<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>PlanPenny</title><link>https://planpenny.com/</link><description>Personal finance, insurance and budgeting — clear, unbiased, no hype.</description><language>en</language><item><title>Move Stocks to a New Brokerage Without Selling: ACATS Steps</title><link>https://planpenny.com/move-stocks-to-a-new-brokerage-without-selling-acats-steps-20914</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://planpenny.com/move-stocks-to-a-new-brokerage-without-selling-acats-steps-20914</guid><description>Move your stocks to a new brokerage in kind, with no sale needed. Here is the step-by-step ACATS process, the fees to expect and the traps to avoid.</description><pubDate>Sat, 03 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Close an Old Credit Card Without Wrecking Your Credit Score</title><link>https://planpenny.com/close-an-old-credit-card-without-wrecking-your-credit-score-613aa</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://planpenny.com/close-an-old-credit-card-without-wrecking-your-credit-score-613aa</guid><description>Thinking of closing an old credit card? See exactly how utilization and account age change your score, which card to close first, and the steps to take.</description><pubDate>Sat, 03 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Insurance Policy Lapse: What Happens and How to Get Covered</title><link>https://planpenny.com/insurance-policy-lapse-what-happens-and-how-to-get-covered-e4067</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://planpenny.com/insurance-policy-lapse-what-happens-and-how-to-get-covered-e4067</guid><description>Missed a payment or a renewal? Learn what a policy lapse means for car, health, home and life insurance, and the steps to restore coverage fast.</description><pubDate>Sat, 03 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Accumulating vs Distributing Index Funds: Which to Pick</title><link>https://planpenny.com/accumulating-vs-distributing-index-funds-which-to-pick-3f2b4</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://planpenny.com/accumulating-vs-distributing-index-funds-which-to-pick-3f2b4</guid><description>Accumulating funds reinvest dividends, distributing funds pay them out. See the real difference, tax traps, and a 5-step way to choose as a beginner.</description><pubDate>Sat, 03 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Rebuild an Emergency Fund After a Setback: 6 Simple Steps</title><link>https://planpenny.com/rebuild-an-emergency-fund-after-a-setback-6-simple-steps-e7111</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://planpenny.com/rebuild-an-emergency-fund-after-a-setback-6-simple-steps-e7111</guid><description>Lost your savings to a job loss or big bill? Rebuild your emergency fund with small goals, a bare-bones budget and automatic transfers, one step at a time.</description><pubDate>Sat, 03 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Credit Card Payments After a Job Loss: A 7-Step Plan</title><link>https://planpenny.com/credit-card-payments-after-a-job-loss-a-7-step-plan-760af</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://planpenny.com/credit-card-payments-after-a-job-loss-a-7-step-plan-760af</guid><description>Lost your job and worried about credit card bills? Learn what to pay first, how to ask for a hardship plan and which traps to avoid while job hunting.</description><pubDate>Sat, 03 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Will Switching Life Insurance Policies Lower Your Payout?</title><link>https://planpenny.com/will-switching-life-insurance-policies-lower-your-payout-502ab</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://planpenny.com/will-switching-life-insurance-policies-lower-your-payout-502ab</guid><description>Switching life insurance can shrink or delay your death benefit. See the contestability trap, the safe order of steps, and a checklist to compare.</description><pubDate>Fri, 02 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>How to Calculate Your Savings Rate Without Retirement</title><link>https://planpenny.com/how-to-calculate-your-savings-rate-without-retirement-00e2b</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://planpenny.com/how-to-calculate-your-savings-rate-without-retirement-00e2b</guid><description>Learn the simple formula for your savings rate when 401(k) and IRA money is left out, with a worked example, a tracking table and common mistakes to avoid.</description><pubDate>Fri, 02 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>How to Calculate Dividend Yield on Index Funds, Step by Step</title><link>https://planpenny.com/how-to-calculate-dividend-yield-on-index-funds-step-by-step-4b229</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://planpenny.com/how-to-calculate-dividend-yield-on-index-funds-step-by-step-4b229</guid><description>Learn the dividend yield formula for index funds, where to find the numbers, how SEC yield differs from other yields, and how dividends are taxed.</description><pubDate>Fri, 02 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>401(k) Loan for Credit Card Debt: Real Costs and Risks</title><link>https://planpenny.com/401k-loan-for-credit-card-debt-real-costs-and-risks-91c91</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://planpenny.com/401k-loan-for-credit-card-debt-real-costs-and-risks-91c91</guid><description>Thinking of a 401(k) loan to pay off credit cards? See the real math, the three ways it can go wrong, and safer options to try before you borrow.