SoFi Blog

Two Sides is a new series of articles in which we ask SoFi members and employees to weigh in with their experiences, perspectives, and insights on topics important to our diverse community.

When house hunting, you might have trouble deciding whether you want to buy new home or invest in a fixer-upper. While a new or newer home typically requires little or no work, you’ll likely pay market price, which means ponying up more dough up front. With a fixer-upper, there’s a good chance you’ll get a deal that allows you to put less money down, but you’ll need funds on hand for immediate renovations. You’ll also need to plan ahead financially for any fixes you want to make at a gradual pace.

When you can’t make it home for Thanksgiving, throwing (or attending) a Friendsgiving dinner party is the next best thing. Friendsgiving is the perfect occasion to give thanks with your closest friends, gorge yourself on terrific food and drinks, and, of course, watch some football.

This annual get-together of great friends and food has increased in popularity over the years, and one reason for that is the cost of air travel. For example, if you live in San Francisco and want to spend the four-day Thanksgiving weekend with your family in New York City, a non-stop, round trip ticket will cost anywhere from $738 (JetBlue) to $1222 (American). If you work in a demanding professional career, your career goals might force to you stick around town. But a tight budget or work obligations shouldn’t mean you have to miss out on what many people believe to be the best holiday of the year. You’ve got friends—lots of them—and some of them might be in the same position as you are.

Life insurance: as you yawn, roll your eyes and think to yourself that there couldn't possibly be anything less interesting to read— we acknowledge your lack of enthusiasm.

After all, life insurance is something that many people, especially healthy and young professionals, put off or don't consider at all. Perhaps it's due to a sense of invincibility, or maybe a notion that life insurance is for our parents.

An unexpected Trump victory in the presidential election introduced a level of volatility not seen since Brexit. The initial selling of US equities in the futures market was quickly reversed but emerging market assets remained depressed as the market tried to guess what Trump trade policies might be.

When you work hard, you want to play hard. We get it. You deserve to enjoy the finer things in life, and you can have them—you just have to be smart and strategic with your spending. Sticking to a budget while saving toward financial goals doesn’t mean you can’t splurge a little. In this latest article in our series on spending hacks, we continue to help you figure it all out.

With the holidays fast approaching and the season of giving upon us, wouldn’t it be amazing if the special moments you plan for yourself and your partner weren’t just memorable, but also spectacular?

Creating experiences of this caliber can seem daunting when you’re stressed at work, digging your way out of student loan debt, or have your sights set on earning the coveted title of “first-time homeowner” in the next few years.