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Shira Katz

Personal Finance Writer

395 Articles

About Shira

Shira covers personal finance with a bias for concrete numbers: what a change in rates, tariffs or energy prices actually does to a monthly budget. She is skeptical of miracle savings claims and tries to say plainly when an effect is too small to matter. Her goal is that readers finish a piece knowing what, if anything, to do next.

Areas of Expertise

Household budgeting savings credit consumer costs

Latest Articles

How Car and Driver's Used-Car Value Tool Prices Your Trade-In
Personal Finance

How Car and Driver's Used-Car Value Tool Prices Your Trade-In

The calculator uses the same Black Book data many dealers rely on to compare private-sale and trade-in values — and the ...

Shira Katz 👁 45 💬 0
How to Actually Judge August Car Rebates and Low-APR Offers
Personal Finance

How to Actually Judge August Car Rebates and Low-APR Offers

Manufacturer rebates and subsidized financing can save thousands—but only if shoppers separate dealer discounts from fac...

Shira Katz 👁 43 💬 0
Warren Buffett's One Rule: How 6,099,294% Was Built, and What Greg Abel's Cash Moves Now Test
Personal Finance

Warren Buffett's One Rule: How 6,099,294% Was Built, and What Greg Abel's Cash Moves Now Test

Berkshire Hathaway's 1965–2025 gain of 6,099,294% rests on buying understandable compounder businesses, not hot stocks. ...

Shira Katz 👁 40 💬 0
Thermacell Liv 2.0 Doubles the Entry Price for Its Smart Mosquito System
Personal Finance

Thermacell Liv 2.0 Doubles the Entry Price for Its Smart Mosquito System

The new Liv 2.0 covers up to 3,000 square feet and adds no-see-um deterrence, but the base kit now costs $1,746 and requ...

Shira Katz 👁 45 💬 0
The Childcare Math Behind Wider Age Gaps Between Kids
Personal Finance

The Childcare Math Behind Wider Age Gaps Between Kids

A 3- to 4-year gap can reduce overlapping daycare bills, but later parenthood raises fertility risks and treatment costs...

Shira Katz 👁 53 💬 0
Long-Term Care Costs Are Outpacing Inflation and Draining Family Finances
Personal Finance

Long-Term Care Costs Are Outpacing Inflation and Draining Family Finances

Nursing homes, assisted living and home care now routinely cost six figures over a lifetime, forcing families to leave j...

Shira Katz 👁 56 💬 0
The Tax Strategy Behind Trump’s 21,000 Trades in 2025
Personal Finance

The Tax Strategy Behind Trump’s 21,000 Trades in 2025

Trump's trading points to direct indexing, a tax-loss strategy now within reach of ordinary investors. Here's who actual...

Shira Katz 👁 52 💬 0
How a Teacher and a Jail Deputy Built a $1.3 Million Blog Business and Reached Financial Independence
Personal Finance

How a Teacher and a Jail Deputy Built a $1.3 Million Blog Business and Reached Financial Independence

Kelan and Brittany Kline turned a $2.95-a-month blog into a business that reported $1.3 million in 2023. They reached se...

Shira Katz 👁 60 💬 0
How Homeowners Are Using HELOCs to Buy Rental Property — and What Can Go Wrong
Personal Finance

How Homeowners Are Using HELOCs to Buy Rental Property — and What Can Go Wrong

Tapping home equity can fund a first investment property and speed wealth-building, but it puts your primary residence o...

Shira Katz 👁 55 💬 0
Spanish TV Football Packages Rise Up to 5% Ahead of LaLiga Kickoff
Personal Finance

Spanish TV Football Packages Rise Up to 5% Ahead of LaLiga Kickoff

Orange entry packages start at 109 euros a month and Movistar at 117 euros before promotions, while DAZN is cutting some...

Shira Katz 👁 41 💬 0
First Home Buyers: A Needs-Versus-Wants Framework Before You Fall for a Property
Personal Finance

First Home Buyers: A Needs-Versus-Wants Framework Before You Fall for a Property

Property authors Glen James and Rachelle Kroon outline a decision framework that separates must-have features from wish-...

Shira Katz 👁 47 💬 0
French Summer Budgets Drop €287, Pushing Holidaymakers From Restaurants to Picnics
Personal Finance

French Summer Budgets Drop €287, Pushing Holidaymakers From Restaurants to Picnics

A Cofidis survey puts the average French summer holiday budget at €1,748, down €287 on 2025. Families are swapping resta...

Shira Katz 👁 49 💬 0
France’s New Pension-Work Rules From January 2027: Early Retirees Lose Euro-for-Euro
Personal Finance

France’s New Pension-Work Rules From January 2027: Early Retirees Lose Euro-for-Euro

From 1 January 2027, working after retirement in France will be less rewarding: before the legal retirement age, €1 earn...

Shira Katz 👁 62 💬 0
Leroy Merlin's NATERIAL Forest Picnic Set Drops to €139 With €60 Off
Personal Finance

Leroy Merlin's NATERIAL Forest Picnic Set Drops to €139 With €60 Off

The four-seat pine outdoor dining set with fixed benches, FSC-certified timber and a built-in umbrella hole is being pro...

