Cheryl Zhao

Cheryl Zhao

Cheryl Zhao, a financial expert, has been a part of our team for five years. After earning her MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management, she worked as a real estate broker before turning to blogging. Cheryl’s extensive knowledge of the housing market and trends, coupled with her passion for financial literacy, makes her blog posts an essential read for anyone considering becoming financially independent.

Freelancing: How to Spot a Bad Freelance Client

Clients. The ingredient our freelancing career cannot exist without. We provide them with great service and, in turn, they pay for them. It’s a simple straightforward relationship, but it doesn’t always work this easily. Bad freelancing clients happen from time…

9 Critical Mortgage Mistakes You Need to Avoid

Getting a mortgage is for most people the biggest money transaction they’ll do in their lifetime. Making mortgage mistakes can get you into some serious money trouble, this is why it’s important to take all precautions so that you don’t lose any money you shouldn’t be losing. Here are the biggest 9 mortgage mistakes to avoid You are not preparing properly for your new mortgage Don’t apply for a mortgage without shopping different lenders, having all of your paperwork together, and making sure your credit report is alright. This can be one of the most costly mortgage mistake, since lenders will offer different deals and shopping for the most cost-effective ones makes sense, especially when dealing with so much money. It’s a bit amusing to see how much shopping and couponing the regular American does, but, when it comes to huge purchases, people start getting reckless. Getting the wrong home loan There are so many different types of loans and it is very important that you get the one that fits your needs. Some lenders get used to doing the same loans and try to push everyone into the same product. Don’t let this happen to you. If you plan to be in the home for just a few years, you may want to go with an adjustable rate mortgage, taking advantage of the attractive initial rate. Perhaps you plan to relocate in a couple years or move up to a larger house. However, if you plan to live in this home for a long time, you may be better served with a fixed rate loan. You will pay a higher rate, but you won’t have to worry about large payment increases that can happen as rates increase. Whatever the type of home loan you fits your needs, make sure […]

5 Unusual Career Choices

When I was a kid, there were pretty few career choices: you would either become a doctor, a teacher or an engineer. There were also less glamorous options, such as worker in a factory, but most of us, kids who…

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Productivity: The Eisenhower Decision Matrix

Productivity. I never cared for it until I hit a wall with my business and personal life. Back in 2009 I decided to take on freelancing full time. It wasn’t all ‘my’ decision, it was because the radio station I worked with closed down and there were little chances to get the same salary anywhere else in the city. July 2009 left me jobless and with debt, this was the worst moment of my young life and the ‘click’ I needed to turn my web design hobby into something real. You can read about my story on PFtoday – Freelancing Success Story – From Debt to a Successful Business, now I’d like us to go a bit further in my personal history and see another crucial moment enfold. In 2014 I became a mother and also tried to keep on working 8-12 hours/day on my web design business. As you can imagine, with a small baby in my hands, things soon got out of whack. There I was, few months into motherhood, exhausted and angry. My business was going downhill and I was stressed out, tired and angry. I started watching some Udemy courses on running a freelancing business and things cleared out in my head: as I could not get more hours a day to work, since I really wanted to be there for my daughter, the logical solution was to do more work in a shorter amount of time, hence become productive. This is when I first heard of The Eisenhower Decision Matrix. As you can guess, the name comes from Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was the 34th President of the US, also a five star general during the WWII. The entire system is based on a quote that’s attributed to him: What is important is seldom urgent […]

How to Save Money as a Pet Owner

Almost 20 years ago, a small sick puppy roamed around in the neighborhood. My grandmother was walking back home, after hearing the best news her Oncologist could give: her breast cancer was in remission and there was no need to…

Guide on Writing an MBA Finance Dissertation

Writing an MBA finance dissertation can be a nerve-wracking experience. After all, it’s only your name and reputation that is on the line. Fortunately, for you, we’re going to help you with your MBA finance dissertation by providing you with…

What to Know before Investing in Cryptocurrencies

According to one of the top financial analysts at Olsson Capital, most governments are slowly embracing the use of Cryptocurrencies. On the other hand, crypto developers are working day and night to develop as many Cryptocurrencies as possible. Currently, there…