</description><pubDate>Fri, 02 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Orçamento com renda variável: monte o primeiro em 5 passos</title><link>https://planpenny.com/orcamento-com-renda-variavel-monte-o-primeiro-em-5-passos-9d917</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://planpenny.com/orcamento-com-renda-variavel-monte-o-primeiro-em-5-passos-9d917</guid><description>Renda muda todo mês? Veja como montar um orçamento usando seu mês mais fraco como base, com exemplo em números, tabela e um fundo de segurança.</description><pubDate>Fri, 02 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Does Inflation Shrink Your Emergency Fund? How to Fix It</title><link>https://planpenny.com/does-inflation-shrink-your-emergency-fund-how-to-fix-it-197a7</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://planpenny.com/does-inflation-shrink-your-emergency-fund-how-to-fix-it-197a7</guid><description>Rising prices make your savings cover fewer weeks of bills. Learn how to recalculate your target, where to keep it, and how to top it up step by step.</description><pubDate>Fri, 02 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Medical Debt Payoff Plan That Protects Your Credit Score</title><link>https://planpenny.com/medical-debt-payoff-plan-that-protects-your-credit-score-e0f5d</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://planpenny.com/medical-debt-payoff-plan-that-protects-your-credit-score-e0f5d</guid><description>Pay medical bills without hurting your credit or emptying savings: check for errors, ask for financial help, and set up a 0% plan. Phone scripts inside.</description><pubDate>Fri, 02 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Invest $100 a Month in Index Funds: A Stress-Free Setup</title><link>https://planpenny.com/invest-100-a-month-in-index-funds-a-stress-free-setup-00a04</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://planpenny.com/invest-100-a-month-in-index-funds-a-stress-free-setup-00a04</guid><description>Set up a $100 monthly index fund plan in under an hour: account type, which fund to pick, automatic investing, and how to stay calm when the market drops.</description><pubDate>Fri, 02 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>How to Cut $500 a Month Without Quitting What You Love</title><link>https://planpenny.com/how-to-cut-500-a-month-without-quitting-what-you-love-c065b</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://planpenny.com/how-to-cut-500-a-month-without-quitting-what-you-love-c065b</guid><description>Find $500 a month in your budget without giving up your favorite habits: a 7-day spending audit, the bills to call first, and a worksheet you can copy.</description><pubDate>Fri, 02 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>What Savings Rate Do You Need for Retirement at Age 30?</title><link>https://planpenny.com/what-savings-rate-do-you-need-for-retirement-at-age-30-b35f7</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://planpenny.com/what-savings-rate-do-you-need-for-retirement-at-age-30-b35f7</guid><description>Work out your own retirement savings rate at 30 in 6 steps: spending gap, 25x target, growth factor and employer match. Worked example and age table.</description><pubDate>Thu, 01 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Emergency Fund or Debt First? How to Do Both on a Budget</title><link>https://planpenny.com/emergency-fund-or-debt-first-how-to-do-both-on-a-budget-d2dbe</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://planpenny.com/emergency-fund-or-debt-first-how-to-do-both-on-a-budget-d2dbe</guid><description>Paying off high-interest debt with no cushion? Build a small starter fund first, attack the highest-rate debt, then grow savings. See the math and plan.</description><pubDate>Thu, 01 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Changing Careers With Credit Card Debt and Zero Savings</title><link>https://planpenny.com/changing-careers-with-credit-card-debt-and-zero-savings-434e7</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://planpenny.com/changing-careers-with-credit-card-debt-and-zero-savings-434e7</guid><description>Switching careers with card debt and no savings? Protect your credit, cut costs, ask for hardship help and build bridge income. A step-by-step plan.</description><pubDate>Thu, 01 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Irregular Income Budget: Pay Every Bill on Lean Months</title><link>https://planpenny.com/irregular-income-budget-pay-every-bill-on-lean-months-7f309</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://planpenny.com/irregular-income-budget-pay-every-bill-on-lean-months-7f309</guid><description>Paid differently every month? Use this simple system to turn uneven income into a steady salary so rent and bills get paid even in slow months.</description><pubDate>Thu, 01 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Does a Higher Deductible Really Lower Your Car Insurance?</title><link>https://planpenny.com/does-a-higher-deductible-really-lower-your-car-insurance-97109</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://planpenny.com/does-a-higher-deductible-really-lower-your-car-insurance-97109</guid><description>Raised your deductible and your premium barely moved? Here&#x27;s why liability ignores it, plus a simple break-even test to see if $1,000 is worth it for you.</description><pubDate>Thu, 01 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item></channel></rss>