Recommendations

This page contains all the books, banks, credit cards, and other products & services that I personally recommend.

I use and love everything on this list, and it will be dynamically updated over time with new recommendations.

Help support the Wealth Orb blog and also add value to your life with these fantastic recommendations!

Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission (at no extra charge to you!) should you purchase or sign up for any product/service on the list. Everything listed on this page is something I personally use and love. I will never include a product or service on this page that I don’t believe in.

Banks

SoFi

An amazing bank with HYSA + checking offerings and a variety of other financial services. I use SoFi as my primary bank account and it is a crucial service in the financial systems and automation I have created to elevate my personal finances.

Get a $250 welcome bonus offer with my sign-up link here.

Credit Cards

Capital One Venture X (best premium travel card that’s simple to understand & use)

I’ve been extremely impressed with the Venture X as my premium top-of-wallet card. This is an excellent premium travel card with many powerful/valuable, yet simple perks included with the $395 annual fee. My wife and I will be doing a lot of free traveling with this card.

Sign up and get a $750 welcome offer with my link here. This card requires excellent credit. (720+)

Read my independent review of the Capital One Venture X here.

American Express Blue Cash Preferred (Great utility card for grocery + streaming purchase rewards)

The latest credit card armament that I’ve added to my financial arsenal. This card earns 6% back on grocery store purchases up to $6000/year and 6% on streaming services. You’ll also get 3% on transit and gas, and 1% on all other purchases.

This premium card comes with a $95/year annual fee that is waived in the first year of using the card. Plus a generous 0% APR offer for 12 months meant I could implement a more advanced strategy and take an interest-free loan from AMEX on my grocery purchases and put the money in risk-free CDs and short-term treasuries until it was time to pay it off in full.

Sign up for the Blue Cash Preferred with my link and you’ll get a $250 welcome bonus offer and 12 months of 0% APR on new purchases & balance transfers. This card requires excellent credit. (690-850)

Additional note: Just be careful not to end up underwater with the 0% APR offer. Pay it off monthly, or have an ironclad plan in place to pay off the full balance before the intro period ends or else you can end up in hot water–also keep an eye on your total credit utilization and keep it at a healthy 0-20% (under 10% is best).

Discover IT (best for those new to credit cards)

I started my journey to my current 785 credit score with the Discover IT card. This is an excellent card to build good credit habits while earning some simple cashback rewards (unlimited 1% and 2% on restaurants and gas) all with no annual fee. It’s also possible to get approved for this card with no credit history whatsoever.

Get a $100 statement credit when you use my sign-up link here. This card can be obtained with no credit history!

Costco Anywhere Visa (Great card for Costco members)

It’s no secret that I LOVE Costco. For people who shop at Costco, this card can be a no-brainer with its excellent reward structure and no annual fee as long as you maintain your Costco membership. The main benefits are 4% back on gas or EV charging (up to $6,500/year) and unlimited 3% cashback on dining. You will also get 2% on all Costco purchases.

This is the primary utility card I use in my Dynamic Duo. The only real downside is that your reward certificate and cashback are only available once per year, though it does feel pretty great to get the annual windfall.

Learn more about the Costco Anywhere visa card here. This card requires good-excellent credit. (690-850)

Services

Fundrise eREIT real estate investment + Venture Capital

I love real estate as an asset class but as a new dad, I have no interest in becoming a landlord or maintaining another property outside my primary residence. Fundrise allows me to diversify into real estate without the need to manage tenants.

Since 2020, I’ve invested over $12,000 with Fundrise to better diversify into real estate and venture capital as part of my portfolio.

Get a $50 welcome bonus when you sign up for Fundrise here.

Mint Mobile  

I switched from TMobile to Mint Mobile and was able to save my family with three phone lines $77/month on our phone plan for the same level of coverage. It was easy to do the switch myself, and I’m happy to free up the $924/year to put toward my financial goals. Mint Mobile uses the same infrastructure as T-Mobile, so there is no loss of coverage or performance.  I spent 2-3 hours total on the change.

Save a TON of money on your wireless plan and switch to Mint Mobile today.

Capitalize

This incredible & free service (paid for by retirement account provider companies) allows you to easily roll over old 401(k) and other retirement accounts and consolidate where you would like. They can also help track down lost retirement accounts if you provide the name of your old employers.

