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When I was in sixth grade, I remember volunteering to help Kindergartners complete a class project.

As luck would have it, the local newspaper was there and I, along with two others, had my photo captured for the world to see!

If you had asked, I’d have told you that was probably the last time I’d ever be in the paper. 🙂

Fortunately, I was wrong. In the nearly fifteen years I have been writing about personal finance, I would have to honor of appearing in esteemed publications like The New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, Entrepreneur, The Motley Fool, and many others. A partial listing is included below and is not in chronological order.

If you would like to reach me, please send me an email. I am located between Washington D.C. and Baltimore, MD.

Table of Contents
  1. Most Recent Features
  2. Featured In…
  3. Podcast & Video
  4. Awards & Nominations

Most Recent Features

U.S. News & World Reports – Viral videos of people stealing money from Chase ATMs were just plain check fraud

Published October 21, 2024

“For many Americans who live paycheck to paycheck, knowing when your various bills are due is very important if you want to avoid late payments and penalties,” Jim Wang, a Maryland-based investor who founded Best Wallet Hacks, said in an email.

[…]

Trim unnecessary expenses: “As you review and record the date of your expenses, it might be a good time to review whether you should have those expenses in the first place. Maybe you’re paying for a cable TV service you never watch or a gym membership you don’t use anymore,” Wang said.

CNN – Viral videos of people stealing money from Chase ATMs were just plain check fraud

Published September 3, 2024

One video shows participants throwing dollar bills in the air with glee, while other posts showed negative balances in their Chase accounts after trying the “hack.” But that was the bank putting holds on their accounts or deducting the stolen cash from their accounts, according to Jim Wang, a financial educator.

“The people that were doing this were seeing big holes in their accounts or huge negative balances,” Wang said on Instagram. “Bank errors in your favor are almost never in your favor. In the case of this ‘glitch,’ it was just check fraud.”

His advice? “It’s not your money, and when they figure it out, they will want it back. Do not spend it, do not move it, just leave it alone and tell the bank,” Wang said.

New York Post – TikTokkers are trying to exploit a Chase Bank ‘glitch’ — and discovering it comes at a huge cost

Published September 1, 2024

Jim Wang, a financial educator, explained the trouble with “Chase Bank glitch” mania — and warned that those who “took advantage” of the issue will face serious consequences.

“So what people discovered over the last few days was that Chase was having problems with their ATMs. They were able to deposit checks and get the balances and were able to withdraw them,” Wang said.

“Chase was pretty on top of it, within a day it was all fixed and the people that were doing this were seeing big holds in their accounts or huge negative balances.”

Wang continued: “In the case of this ‘glitch,’ it was just check fraud. You’re going to get in huge trouble if you do something like this.”

GoBankingRates – Best Buys at Walgreens in August

Published August 11, 2024

“If you’re willing to do a little digging, they have some great sales on back-to-school products in August,” said Jim Wang, money expert and found of personal finance website Wallet Hacks. “They have a $5 in-store reward when you spend $20+ on back-to-school products.” Select art supplies are also 25% off. Here are some of the top deals that Wang recommends:

Vox – I retired in my home country and moved to the United States. What now?

Published July 12, 2024

I also had a conversation with Jim Wang, owner of WalletHacks, who I consider a go-to resource for these kinds of questions. “I did research into this topic when I was helping my parents as they started collecting Social Security benefits,” Wang explained. “The Social Security Administration, on their website, states that they only include wages from your job, net profit from self-employment, bonuses, commissions, and vacation pay. They don’t count pensions, annuities, investment income, interest, veterans benefits, or other government or military retirement benefits.”

GoBankingRates – I Grew Up Middle Class: Here’s How I Broke My Worst Money Habits as an Adult

Published June 15, 2024

While DIY projects can save money, they can also lead to costly mistakes and wasted time. Jim Wang, Founder of WalletHacks, grew up in a middle-class family that was super frugal and preferred to DIY everything instead of hiring out. 

“My dad had a white-collar job at a national lab, but we were always saving up money to fly to Taiwan so we often tried to save as much as possible,” said Wang. “As an adult though, I’ve learned that it’s sometimes better to get a professional to do certain things as this saves time and can provide better quality.”

