3 Things to Use Credit Cards for and 3 Things Not to
Using credit cards, and the value in doing so, is one of the most debated things between families and friends, and there is a never ending discussion about advantages and disadvantages going on daily on the internet.
Two things are for sure: 1. It is nice to have readily available credit for things that come up in our daily activities and 2. It is not nice to have to pay a monthly credit card bill, especially when there is a Continue article...
Baby-Boomer Generation Must Get Serious About Planning for Retirement
One maxim of life is that it is never too early or too late to start saving for retirement. However, our “Baby-Boomer” generation, the ones that were born in the two decades that followed World War II, have been preparing for retirement, but have, unfortunately, undergone two severe business-cycle reversals in the past ten years alone. Stock portfolios have taken a beating, and home equity values have plummeted, especially if a recent refinancing was used to pay down Continue article...
How to Reduce Your Property Taxes
Even though the real estate market is soft these days, which means property values are probably less than they could be, the decrease in what your property is worth might not to be reflected in how much you pay in property taxes. Property assessments for tax purposes are done on a regular basis, but generally not every year. Instead local governments do their assessments every few years, which means you may be paying more property tax than you really should Continue article...
What to Do about Persistent Collection Agencies
Don’t you hate when you get that call from collection agencies? You know the one – where they contact you and they pretend to be a friend and ask, “is Mary in?” Then, once they have you on the phone, if they’re honest, they say, “this call is an attempt to collect a debt. Any information obtained during this call will be used for that purpose.”
If you are behind in paying your bills, no matter who you owe money Continue article...
Your Retirement is not Enough: What to Do When You’re Broke
Recessions come and go and inflation is here to stay. In your 40’s, economic ups and downs don’t affect you because you know that with about 20 years left before retirement, you’ll have plenty of earning opportunities. You change jobs, get promoted, and earn bonuses for outstanding performance. Your savings are modest but you know that they will grow, providing you with a comfortable nest egg.
But life is full of detours. What happens when you reach Continue article...
What College Students and Their Parents Should Know About Insurance
What do college students think about? Parties, having a good time, the opposite sex, financial aid, grades, and selecting a major. Most college students don’t take the time to think about insurance. However, college students living away from home may not be covered by their parents’ auto, property, or health insurance. Let’s take a look at some insurance tips that college students should at least think about.
Rental Insurance
Your parents’ home insurance probably does not cover your off-campus rented apartment. Unfortunately, Continue article...
Doing What You Want To: How to Stop Spending On Stuff You Don’t Even Use
People work hard because they want to earn the right to live the life they want, even if it means spending on things that are useless to them. A person, who may have no control over some areas of his life, may find it extremely satisfying to at least have control over the money he has earned. To have the power to acquire things that normally poses a challenge can be quite addicting, especially when emotions are involved. People, after Continue article...
FTC Protects Consumers With New Debt Settlement Rules
Debt settlement is an effective debt relief solution for people drowning in unsecured debt. With debt settlement, you need to pay back only a part of what you owe to the creditors. Around 50% of the original debt amount is forgiven in this debt reduction process. However, there are too many scam companies in the debt settlement industry. These companies tempt the debtors with slogans like “be debt free in three months”. In reality, the fraud debt settlement companies push Continue article...
3 Bad Spending Habits and Ways to Break Them
It probably took a recession for many Americans to realize how out of hand their spending had become. It was actually a little shocking to find out how so many people were in serious credit card debt, with seemingly no way out. If there was any good that the recession brought us, then it is to take a closer look at our spending habits. We’ve rounded up some pretty common and bad spending habits that almost everyone is guilty with, Continue article...
The Real Cost of Borrowing Money
Borrowing money is convenient, because it means we can buy what we want, when we want it, without having to wait to save up the full amount. However, whenever you borrow to buy a house, a car or even a television, you need to think about the true cost of that item, and that goes well beyond the sticker price.
The Real Cost of Borrowing Money to Buy a House
The average house price in the US in 2011 is $272,200 Continue article...
