Personal Finance

If you are one to periodically check your credit score for free, you know it can pay dividends in more ways than one. If you’ve never checked your credit score before, or it’s been a while since you last have, it might be time to look into it. The Federal Trade Commission estimates that one…

Building and maintaining a respectable credit score is an important part of your financial life.  With a good credit score, you can qualify for the best loans at the lowest rates, earn cash rewards with responsible credit card use, and more. But how do you actually earn a great score? If you don’t know what…

Chances are you have some goals you’d like to tick off in your lifetime. Maybe you want to visit three dozen countries, buy a house, retire by the time you’re 55, or start a family and send your children off to college. Chances are also good that you won’t be able to achieve those goals…

Have you ever looked at your to-do list for the day and wondered how you were going to accomplish it all? Wouldn’t it be nice if you could combine a few errands into a single trip? Thanks to stores that give you physical cash back on debit card purchases, you may be able to do…

Trying to cash a check when you don’t have a bank account is a huge pain. These days, the majority of financial transactions take place online. Even exchanging money between family and friends is now done through online apps like Venmo, PayPal, or Zelle. Most of these require a linked bank account. That means if…

Sinking funds are one of the most useful additions to a budget, and yet not many people know what they are. Many first-time budgeters are confused about sinking funds, asking questions like “What is a sinking fund?” or “What’s the best way to set them up, and are they really necessary?” These mini savings funds…

Learning how to fill out a money order is essential to completing important money moves when a checkbook is no longer an option for you. These days, checkbooks have largely gone the way of the dinosaur. Some people still keep one around for old times’ sake — or for budgeting reasons. But for the most…

The money that you earn from your savings account is just gravy on top of what you’ve already saved. It feels like free money. That’s why it can be such a shock when you find out that yes — paying taxes on interest is something you need to do. The amount you actually owe in…

Many people dream of having lots of money and think about what they would buy and where they would go if they did get rich. Yet, so many don’t actually know how to become rich. After all, don’t you have to come from a wealthy family or inherit a boatload of money to be rich?…

If you’ve ever asked yourself “How many bank accounts should I have?” or find it difficult to manage your money in general, you’re not alone. According to one 2017 CareerBuilder survey, nearly eight in 10 Americans currently live paycheck to paycheck.[1] An alarming trend, but one we can work together to address. Fortunately, there are…