I personally used Capitalize to roll over an old retirement account to my Traditional and Roth IRA, reduce investing expenses, and also open up new investment options for my future. The service was incredible, and it’s one I’ll use in the future.

Get started with Capitalize right here.

Robinhood

Robinhood has exceptional incentives, and its $5/month Gold subscription is a no-brainer for diligent buy-and-hold investors. Here are some of the awesome perks of the gold subscription:

  • 5% APY (FDIC insured) on brokerage cash
  • 3% IRA match
  • 1% bonus on brokerage deposits

Sign up for Robinhood right here.

Monarch

Gone are the days of Mint for free personal finance tracking. After the platform was taken down, I switched to Monarch and haven’t looked back. Monarch is an exceptional personal finance tool with loads of amazing features (with more being added constantly). It’s a single pane of glass view into everything I could want to know about my finances.

Get an extended 30-day free trial + 50% off your annual subscription with my link.

Books

I read a lot. I will likely break my book recommendation list into its own separate page in the future!

Read this blog post about how I save $750+/year by reading ebooks from my personal library, without ever having to step foot in the physical library.

  • In addition to running Wealth Orb, I am a published science fiction author! You can check out my novels on Amazon right here. If you need a great starting place, I recommend the Absolute Knowledge series.
  • Buy This, Not That by Sam Dogen, the Financial Samurai. Easily my all-time favorite personal finance book. I consider this a must-read. Though it can get very technical, this book provides a ton of value for its cost and Sam has a ton of lessons and knowledge to impart within its pages, backing it all up with the math and numbers.
  • The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins. A staple of financial independence literature. This book illustrates the effectiveness of low-cost index fund investing and just how simple it can be to create and maintain wealth.
  • Die with Zero by Bill Perkins. We all need to be spending more, even while accumulating wealth. This book makes a compelling case for spending more earlier on and building incredible memories and enjoying experiences during all phases of life. Great, thought-provoking read that tackles a difficult topic head-on.
  • The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel. A fascinating and illuminating read on the psychology of money and many aspects that affect us all. Timeless lessons and historical references provide an illuminating read that will help almost anyone find new ways to think about money and how it affects us all.
  • Dollars and Sense by Dan Ariely & Jeff Kreisler. This is an entertaining and valuable read that takes a deep dive into some of the psychology of spending money and how to be a more aware consumer in the future.
  • Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin. A personal finance/financial independence classic. Easily digestible and offers some actionable insights into improving your finances and avoiding overconsumption.
  • Financial Freedom: A Proven Path to All the Money You Will Ever Need by Grant Sabatier. Geared toward millennials, this book is a great primer to many aspects of the FIRE movement. It offers a great starting point to evaluate your life choices and look for creative ways to earn and save more money. Not the best personal finance book by any means and some of Grant’s techniques involve extreme cutting/deprivation, but there is still valuable insight in this book.
  • Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. An entertaining read with some good insights into business & financial mindset. While I don’t agree with everything written in this book (and that’s okay!) it’s still well worth the read.

Products

ecobee smart thermostat + motion sensors

Homeowners with smart thermostats save 8% on their home energy costs on average. This simple home upgrade is a no-brainer in terms of ROI. Many electricity service providers also have discount programs for customers with an ecobee installed.

Scoop up the savings and get your ecobee smart thermostat here.

Traeger 575 Pro

I love to grill and entertain for friends and family. My Traegar is the star of the show. Pellet smokers are incredible and cook some seriously effortless & delicious food. Though I’m a Traeger loyalist, off-brand pellet smokers have come a long way and deliver some serious value for the price.

Shop Traeger on Amazon here.

Peloton Bike

At the end of 2022, I got serious about my health. I’ve lost over 75 pounds since the summer of 2022 and my Peloton bike purchase has been a big part of that. I’m in love with my bike and take cycling + strength training classes 3-5x per week.

Get $100 off accessories with a Peloton purchase with my link.

Note: Peloton often runs some good sales around holidays and Black Friday. It’s worth waiting for these sales if you plan on an equipment purchase.

You can also use my guest pass link to access the Peloton fitness app for 60 days (no equipment purchase necessary) there are all sorts of classes available on the app that require minimal/no equipment.

Start your home cooking journey!

One of the highest ROI investments you can make in your finances and health is learning to cook good, healthy meals at home. I’m an aspiring home cook and love to create amazing dishes for my friends and family. Read this article and see the equipment I recommend to start your home cooking journey. Your wallet (and waistline) will thank me!