SoFi Blog

If you’re in the throes of wedding planning, one item on your ever growing to-do list might be setting up your registry. Maybe you don’t actually need a lot of the home goods that are traditionally listed on a wedding registry so you’ve been putting it off.

Maybe in the back of your mind, the outstanding student debt you or your partner owe is weighing on you. You’re tempted to ask your family and close friends to give you a cash wedding gift that you can use to accelerate paying off your debt. There’s just one problem—you don’t know how to ask for money for student loans instead of gifts.

After all, many people consider it a social faux pas when a couple asks for a cash wedding gift. If you’re wondering how to ask for money as a wedding gift without offending your guests, we’ve compiled our best tips to help avoid any pre-wedding fallouts.

Football, beer, and copious snacks—for some, there’s no better holiday than the big game. It’s a bright spot in what is often a long, dark, cold, dreary winter.

Between the football game, award-winning commercials, and an always talked-about half-time show, it is one of the few events every year that spans interests. And there is no better way to watch the big game than with a big group of friends, family, and a few ice cold brews.

If you’re hosting your friends and family for this year’s big game, have no fear, we’ve got you covered with football party ideas and the best tips and tricks so you can be the host with the most, all while sticking to your budget.

“Retail therapy” is a tongue-in-cheek phrase people often casually toss about, referring to the good feeling that can arise through shopping, a feeling that is often (but not always) short-lived. (This isn’t, it should be noted, an actual form of therapy!)

Sometimes, people pursue shopping therapy when they need to cheer themselves up, whether after a romantic breakup, a bout with the flu, or a tough day at the office. Other times, this kind of pseudo-therapy is used to celebrate a special occasion, perhaps a promotion at work or an engagement announcement.

This post will explore the psychology behind shopping for pleasure, versus shopping strictly for what you need. We’ll delve into ways in which retail therapy can be harmless and may be a release, along with some potentially negative impacts.

We’ll share tips on creating a budget that helps allow room for purchases that make you smile, as well as ways to free up your cash flow, and a strategy aimed to help dig yourself out of credit card debt that can arise with over-enthusiastic spending.

There are plenty of cute Valentine’s Day ideas to be found, but what about cheap Valentine’s gifts that won’t break the bank? A last-minute frenzy of wandering through the red, pink, and purple aisles at the grocery store could cost you, and honestly, probably won’t impress your sweetie much.

Turns out, those ages 25 to 34 are the biggest spenders during the heart holiday with a spending average of $202.76, but could they have done it for less?

Our list of eight cheap Valentine’s gift ideas will have your sweetheart swooning over your thoughtfulness, and you’ll be ready to brag about how much you didn’t spend! Well, maybe you’d like to keep that to yourself, too. We won’t judge.

Created by Greg Glassman, CrossFit is an insanely popular fitness regimen. And like other workout programs, it takes planning, discipline, and commitment to reap the benefits of your hard work. The same is true, psychologically speaking, with managing your debt, as it also takes a similar sense of commitment and disciplined approach.

In both types of goals—fitness and financial—it’s great to first dream big. That’s what brings the excitement to the process, fueling your motivation to succeed. All big successes start with that big dream.

Next come the concrete, practical steps needed to achieve those dreams, making them your reality. In this post, we’ll discuss four things we know about CrossFit lessons that can also help with debt management. We’ll also look at how to manage a specific type of debt—student loans—sharing a smart way to potentially lower your interest rate, as well as describing how you might be able to pay less interest over the life of your student loan.