People often talk about what they’d do if they had “extra” money. The reality is, though, that there’s not really such a thing as “extra” money. Extra means left over, or a surplus. For almost everyone, there’s somewhere that money should be going, whether it’s to pay down debt, add to a savings account, invest, or begin planning for retirement. Thus, it’s not actually extra, even if all your bills are covered.

When I graduated college, I knew nothing about financial planning. I knew saving and being mindful of my expenses was good, but I didn’t know what it meant to manage my money well.

When the market is volatile it can make investors feel uneasy. In a perfect world the market would never be down, but unfortunately ebbs and flows come with the territory. When the market does slow down, here are a few tax saving strategies that may be worth taking advantage of: