This Week’s Money Map:

• ☀️ Summer travel on easy mode: 5 free tools that save time and money

• 💵 Tax-free income from life insurance — how it actually works

• 🧐 Maximizing your employer’s health benefits (to stop leaving money on the table)

• 💰 MG Book Club: Your personal Die With Zero formula

☀️ Summer travel on easy mode: 5 free tools that will save you time and money

Planning a summer trip shouldn’t feel like a full-time job. These five free tools make booking flights, hotels, and road trips way faster, easier, and cheaper.

Point.me — Fly with miles like a pro
If you’ve ever racked up airline miles but had no idea how to use them, this one’s for you. Point.me is like a search engine for reward travel. Instead of manually checking each airline’s site to see where your points can take you, Point.me scans 30+ loyalty programs in real-time to show you the best ways to book flights with your miles. It saves you hours of searching and shows options you likely wouldn’t find on your own.

How to use it: Just input your destination and dates, log into your frequent flyer accounts, and let Point.me show you how to stretch your miles further.

HotelTonight — Last-minute doesn’t mean overpriced
Booking hotels last-minute used to mean slim pickings and sky-high prices. Not anymore. HotelTonight helps you find steep discounts on unsold hotel rooms, even just hours before check-in. It’s fast, simple, and designed for spontaneous travelers or those who just forgot to book.

How to use it: Open the app, let it find deals near you (or in your destination city), and book in seconds. Great for both city escapes and road trip overnights.

Faye — Travel insurance that actually works
Travel insurance often feels like paying for peace of mind you’ll never use, until your luggage gets lost or your trip gets canceled. Faye stands out by offering real-time, app-based coverage and easy claims via your phone. Coverage starts before your trip and you can manage everything digitally — claims, support, even reimbursements.

How to use it: Book your trip, then use Faye to get a customized plan. If plans go sideways, Faye can reimburse instantly through the app.

Roadtrippers — Plan the ultimate scenic drive
If you're hitting the road, this app is a must. Roadtrippers helps you map out scenic routes, find hidden gems, and calculate fuel costs and time, all in one place. It shows you what’s worth seeing between points A and B, not just the fastest route.

How to use it: Enter your start and end points, then add stops like diners, nature spots, quirky museums, or national parks along the way.

Busbud — Like Expedia for buses
Think buses are just for the ultra-budget traveler? Think again. Busbud compares schedules and prices from hundreds of bus companies across the U.S. and abroad — perfect for affordable inter-city travel or short hops between destinations. Clean interface, price comparisons, and no endless tab-switching.

How to use it: Search by city and date, compare prices, book in-app, and get digital tickets, all on your phone.

Take the stress out, keep the fun in
Smart travelers don’t just pack light, they plan light, too. With these free tools at your fingertips, you can save time, skip the stress, and travel smarter.

💵 Tax-free income from life insurance? Here’s how it actually works

When a life insurance policyholder passes away, the death benefit paid to beneficiaries is generally income tax-free. This means your loved ones receive the full payout without owing federal income taxes, making life insurance a tax-efficient way to transfer wealth.

But what if I told you that life insurance doesn’t just benefit the beneficiaries? It’s actually a secret way to get tax-free income in retirement. Yep, you read that right. Certain types of permanent life insurance can double as a stealthy wealth strategy.

The move: Cash value life insurance
With whole life or indexed universal life (IUL) policies, a portion of your premium goes into a cash value account that grows tax-deferred. This means you don’t pay taxes on the gains as long as the money stays within the policy. This contrasts with taxable investment accounts, where you owe taxes annually on dividends and capital gains. Later, you can borrow against that cash, tax-free.

How to access cash value tax-free
You can access your policy’s cash value through policy loans, which are generally tax-free as long as the policy remains in force. Withdrawals up to the amount of premiums paid are usually tax-free, but gains withdrawn beyond that may be taxable.

Premiums are not tax-deductible
Although life insurance offers tax advantages, premiums you pay are typically not tax-deductible for individuals. However, employer-provided group life insurance coverage up to $50,000 is excluded from taxable income, offering a tax benefit on the premium side for employees.

Estate tax considerations
Life insurance proceeds may be subject to estate tax if the policy is owned by the insured at death, but with the current high estate tax exemption (around $14 million in 2025), most people are unaffected. Proper estate planning can further minimize tax exposure.

Learn more about whole life and IUL insurance.

🧐 How to maximize your employer’s health benefits (and stop leaving money on the table)

If you’re only using your employer’s health plan to check the “yes, I have insurance” box, you might be missing out on free money, smarter coverage, and major tax savings. Here’s how to get the most from what your employer offers:

1. Get the free HSA money
If you’re enrolled in a high-deductible health plan (HDHP), your employer might contribute to a Health Savings Account (HSA). That’s free, triple-tax-advantaged money! How? (1) Contributions are pre-tax; (2) Growth is tax-free; (3) Withdrawals for medical expenses are also tax-free

Pro tip: Even if you don’t need the funds now, treat your HSA like a stealth retirement account.

2. Don’t skip dental and vision
They’re often cheap add-ons, and even one cleaning or eye exam could make the premium worth it.

3. Use FSA funds before you lose them
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) are “use it or lose it” in most cases. Got one? Schedule those appointments and stock up on eligible items (think sunscreen, contact lens solution, even first aid kits).

4. Review plan tiers during open enrollment
Don’t auto-renew your health plan every year. What worked last year may not be the best deal now, especially if your needs or family size changed.

Your employer benefits package isn’t just health insurance — it’s a financial toolkit. Use it right, and it could save you hundreds (or thousands) each year.

Don’t get insurance through your employer? Learn more about the four common ways to get health insurance.

💰 MG Book Club: Your personal Die With Zero formula

This is the last week in our book club series on Die With Zero by Bill Perkins. According to Perkins, your life’s fulfillment curve peaks when you optimize the timing of experiences, not when your bank account hits its highest number.

Perkins divides life into three phases. The first is your growth phase in your 20s to 40s, which is the best time to invest in experiences and memory dividends. Second is your peak phase, when in your 50s to 60s. This is when you should maximize spending on bucket list experiences. And third is your decline phase, when you’re in your 70s and beyond. This is when your spending naturally decreases and it’s time for you to focus on giving.

The goal isn't to die with literally zero dollars, it's having just enough for final expenses plus a small buffer. To find your personal "die with zero" target:

1) Estimate your spending needs by age band (it will decline).
2) Factor in health care and end-of-life care (typically $100,000–200,000).
3) Build in a safety buffer of around 10–15%.
4) Subtract your expected income streams — including Social Security and pensions — to calculate when to start the drawdown.

Die With Zero isn't really about money — it's about aligning resources with values before it's too late.

Action step: Map your life into five-year buckets from now until 90. For each bucket, list experiences you want to have, identify which ones will become impossible later, calculate your savings and costs, and determine the optimal timing to fulfill these experiences based on health capacity.

The book's most profound insight: time and health are nonrenewable resources while money can be regenerated, yet we consistently trade the nonrenewable for the renewable.

Smart Cents gives you actionable tips and mindset shifts to help you reach your financial happy place. Thanks for being a part of our community.

The MoneyGeek Team

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