GoBankingRates – Grant Cardone Has a Multimillion-Dollar Art Collection — Should You Invest in Art Too?

Published June 14, 2024

One investor who decided to invest via fractionalized ownership with Masterworks — which offers fractional ownership of art — is Jim Wang, founder of WalletHacks.com.  

Wang said he has $60,000 in two Banksy pieces, two Basquiat pieces, a Keith Haring piece and a Gerhard Richter piece. “Based on their secondary market sales on Masterworks, it’s an ‘on paper’ return of 6.6% total over these three years, so not great!”

For him, the pros of investing in art include that as there is no open market, you don’t get updates on price — in turn, your emotions don’t influence your actions.

GoBankingRates – I’m a Frugal Self-Made Millionaire: 6 Things I Never Waste Money On

Published June 1, 2024

“I never waste money on a financial advisor that charges an asset under management fee,” said Jim Wang, Founder of Wallet Hacks.

Wang was working with a financial advisor who charged $4,000 per year. After five years, he paid $20,000 in management fees.

“The biggest benefit was having someone look over our portfolio and give us feedback about different allocations for long-term planning,” Wang added. “But the funds themselves were more expensive than something like Vanguard or Fidelity and we now use a fee-only financial advisor who we pay hourly.”

GoBankingRates – The 30 Greatest Threats to Your Retirement Plans

Published May 14, 2024

You might not expect boredom to be a big threat to your retirement, but it can be, said financial blogger and entrepreneur Jim Wang.

“Many people jokingly say that when they retire they’ll play more golf, take more vacations and lounge around all the time, but that’s only fun for a couple [of] weeks,” he said. “What happens in year two or three?”

Wang emphasized that soon-to-be retirees should plan for what they can work on during retirement in order to stave off boredom.

GoBankingRates – How Raising Your Credit Score Can Make You $22,263 Over a Lifetime

Published February 21, 2024

You can also in some instances improve your credit score by requesting credit limit increases from your credit cards. By doing so, you reduce your credit utilization percentage and that is a key component of your credit score, explained Jim Wang, founder, Wallet Hacks.

“When you do this, make sure you only ask for a modest increase so it doesn’t potentially involve a manual review or a hard inquiry on your credit report,” added Wang.

GoBankingRates – These People Pay For Everything With Credit To Reap Rewards: You Should Too

Published February 16, 2024

If you’re not sure what kind of rewards card is right for you, Jim Wang, founder of Wallet Hacks, suggested the Fidelity Rewards credit card.

“It gives you 2% cash back on everything without an annual fee. No need to think, just get 2% back on everything.”

He and his wife carry two cards, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and a Southwest Rapid Rewards card, and try to pay for everything with them — things ranging from gasoline to their kids’ summer camps and all their travel.

U.S. News and World Report – The Best Budgeting Templates to Manage Your Money

Published November 7, 2023

“A budget helps you reach your financial goals because it gives you a full understanding of your spending and saving,” says Jim Wang, founder of the personal finance blog Best Wallet Hacks. “This helps you find areas where you can cut back on your spending so you can increase your savings elsewhere.”

Nerdwallet – Concerts Help Drive Demand for Travel in 2023

Published October 5, 2023

Jim Wang scored tickets for Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour in Pittsburgh, which he paid $800 for. And since Swift’s concert at Acrisure Stadium was about a four-hour drive from his home in Fulton, Maryland, he’d need overnight accommodations, too.

Wang is just one of a growing group of people willing to travel to see a concert. TodayTix Group, an online ticketing platform for theatrical and cultural events, conducted an online survey in February 2023 of more than 4,000 Americans who had attended at least one live event over the past 12 months. 38% of respondents were willing to travel within their state, as Wang did. And 17% were willing to travel out of state.

When shows like The Eras Tour come to town, along with them comes a sudden — yet temporary — influx of travelers, and hotel rooms often sell out because of it. In Wang’s case, all the hotels in Pittsburgh were sold out, and he was lucky to find an Airbnb about a mile and a half away.

Best Life – 5 Secrets About Flying on Southwest Airlines You Need to Know

Published August 23, 2023

“If you want beverage service faster, you want to be seated in rows 1, 9, and 17—or at least the rows right behind those,” says Jim Wang, frequent Southwest flyer and founder of financial advice website WalletHacks.com. “That’s where they start their service so you can get your drinks a little bit faster.”

