Newsletter

Better Finances for a Better You

Section: Did you know?

← Curating the web to find the most interesting and helpful information about your money.

According to a survey by MoneyRates.com, Americans are paying around $167 per year (on average) in banking fees. This amounts to about $14 per month.

Here’s How Much You Are Really Wasting in Banking Fees — It’s More Than They Say →

Cash is less popular than ever. According to the U.S. Federal Reserve's 2024 Findings from the Diary of Consumer Payment Choice report, paper bills and coins made up just 16% of transactions in 2023.

Track your cash, credit, investments and bank accounts all in one place with Neontra →

More than 25% of Americans with checking accounts are paying an average of $24 per month in banking fees, according to a 2023 Bankrate survey.

Banking fees add up. Make sure you track them and have the best account plan for your needs →

The average American spends $513 every month online according to a recent report by BadCredit.

The Average American Spends Over $500 Online Each Month. How Do You Compare? By Emma Newbery →

The purchasing power of $100 U.S. can vary by as much as 26% from state to state. California has the lowest purchasing power ($87.50), while Arkansas has the highest ($113.40).

The Purchasing Power of $100 in Each U.S. State →

According to the national average of searches, student loans are the most Googled financial topic, with 2,441,000 searches on average across the US.

The most googled financial topics by state →

A CNET Money survey found the average American is spending more than $1,000 a year on subscriptions and it's getting more expensive.

Feel the creep? Keep track of all your subscriptions for free on Neontra to save money and time. →

Nine out of 10 homeowners who bought a home in the last three years say they were unprepared for the extra costs of maintaining and financing their property, according to a survey by Real Estate Witch.

Which costs were more expensive than people originally expected →

Average length of homeownership: Americans spend less than 15 years in one home.

How many people do you know that have lived in their homes for 40, 50 or even 60 years? →

Switzerland was the country with the highest average wealth per adult in 2023 with $709,612.

Manage all your assets and liabilities to track your wealth real time at Neontra →

The world strongest currency benchmarked to the U.S. dollar is the Kuwaiti Dinar (KD)

Top 10 strongest currencies in the world benchmarked to the U.S. dollar in 2024 →

The Dutch East India Co. is credited as being the first firm in history to execute the world's first initial public offering (IPO) by providing equity shares of its business to the general public.

Understanding the First Company to Issue Stock →

According to the US Census Bureau, between 2002 and 2023, the national homeownership rate was at its lowest in 2016 when it fell to 62.9%, but it has now risen to 65.7% in Q4 of 2023.

Here’s How US Homeownership Rates Have Changed as Home Prices Increased →

If you already have life insurance, you’re in good company. In 2023, 52% of all U.S. adults were covered by some type of life insurance. That number jumps to 60% when looking at just millennials and Gen Zers.

You can now easily track all your life insurance policies at Neontra →

72% of households do not have a written financial plan according to Charles Schwab

Start building your free financial plan now →

The average age for men to retire is 65 while the average age for women to retire is 63.

Most people expect to retire in their early 60s. Is that realistic? →

The stock market has been a consistent way to build wealth over the past 100 years. Likewise, from April 1, 1936 through March 31, 2024, the S&P 500 Index–a widely followed barometer for the broad U.S. stock market–averaged an annual return of 10.75%.

10 Investment Statistics Investors Need To Know By David Rodeck →

Currently, there are 180 recognized currencies used around the world, each with its own value and exchange rates.

Top 10 Strongest Currencies In The World In July 2024 →

Americans are spending an average of $552 on streaming services a year.

44% Report Streaming Costs Increasing Over the Last Year →

ATM fees averaged $4.73 per transaction in 2023

ATM fees: Easy ways to avoid them with a little planning →

Did you know you can buy gold at Costco? It's true. Costco began selling one-ounce gold bars in 2023 and now members of the warehouse club can purchase silver coins as well.

Yes, you can buy gold at Costco — and now silver too →

The U.S. $5 bill has the shortest lifespan of any denomination. According to the Federal Reserve, the estimated lifespan of a $5 bill is 4.7 years.