Shira Katz 👁 45 💬 0
Final 2026 PIS/Pasep Batch Released: What Workers Need to Withdraw by 30 December
Personal Finance

Final 2026 PIS/Pasep Batch Released: What Workers Need to Withdraw by 30 December

The final 2026 PIS/Pasep salary-bonus batch, covering workers born in November and December, is now available. Around 26...

Shira Katz 👁 51 💬 0
Mega-Sena Draw Offers R$38 Million Prize This Sunday
Personal Finance

Mega-Sena Draw Offers R$38 Million Prize This Sunday

Concurso 3.045 is drawn at 11am on Sunday in São Paulo after Thursday's game rolled over. A minimum R$6 ticket has a 1-i...

Shira Katz 👁 53 💬 0
Bercy Confirms Two Tax-Data Breaches Affecting Up to 878,000 People
Personal Finance

Bercy Confirms Two Tax-Data Breaches Affecting Up to 878,000 People

The DGFiP says stolen names, addresses and tax-reference income for 678,000 accounts make identity fraud easier, with a ...

Shira Katz 👁 46 💬 0
Slovaks Are House-Rich but Cash-Poor, NBS Wealth Data Show
Personal Finance

Slovaks Are House-Rich but Cash-Poor, NBS Wealth Data Show

Slovak households hold most of their wealth in housing, with a median home value of about €120,000 against just €4,100 i...

Shira Katz 👁 48 💬 0
A Pre-Date-Night Card Checklist That Can Save Hundreds on Dining and Entertainment
Personal Finance

A Pre-Date-Night Card Checklist That Can Save Hundreds on Dining and Entertainment

Stacking dining, rideshare and entertainment credits on premium cards can turn routine date nights into hundreds of doll...

Shira Katz 👁 43 💬 0
The Travel Credit Cards This Rewards Writer Recommends for 2026
Personal Finance

The Travel Credit Cards This Rewards Writer Recommends for 2026

A rewards writer ranks beginner, premium, airline and no-annual-fee travel cards by earning power, flexibility and perks...

Shira Katz 👁 43 💬 0
Climate Damage Costs Germany €500m a Day, and Households Have Levers
Personal Finance

Climate Damage Costs Germany €500m a Day, and Households Have Levers

Record heat, a 12-centimetre Rhine and 10,000 heat-related deaths have pushed climate costs into household budgets; sola...

Shira Katz 👁 47 💬 0
Egypt Confirms August 2026 Salary Payment Dates for State Workers
Personal Finance

Egypt Confirms August 2026 Salary Payment Dates for State Workers

The finance ministry says public-sector salaries will be available from August 23, with separate arrears dates of August...

Shira Katz 👁 42 💬 0
Germany’s Frühstartrente: €10 a Month to Give Every Child a Pension Start
Personal Finance

Germany’s Frühstartrente: €10 a Month to Give Every Child a Pension Start

Germany’s cabinet has approved a state-funded child retirement account: €10 per month from age 6 to 18, with no separate...

Shira Katz 👁 41 💬 0
UK Tech ETF Options: Low-Cost Funds, Hidden Overlaps and Thematic Bets
Personal Finance

UK Tech ETF Options: Low-Cost Funds, Hidden Overlaps and Thematic Bets

A practical guide to broad technology, semiconductor and AI trackers available to UK investors — and why overlap, concen...

Shira Katz 👁 42 💬 0
India Launches Foreign Asset Disclosure Window for Small Taxpayers
Personal Finance

India Launches Foreign Asset Disclosure Window for Small Taxpayers

The one-time scheme lets small taxpayers declare undisclosed foreign assets and income up to set limits by December 31, ...

Shira Katz 👁 38 💬 0
The Real MSCI World Return After Tax and Inflation Is 3.1%, Not 8.41%
Personal Finance

The Real MSCI World Return After Tax and Inflation Is 3.1%, Not 8.41%

A 30-year, €100-a-month MSCI World plan shows why German savers should plan with a 3.1% real return once tax and inflati...

Shira Katz 👁 45 💬 0
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Drops to $33 in Weekend Deals Roundup
Personal Finance

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Drops to $33 in Weekend Deals Roundup

The 2025 RPG standout hits $33.17 for Xbox, while Google’s Pixel 11 bundles, a Gigabyte RTX 5070 laptop, and Gruv 4K Blu...

Shira Katz 👁 44 💬 0
What One Couple Agreed Before Moving Into a Partner-Owned Home
Personal Finance

What One Couple Agreed Before Moving Into a Partner-Owned Home

A first-person account shows how a couple split mortgage, utilities, roommates and future home projects — and what they ...

Shira Katz 👁 43 💬 0
The $2,700 Oneworld Mileage Run That Kept British Airways Silver
Personal Finance

The $2,700 Oneworld Mileage Run That Kept British Airways Silver

A frequent flyer used Qatar Airways' distance-based tier credits to earn most of a British Airways status year for a fra...

Shira Katz 👁 39 💬 0
French Tax Site Breach: How Stolen Fiscal Data Could Fuel Targeted Scams
Personal Finance

French Tax Site Breach: How Stolen Fiscal Data Could Fuel Targeted Scams

France's DGFiP has confirmed that hackers accessed taxpayer data after impersonating an authorised user. If names, addre...

Shira Katz 👁 41 💬 0