Hi Reader, Okay — if you’re reading this, I’m going to assume you either:*** Already opened your Relay account (🎉), or*** You’re about to… because it takes less than 10 minutes. Seriously — you only need: Your EIN Your driver’s license Ownership percentages No long appointments.No endless paperwork.No “bring your firstborn” requirements like Chase. 😅 If you haven’t opened Relay yet, do that first (it’s the easiest part):https://app.relayfi.com/v3/register?referralcode=finance-makeover Now for...
13 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, Karen here — coming to you from our new home in Utah! 🏠We’ve been here about 5–7 weeks now, and we really love it. The neighbors have been kind, our church community has been incredibly welcoming, and it’s already starting to feel like home. But let me confess something… Even though the house was move-in ready, little things I want to “fix” keep popping up — and my first instinct? Spend the money now.Make it pretty now.Don’t look at my envelopes. Don’t check the budget. Just get it...
20 days ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader,I’m buried in boxes, bubble wrap, and packing tape this week because…we’re officially moving to Utah! 🏡✨ Our movers have been amazing — they literally rolled out the red carpet to protect the floors (I love that touch!). We leave this week and move in on the 13th, so it’s all hands on deck here. I’ll be back in your inbox next week once we’re settled into our new home and ready for our next Finance MakeOver adventure from Utah! 💜 Until then, wish me luck with the boxes 😅...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, Last Sunday at church was our last Sunday in Orange County, California. We stood up and announced: we’re pulling the plug, the movers are coming Tuesday, and we’re leaving Wednesday for our new adventure in Utah. And it made me think about banking. Sometimes we treat our bank accounts like moving out of a house. We delay. We don’t want to deal with it. We avoid the paperwork. Here’s the truth: I actually opened my Relay account over a year ago. I loved it right away—no minimum...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, Quick update from our Utah house hunt… Last week, I shared pictures of three homes we put offers on. A few of you thought all those photos were from one house (which, to be fair, would’ve been quite the mansion 😅). But nope—those were House #1, House #2, and House #3. And the winner is… Drumroll 🥁Here’s the link to House #2 (and no we didn’t pay that price, we paid the price of house #1) Our new street name is Bonnie Jean Lane so I have to include the GIF that my...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, The house saga continues… You remember House #1 — the one we’re a backup offer on? Well, it still hasn’t fallen through. Technically, it’s supposed to close this Friday. But there’s still about a 10% chance it might fall out of escrow Friday (So yes, we’re still waiting!). Meanwhile…enter House #2. Same exact floor plan, same neighborhood, but $200,000 more. (Apparently they thought the market thinks their street deserves a premium 🙄). We decided to throw in a lower bid. And...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, As many of you know, we’ve been on quite the house-hunting adventure in Utah. Our favorite home is absolutely stunning — designer touches everywhere, move-in ready — but we’re currently the backup offer, waiting to see if the first buyer closes by September 19th. In the meantime, we found another house with a terrific yard, a friendly neighborhood, and lots of potential. The only catch? Pets have left their mark. So we’re making a lower offer that gives us $200,000 to remodel —...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, If you’ve been following me, you know we’re in the middle of moving from California to Utah. We’ve looked at 40+ houses (yes, 40!) and made four offers. Our favorite house? We’re the backup. The first buyers are trying to get what’s called a bank statement loan—which basically means they run a business but don’t have the tax history to prove income yet. They had to show financing by last Friday… and they didn’t. So we thought Monday was our big day. But instead, they decided to...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, As many of you know, we’re in Utah this week looking at houses. And you’ve probably know the magic rule of real estate: location, location, location. We’ve toured some stunning homes—brand-new builds with amazing kitchens, huge islands opening into vaulted great rooms, and even massive basements (Utah does basements right…California, not so much! 😉). But here’s the kicker. Some of the communities don’t have an HOA. You step into this perfect house—SubZero fridge, elegant...
3 months ago • 1 min read