8 things you may not know about American money →

The first records of loans, deposits, currency validation and exchange were recorded in the 18th Century BC in Babylon (or, Ancient Greece)

The history of banking began with the prototype banks, that is, the merchants of the world, who gave grain loans to farmers and traders →

According to Google Trends in 2024, search interest for “budgeting” reached a 15-year high and with “loud budgeting” increasing +4,550% as well

View the detailed Google Trends interest over time report →

According to TransUnion, the average credit card balance for Canadians at the end of 2023 was $4,265.

Use our credit card payoff calculator to help you plan for a brighter future →

Many credit card companies offer their customers, and sometimes others, a free look at their credit scores.

Top sources for free credit scores →

The average vacation for one person in the United States costs about $1,986 per week. A vacation for two people will typically cost around $3,971 per week, according to Pacaso.

Use Neontra's free Vacation Calculator to budget and help you plan your next trip by estimating the total travel costs →

At the end of 2023, the average credit card debt per borrower was $6,360, or about 10% higher than the year before—ushering in an all-time high

Credit Card Statistics And Trends →

US credit-card delinquency rates were the highest on record in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia report.

Use our free Credit Card Payoff Calculator to find out how fast you can be debt-free →

CNN found that 33% of those surveyed do not know what "annual percentage rate" means. Further, 33% also believe that mortgage lenders are required to charge all borrowers the same fees.

Neontra can help you keep track of interest rates, loan amortization, and monthly mortgage payments →

Members of Generation X have the highest average credit card debt at $7,155, followed by baby boomers and millennials, according to credit bureau Experian’s latest consumer findings.

Experian Study: Average U.S. Consumer Debt and Statistics →

The faces on every U.S. bill in circulation include five American presidents and two founding fathers. They are all men: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Alexander Hamilton, Andrew Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant and Benjamin Franklin.

The Famous and Obscure Men Who Grace American Currency →

Housing is the largest average cost at $2,025 per month, making up 33% of typical spending, according to the most recent Consumer Expenditure Survey from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Neontra auto-categorizes your all transactions by essential, non-essential, debt payments and saving contributions so you can see what percentage of your expenses are going to housing →

The word "mortgage" comes from the old French phrase "mort gaige." Literally translated, mort gaige means death pledge. Once the mortgage is paid off, the loan dies.

10 Weird Facts About Home Mortgages →

Faced with a $1,000 emergency, most Americans say they wouldn't have the money

Neontra's Health Check monitors how your emergency savings are tracking →

U.S. consumers owe a record $1.129 trillion on their credit cards, and the average American credit card debt is $6,501.

Use our free Credit Card Health Check to see your credit utilization ratio and plan for a brighter future →

Americans spend $779 on food per month, with almost two-thirds being spent on groceries ($475) and the rest on eating out ($303), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Expenditure Survey.

American Households' Average Monthly Expenses →

Average household earnings in 2022 were $94,003, while average total expenditures for the year were $72,967, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Expenditure Survey.

American Households' Average Monthly Expenses: $6,081 →

The Philadelphia Stock Exchange (PHLX), established in 1790, is older than the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), and even as late as 1815, London banks looked to Philadelphia rather than New York to buy American securities.

How New York Became the Center of American Finance →

Before the discovery of gold in the Western United States, there wasn't enough precious metal in the US economy to make coinage. Prior to 1857, foreign coins were accepted as legal money.

Track your all your coins, cash, gift cards, crypto in one place with Neontra →

The term "greenbacks" didn't originate until the government began printing paper money with green ink during the Civil War. The colour was chosen to prevent counterfeiting since the ink didn't easily fade or break down.

Learn how to start monitoring all your cash with Neontra →

Some 56% of Americans are unable to cover an unexpected $1,000 bill with savings, according to a telephone survey of more than 1,000 adults conducted in early January 2022 by Bankrate.

Most Americans are still struggling to build solid savings accounts →

At one time, Queen Elizabeth II appeared on at least 33 different currencies, more than any other monarch, an achievement noted by Guinness World Records.

