The only finance bro we trust
Plus: 🍹 Boston’s new NA bar
It’s Thursday, Boston.
👠 Meet hundreds of creatives in one room. Experience bold runway designers, immersive moments, and electric New England energy. In Full Bloom isn’t just a local fashion show, it’s a movement celebrating community, education, and entrepreneurship. Grab tickets here!
👀 What’s on tap today:
- More MBTA shutdowns!
- Boston’s new NA bar
- Dunkin’s dirty soda
Up first…
MONEY SMARTER, NOT HARDER
Make it make cents!
Illustration: Gia Orsino
*puts on Patagonia vest* We’re celebrating National Financial Literacy with our new series “Money Smarter, Not Harder,” where Boston Globe senior assistant business editor Andy Rosen answers your burning $$$ questions every Thursday this April.
Next on the docket: investing …
I want to start investing, but don’t know where to start! What are the basics?
📊 It’s about beating inflation. Money sitting in a bank account for years has historically not grown at a fast enough clip to outpace even normal levels of inflation. So most people look for ways to put their money to work.
🤑 The easy(er) way: Opening a retirement account. Many employers will help you fund a retirement savings plan that puts your money in a tax-friendly mix of mostly stocks and bonds constructed to grow at a rate necessary to fund your later-in-life needs. Some will even offer a company match (which is basically free money). There are also individual retirement arrangements (IRAs) that offer similar features if your company doesn’t have something that works for you.
🪨 The hard(er) way: Opening a brokerage account. Managing your own portfolio allows you to pick out investments that you think will rise in value over time. Just remember: People get paid A LOT of money to do this well, and even they mess it up frequently. Maybe you’ll be lucky, good, or both. I’m neither. Beating the market is tough for a novice.
Is there a special breakdown for what percentage of money should be in what type of investment?
😵💫 There are lots of opinions about this … But generally, the younger you are, the more stocks you’ll want in your portfolio. Stocks overall are higher in risk and reward than other assets such as bonds or cash. You have more time to weather a bad year for your long-term savings when you’re younger — knowing that the stock market has historically trended upward over time.
💯 One (very basic) example: Some people use the “rule of 100.” Subtract your age from 100 to get the percentage of your portfolio that should be in stocks vs. more conservative investments. Ex: If you’re 28, your portfolio would be 72% stock. But chances are, if you have a retirement fund, they’re setting this balance for you.
🌈 Diversify! Diversify! Diversify! When we talk about stocks here, we’re talking about the stock market — not one stock you believe in. Individual investments are much more unpredictable.
🙏 Thanks for sending in such great Qs this month! I had so much fun hearing your stories, and it was an honor that you thought my perspective might help you. I’ll be back in your inboxes soon, so keep your questions coming here!
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TOGETHER WITH INSTITUTION FOR SAVINGS
Boston real estate, decoded
🏙️🏡Buying here isn’t exactly simple (or cheap) — but it doesn’t have to feel impossible. Institution for Savings offers competitive rates, fast turnaround, and local lenders who know this market inside and out (because they live here, too and complain about rent like the rest of us). Whether you’re just casually browsing Zillow or already picking out paint for your future home office, they’ll help you make sense of it all. Explore your options and take the first step. Institution for Savings | NMLS #2478201 | Member FDIC | Equal Housing Lender. All loans are subject to credit approval.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EMILY!
🥳 We have a *very* special b-day shoutout … for Mother B-Side herself! Our head of content Emily Schario is officially 30, flirty, and thriving! If you love B-Side, you love Emily — no one’s better at sniffing out deals, writing wacky subject lines, and occasionally putting her body on the line for your entertainment (see: her attempting to churn butter by running seven miles through the Newton Hills). Everyone say: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EMILY!
CITY
Quick & dirty headlines
Image: David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe
🚇 It’s gonna be May(hem) on the MBTA. As we know, a new month = new shutdowns. Green Liners have it the worst, with a juicy, 12-day shutdown on the C branch from May 6 to 17, and a weeklong shutdown on the E branch from May 30 to June 5. Red Liners will see smaller, weekend interruptions from May 2 to 4 on the Braintree branch, May 14 to 18 on the Ashmont branch, and both from May 29 to 31; Blue Liners are due May 9 to 10, and Mattapan Trolley get lucky from May 14 to 16. Get all that? Here’s allll the info.
🏡 Buying a house in Mass. just got a little easier. Thanks to a new program from MassHousing, more first-time homebuyers are eligible for up to $25,000 in loans toward their first home. Here’s the deal: The cash comes interest-free with deferred payment terms (basically buy now, pay later) to cover expenses like down payments or closing costs. To be eligible, you need to lock in a MassHousing mortgage before July 31 and earn up to 135% of the area’s median income, a.k.a. $205,335. Interested? Find more info here.
🚗 The World Cup pulled an Uno reverse on tailgating. Officials announced that tailgating will be allowed at Gillette Boston Stadium for World Cup games after all, despite weeks of saying it wouldn’t be. Apparently, the whole thing was a misunderstanding: local officials thought the policy was a tournament-wide rule, but turns out, it’s not. Whoops! All that said, considering the stadium’s parking *situation* — there will only be 5,000 spots available, down from the usual 20,000 — tailgating doesn’t exactly sound appealing …
🍹 This new bar … doesn’t serve alcohol. Meet Beyond Proof, a new restaurant and bar in JP that serves only non-alcoholic bevs. Before the rebrand, the space was home to bistro Ten Tables, which closed in December after 25 years. Owner Krista Kranyak had planned to sell, but when the deal fell through, she was inspired by her sobriety journey to try something new. Now, with a fresh coat of paint (pink, obv), a revamped food menu, and an arsenal of $13 craft NA cocktails, the space has taken on a new life. Check out the menu!
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COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT
🏃Last chance to save on the Full Season Pass. RACE Cancer’s Full Season Pass for the Boston 5K Summer Series includes a free personalized UPF50+ shirt plus your choice of bib number, and you’ll be able to skip the line at all eight check-ins and enjoy free beer and pizza after running. The season pass is already a great deal, but B-Side readers save an additional $20 with code BSIDE20. Purchase by midnight tonight here.
ONE LAST THING
Dunkin’s dirty soda
Images: Dunkin’. Illustration: Gia Orsino.
Dunkin’s new menu is giving “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.” Let us explain.
On Wednesday, Dunkin’ dropped a hefty lineup of new drinks, including a dirty soda straight out of SLOMW with Pepsi, coffee milk, and cold foam … and TBH, it looks really good.
Also on the menu: A collab with Oreo including a coolatta, matcha, and latte; “cloud” lattes made with marshmallow cold foam; black cherry and limeade refresher flavors, and fruit punch doughnuts.
It’s only been out for a day, and from what we can tell, it’s TikTok-approved. But obviously, we had to try the dirty soda ourselves. Our two cents: It tastes like a cream soda with a strong hit of coffee that some of us loved, and left others confused. 7/10!
Peruse the whole whole menu here.
— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario
🍩 Thanks for reading! Your move, Starbucks.
💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, Institution for Savings, for supporting local journalism and helping Bostonians escape the rent cycle once and for all.
🍳 The results are in: 63% of B-Siders said they’re IN on brunch. One reader said: “Savory main and a sweet one for the table? Heaven.” Team table pancakes ALWAYS.
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