So, you’ve thought about whether renting or buying your next home is the right decision for you. If you decide to buy a home, you’ll likely have to prepare for financing your purchase with mortgage payments. Here’s where things can get a bit tricky. While getting a hold of the costs involved with home buying can… Read More

Spring and summer vacations are lifesavers after a long, dark winter, though the cost of travel can make planning a trip stressful. But don’t let a tight budget keep you from having a getaway. There are ways to do it for less that won’t diminish your experience. In fact, some may enhance it. 1. Be Flexible on Travel Dates… Read More

The recent announcement from American Express that it will raise interest rates for more than 1 million cardholders has a lot of people asking questions, like how this change will affect them or whether or not this could be the start of an industry-wide trend. It’s been a while since credit card issuers were in… Read More

Q. My son is turning 18 and I’ve saved more than $200,000 for him for college. He doesn’t want to go. Some of the money is in UTMAs, some in a 529 Plan and some in savings bonds. I don’t want him to live off the money and not get a job. Help! A. Bet… Read More

If you have student loan debt, you’ve probably noticed that your loans have a language all their own – and the last thing you want to do is spend your free time learning it. The good news is that you don’t need to be fluent in loan lingo in order to navigate the world of education debt… Read More

Imagine you were President, or Speaker of the House, and one day you woke up and discovered that you had an extra $5.8 billion dollars to spend. What would you do with the cash? A new aircraft carrier (or half of one, anyway)? Perhaps a couple of bridges to somewhere or a new highway? A quaint premise,… Read More

In early December 2014 I went to the doctor for a twinge. Fifty-six days, two surgeries and countless tests later I’ve been diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. I could recount for you all the co-pay and medication costs, but let’s talk about all the things I bought that insurance doesn’t come close to covering: $99 –… Read More

Can you earn rewards “miles” without stepping on an airplane, or using an airline’s credit card? Several major credit card issuers are hoping that you will want to, and they’re offering rewards cards that offer miles not associated with any airline. To join this increasingly competitive segment of the market, Discover has just announced the release… Read More

When a widespread data breach happens, children are often the most at risk for identity theft. Their clean credit histories make them targets for identity thieves to steal information and open new lines of credit. After the Anthem data breach, millions of children in the U.S. had their personal information exposed, making them vulnerable to… Read More

Mobile alerts from your credit card issuer can do much more than alert you to possible fraud. You can use that information to help you improve your credit. First, a word about how credit scores work. The two biggest factors are paying on time (35%) and the amount of credit you use relative to your… Read More