Neontra creates a 360° view of all your $CAD, $USD, £GBP, €EUR and ¥YEN financial activities →

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average person spends about $199.91 per day. This figure includes spending on housing, food, transportation, entertainment, clothing, healthcare, and other goods and services.

How do American spend their money? See how you compare →

A 2023 survey from Bankrate found 47% of U.S. adults have unused gift cards, vouchers, or store credits. The average American is sitting on $175, that's up from $116 last year.

You can track all your holiday gift cards with Neontra in our My Money section →

It would take 4,000 double folds, forwards and backwards, to tear a banknote.

Track all your folded and unfolded cash in one place with Neontra →

The Secret Service was established in 1865 as a bureau in the U.S. Treasury Department to combat widespread counterfeiting. Following the Civil War, between a third and half of all cash in circulation was counterfeit.

Track your all your $USD, £GBP, $CAD, €EUR and ¥YEN in one place with Neontra →

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), the average American planned to spend $826 in 2022 on Christmas gifts, food, and decorations. Of that $826 dollars, around $500 are spent on gifts for family members.

Budget for all your holiday spending and ensure don't spend too much →

According to Sallie Mae’s How America Saves For College, families reported spending an average of $28,026 on college in the academic year 2022-23, an 11% increase from $25,313 in 2021-22.

How America Pays for College 2023 →

According to economists, coins and banknotes make up only 8% of the world's cash. The great bulk of money in circulation today is digital.

Follow every bank note & penny - Track and analyze your cash flow →

Making a penny these days costs more than one penny. That's right, the U.S. Mint estimates that the cost of each coin is about 1.7 cents.

Follow every penny, quarter and dollar you spend with our cashflow analysis →

According to Google Trends on November 8th 2023, searches for "cost of groceries" were at an all time high.

Learn about how to start monitoring your food spending with Neontra →

Grooves were inserted on US coins to prevent coin faces from being scraped off and sold as precious metal. A US dime has 118 grooves across its edge, compared to 119 on a quarter.

Learn how to start monitoring all your coins, cash, gift cards and investments with Neontra → →

The British Pound is the oldest currency still in circulation. The Anglo-Saxon Kings used silver pennies, or sterlings, as currency around 775 AD.

Track your all your $USD, £GBP, $CAD, €EUR and ¥YEN in one place with Neontra →

According to the latest figures from Experian, the average American has 3.84 credit cards with an average credit limit of $30,365.

Don’t let credit cards rule your life. Use our free credit card pay down calculator to help you plan for a brighter future →

In 1950, Diners Club introduced the first payment system resembling a credit card. This wasn't a real credit card, though. It was a charge card instead, and the cardholder was expected to pay the whole debt each month.

Use our credit card payoff calculator to help you plan for a brighter future →

U.S. Cash in paper form is not "paper". American paper money is made of 75% cotton and 25% linen, which does not technically qualify as paper.

Learn how to start monitoring all your cash with Neontra →

Making a US nickel costs more than double what it’s worth. As of last year, every nickel cost 10.4 cents to make, up 40.2% from 7.4 cents in 2020.

If you interested in learning true cost of make coins read the US Biennial Mint Report →

The first ATM (automatic teller machine) was built and installed in London in 1967 by British bank Barclays and it didn't charge a fee...

Track all your ATM fees along with other bank changes in one place →

The Bank of England issued a £1,000,000 note in 1948 as a temporary measure during the Marshall Plan's postwar rebuilding. This remains the largest banknote ever issued by the Bank of England.

Track your all your $CAD, $USD, £GBP, €EUR and ¥YEN in one place with Neontra →

All banknotes wear out in time. Since smaller-denominated notes are used more often, they have a shorter lifetime. Typically, a USD $1 bill will last about 21 months, while a $20 bill can last over seven years.

How may days does your money last? See all your spending visualized by day, week and month →

The Founding Father of the United States and famed inventor Benjamin Franklin's face appears on the $100 bill, but you won't find the $ sign. Believe it or not, the $ sign does not appear on any US currency bank notes.

