review 2025

    If you’re hunting for an interest-bearing checking account, the earns an impressive —as long as you satisfy the relatively simple requirements. But Heritage’s rates on savings aren’t quite as competitive unless you’re prepared to make a hefty deposit. Heritage Bank,...
    Heritage Bank Review 2025

  • What Is A Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI)?

    While the typical bank may be able to promise your money will do well under its stewardship, few commercial options promise your money will do good, as well. That’s where community development financial institutions (CDFIs) come in. A CDFI is...
    What Is A Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI)?

  • What Is A Money Order And How Does It Work?

    The humble money order may seem quaint in a world full of digital payment options. With the ability to send and receive money via an app or pay with a mobile wallet or contactless credit card, when would you ever...
    What Is A Money Order And How Does It Work?

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.