If youāre in your 20s, rejoice! Youāre in a great position to create the life you want, starting with a secure financial future. While itās common to feel overwhelmed when entering the workforce full time, there are a lot of things you can do fresh out of college that...
Education Articles
How to Start Investing
If youāre interested in beginning to invest but are nervous, or simply donāt have a lot of money to invest, why not start slow? There are a multitude of ways to get started without risking a lot of money in the process. If you have $1,000 and are ready to start...
Social Security History and Benefits
Created as a result of the Great Depression, The Social Security Act was signed into law by President Roosevelt in 1935; mainly due to the rise in poverty of the nationās elderly population. The act was designed to provide retired workers ages 65 and older with a...
What is Zombie Debt?
Zombie debt is old debt that is typically written off as bad debt by the original creditor and then later sold to collection agencies for pennies on the dollar. Most of the debt sold is years old and cannot legally be collected, though many consumers are unaware of...
Getting Started in the Stock Market
Investing in the stock market can be extremely rewarding, but not without risk. While most investors understand that market volatility is a given in the stock market, for those trying to decide whether to invest in stocks, the volatility alone gives them pause. A lot...
When and Why to Switch Auto Insurance
Like health care, many of us continue with the same auto insurance policy for years, never bothering to find out whether another insurance carrier could provide better service or save us some money. But there are several reasons why shopping for another auto insurance...
7 Ways to Avoid Bankruptcy
In 2018, Americansā debt hit $13 trillion, with the average American carrying more than $38,000 in debt ā not including home mortgages. For many, debt is simply a way of life, with more Americans living from paycheck to paycheck. For those consumed by debt, Chapter 7...
New Home Financing Checklist
While owning a home is the quintessential American dream, not everyone is able to purchase a home when they desire. If youāre fresh out of school with a boat load of student debt, itās probably best to wait until youāve been working for at least a year before you...
Start Saving for Retirement Today
Time certainly goes by fast. One day youāre interviewing for your first job and the next thing you know youāre a few short years from applying for Social Security. If youāve planned for your retirement, youāll likely have a good stash of funds saved. But the...
Finance Financial Missteps
Personal finance, like just about everything else, is mainly common sense. Advice like ādonāt spend more than you make; start investing while youāre young; donāt loan money to friends with the expectation of getting it back,ā have been around for generations, and most...
Why Financial Advisors Are Still Important
With the rise in popularity of financial planning robo-advisors, many experts predicted the beginning of the end for financial advisors. But as many investors are starting to see, there are distinct advantages to speaking with a live person when determining just how...
Top Strategies for Charitable Giving
We all have certain causes that we choose to support monetarily. In fact, in 2017, Americans gave more than $410 billion to charities, breaking the $400 billion mark for the first time in history. But anytime that we give our money to an organization, itās important...