The Faces on Every US Bill →

The 100,000-peso note issued by the Philippine government in 1998 is the largest banknote in the world. The note was created to commemorate a century of independence from Spanish rule.

Follow every bank note & penny - Track and analyze your cash flow →

The word cash was originally used to describe the type of round bronze coins with square holes commonly used in the Tang Dynasty, called kai-yuans.

Track your kai-yuans and analyze your cash flow →

The first War Savings Certificates and Victory Bonds were issued in Canada during the First and Second World Wars. They went towards paying for the war effort.

Browse through the gallery and view the timeline to learn about the History of Canada Savings Bonds. →

The word ‘budget’ derives from the French word bougette, which means leather bag. The bag contained the papers setting out France's revenue, expenditure and tax.

Start your personal bougette today →

Canada had a 25-cent banknote known as the "shinplaster" that first appeared in 1870. It was in circulation for about 65 years as the intrinsic value of metal rose above the value of coins.

Learn more about Canadian 25¢ banknote known as a "shinplaster" →

Canada stopped using the penny in 2013. A penny is worth so little that it was costing more than a cent to make each one! Today, when buying with cash, we round to the nearest five cents.

Follow every penny & dollar - Track and analyze your cash flow →

Credit card and auto loan missed payments increased by 19% in the first quarter of 2023, according to Equifax, as Canadians struggled to keep up with rising living expenses and interest rates.

Don’t let credit cards rule your life. Our credit card paydown calculator will help you plan for a brighter future →

Canada’s Food Price Report 2023 predicts Canadian families will spend up to $1065 more on food than in 2022.

See predictions on annual food expenditures for individual consumers based on their age and gender. →

Nearly 3 in 4 Canadians report rising prices impacting their ability to meet day to day expenses in 2022, according to StatsCan.

See where you can save more money →

The first Canadian woman to appear on a bank note was Viola Desmond. She appears on Canada's first vertical banknote issued in 2018.

Learn more about Viola and the $10 notes' unique features →

There are over 1.5 billion Canadian bank notes in circulation. In fact, if you stacked them all together they’d reach a height of over 150 kilometres. That’s officially outer space!

Canadarm2 and the $5 polymer note →

King Charles III will be replacing the late Queen Elizabeth II on Canadian coins and the $20 bill. An effigy of the reigning monarch has appeared on Canadian coins since the Royal Canadian Mint started production in 1908.

Track all your money no matter who is on it in one place →

At the national level, full-time graduate students paid, on average, $7,437 for the 2022/2023 academic year, whereas undergraduate students paid $6,834. This represents a 1.7% and 2.6% increase, respectively, from the previous year.

Tuition fees increase for Canadian undergraduate and graduate students →

While today’s Canadian currency is very recognizable and strong, it’s only been in place since 1870. Prior to that, a variety of currencies were in use throughout 'Canada', including the British Pound, the American Dollar, and even the Spanish Peso.

Track your all your $CAD, $USD, £GBP, €EUR and ¥YEN in one place with Neontra →

Canada stopped producing pennies ($0.01, or 1 cent coins) in 2013, but they remain in circulation, and items for sale are still priced in one-cent increments.

Track every penny you spend →

The average price for electricity in Canada is around 17.4¢/kWh. If your apartment or house is averagely consuming around 1000kWh, your electric bill will be roughly $174. The average cost of utilities in Canada is $304.75 per month.

Learn how your spending compares to national averages with our NEOs →

While most people can identify the 'heads' and 'tails' of a coin, for collectors, it is also important to identify other parts of a coin too.

Anatomy of a coin →

Asking rents in Canada increased 9.7% annually to an average of $1,984 in February. The annual rate of rent inflation has been moderating since reaching a high of 12.4% in November 2022.

Learn how much rent inflation has grown in your neighbourhood →

According to Canada's Food Price Report for 2023, a family of four will spend $16,288.41 on food this year ($1,357.37 a month) —that's up $1,065.60 from 2022.

Learn about how to start monitoring your food spending with Neontra →