Hi y’all —
*to the tune of "Let It Snow"*
Oh, the headlines outside are frightful
But this inbox is so delightful
And since you've no place to go
Make some dough, make some dough, make some dough
Inflation doesn't show signs of stoppin'
But Dollar Scholar tips? Wow, they're poppin'
My puns, they won't ever go
Make some dough, make some dough, make some dough
When you finally hit reply
Ideas for future issues form
When you read newsletters like mine
And share pet pics, my heart you will warm
JPow's term is slowly dyin'
And, Scholars, we're still goodbyein'
But as long as you read DS, oh!
You'll make some dough, make some dough, make some dough
Let me be the first to wish you a very happy Scholardays! What a rollercoaster 2025 was.
We learned about how "smart" grocery carts can save us money at the store, why it's super awkward to list your credit score on Tinder and what to do if you win the lottery. We dug into the details on the real difference between being "prequalified" and "preapproved" for a credit card and discovered the silver lining to all this tariff talk (spoiler: It's increased awareness about your spending habits). We found out that retail therapy is real (hooray!) and it's premature to get rid of our wallets (boo!).
And we grew! The Dollar Scholar community is now over 400,000 subscribers strong. Emailing you every week is a responsibility I take seriously. I'm grateful for the opportunity, and I wish I could send you all Judy's hot chocolate from The Santa Clause.
Before I get sappier than a Christmas tree, let's jump into our annual reader feedback issue, which includes money victories, tips and general Dollar Scholar commentary.
On credit card perks: My wife and I got the Citi Double Cash card years back to get me access to presales to concerts, especially out-of-town ones. I have used it many times so far. — Scholar Dave
On tapping to pay: I visited the United Kingdom and Spain this summer and there wasn't a single store, restaurant, bar or taxi that took my physical credit card. Everyone had tap-to-pay devices, and if I was eating or drinking, they brought them right to where I was seated. It's surprising to me this hasn't been more widely adopted in the U.S. — Scholar Ray
On how many pieces of pizza he could eat: I can eat three slices of pizza, thick crust. — Scholar John
On what to do with 401(k) statements: I strongly suggest buying a log roller. The device is designed to roll fire logs using newspaper and will work just fine with letter or legal size paper. If you don't have a wood stove or fireplace — and with the price of fuel now, why in the world don't you?! — then I suppose turning the statement into egg cartons by way of a recycling place is, sadly, the best alternative. — Scholar Cal
On book recommendations: I just finished the latest book of Dungeon Crawler Carl — very funny. Lots of violence, though. — Scholar Heather
