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Vivian Tu, the creator of Your Rich BFF, has learned a thing or two about saving money.
In her years working on Wall Street and providing bite-sized financial advice on social media, Tu has collected a set of “wealth hacks” that she shares with her 2.6 million followers on TikTok.
A wealth hack is “something that is a secret that shouldn’t be,” Tu said on Yahoo Finance’s Money Glow Up podcast (see video above or listen below), and it consists of information about building wealth that “most people could benefit from knowing.”
Speaking with podcast host Tiffany Aliche, Tu discussed some of her best money-saving tips — and they might be ones you didn’t think of.
Max out your IRA contributions
This may seem like a no-brainer, but maxing out your contributions to your IRA or your Roth IRA will pay off in the long run. Not only will the dividends ensure that you’re in the best possible position for eventual retirement, but contributions can also be used for deductions come tax time.
Tu noted that if you’ve fallen behind, there’s still time to make your IRA contributions for the year.
“You can continue to contribute to this year’s IRA or Roth IRA limit well into next year — you just have to do it before tax day,” Tu explained. “If you have a traditional IRA and you make contributions up until April [15], you can actually still take that as part of your deductions against your adjusted gross income for your current tax year to get the benefit to you.”
Sign up for AARP — no matter your age
AARP may stand for the American Association of Retired Persons, but the minimum age to enroll is actually only 18. This means you don’t have to wait until you’ve retired to collect on the various benefits available to members, including discounts on amusement parks, flights, oil changes, restaurants, hotels, and rental cars.
Not only does the membership provide discounts for the “fun stuff,” as Tu calls it, but it also has incredible discounts on financial services and planning.
“You can get 20% off setting up a trust and will through a trust and will service provider,” Tu explained. “You can actually get an analysis of your student loan debt, and they will essentially help you craft a plan on how to pay it down … and you will get discounted pet insurance, home insurance, health insurance — you name it, AARP has it.”
Negotiate everything
Tu pointed out that people should negotiate even in small situations. For example, an unsatisfactory airline experience could result in free miles.
“You should be negotiating everything,” Tu advised. “Everything, everything, everything.”
Large expenses like medical bills or a new home or car can also be negotiated, knocking off as much as five to six figures off the price — so long as you’re willing to do it.
“It’s pretty normal to be able to say, ‘I got my home $50,000 under asking,’” Tu said. “Do you know how many lattes you need to not drink to save $50,000? Just put on your big boy or big girl pants for 10 seconds, have that uncomfortable conversation, and really, really work on negotiating.”
Tu pointed out that saving a lot of money on these big purchases can help alleviate some of the stress of saving — and you can still treat yourself to that latte.
“You can have your little joy in the day, but you have to come ready to play and ready to show up and show out when it comes to the negotiation table for those bigger moments,” Tu said.