Woman’s World – 12 Ways To Score the *Biggest* Savings At Target — Deal Hunters Tell All

Published July 24, 2023

“I think it’s a great card if you do a lot of your shopping at Target because you get a lot of nice perks for a card with no annual fee,” says money-saving expert Jim Wang, founder of WalletHacks.com.

The biggest benefit is that you get an immediate 5% off most purchases made at Target stores or at Target.com. “Some cards, like the Amazon.com card, will give you 5% in reward points or cash back, but Target avoids those games and gives you 5% off at the register,” he notes. 

And there are other perks! “You also get free 2-day shipping and an additional 30 days for returns and exchanges as well as 2% rewards on dining and gas and 1% everywhere else outside of Target,” says Wang.

GoBankingRates – 7 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting My Own Business

Published June 27, 2023

Jim Wang, founder of the personal finance blog Wallet Hacks, says, “It’s really hard and lonely, even if you have partners and employees. When it is your business, you’re responsible for everything, and there are no easy answers.”

He adds, “You spend a lot of time wondering if you’re making the right choice, and oftentimes there’s no one else to talk to about it. It helps to join mastermind groups and networking groups, but ultimately, it’s your business, so you’re the one who has to make hard choices.”

Haven Life – Can sustainable investing help the housing crunch?

Published April 22, 2023

“I really like the idea of companies that reinvest into the local economy, especially if you’re repurposing, renovating, or refurbishing older buildings rather than knocking them down and building a completely new building in its place,” says Jim Wang, founder of WalletHacks. “It’s often more expensive to do that than demolish and rebuild, but keeping the history and keeping the materials out of the landfill are commendable.”

The Epoch Times – Top Money Mistakes and Ways to Avoid Them to Build Financial Security

Published April 5, 2023

Jim Wang, founder of Wallet Hacks, a personal finance blog, told The Epoch Times that automating various tasks related to money management can pay dividends.

“Too many people rely on their memory or some other reminder for them to pay their bills, save money, or complete other monthly tasks that are better left to computers that never forget,” he said.

Paying bills, especially ones that don’t change from month to month, is a prime example of where automation can be particularly useful.

“By automating tasks like that, you never forget them. You never pay a late fee, you never skip a contribution to your savings, and that ‘set it and forget it’ mentality can pay dividends in the long run,” Wang said.

Consumer Affairs – Here’s how to stop living paycheck-to-paycheck

Published April 4, 2023

Jim Wang, founder of Wallet Hacks, agrees that starting with a review of current spending is a good idea. He says some minor trimming could add up.

“This could be as easy as canceling a subscription service or as complex as renegotiating your rent, he told us. “If you have insurance, shop around for a new policy to see if you could save money with another carrier. These one-time moves can pay dividends over the course of a year, especially for expensive services.”

Discover – How to begin investing: The steps to take and terms to know

Published March 21, 2023

Investing your money wisely can help you preserve and grow your money over time. “The key benefit of investing is that your money will grow without you having to do any work,” says Jim Wang, founder of WalletHacks.com. “For decades, wealth has been created through the stock market because it can continue to grow without your direct intervention.”

GoBankingRates – Experts: How Much Do You Need Saved for a Solid Financial Cushion in 2023?

Published March 23, 2023

If you’re starting from scratch, Jim Wang, founder of WalletHacks.com, said to start with a financial cushion of $400.

“When 3 out of 5 Gen Z consumers can’t cover a $400 emergency expense, I think that is a good target to aim for,” he said. “When you don’t have an emergency fund, a large number can be discouraging. So if you have nothing saved, aim to save $400 so you aren’t one of those statistics.”

Featured In…

Podcast & Video

Awards & Nominations

  • Plutus Awards:
    • Best Traditional Retirement Content (Nominated) – 2023
    • Content Creator of the Year – Written (Nominated) – 2023
    • Personal Finance Blog of the Year (Nominated) – 2021, 2020, 2019
    • Best Investing Blog (Winner) – 2019
    • Lifetime Achievement Award (Winner) – 2014
    • Best Personal Finance Blog for Careers Award (Winner) – 2010

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