May 8th, 2013
As a 90s child, I can just barely remember a time when technology wasn’t pervasive in my life. Technology has revolutionized how we communicate and connect, and the financial services industry has not been left behind.
You used to write checks, and now you can pay bills online. You used to get your bill in the mail. Now you can find out how much you owe by logging into your online account. With banks upgrading their mobile apps to video chatting through an ATM, technology continues to make it easier for us to control the state of our money.
At Credit Karma, we’re all a little nerdy about our finances. I’m interested in how technology makes new things possible, so here are some cool ways that the finance world is growing right now.
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May 6th, 2013
For one out of four Americans, “cash only” is a way of life.
17 million Americans lack access to any type of formal bank account and are classified as “unbanked.” In addition, 51 million Americans do access basic bank services such as a savings account, yet they still rely on alternative financial institutions as well. These individuals might frequent check-cashing joints, fall prey to payday lenders, and often incur exorbitant fees associated with such alternative banking methods.
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April 15th, 2013
The first dollar you make. A trip around the world. That movie where aliens blow up the White House. However you define independence, we’re all working toward it. (Well,
Will Smith has the aliens covered.) Some of us are independent from a young age, babysitting to pay for a puppy or cooking dinners for siblings. Some of us don’t work a single day until our twenties.
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April 8th, 2013
Even if your child hasn’t yet learned to walk, it’s never too early to start saving and budgeting for his or her college education. In these tough economic times, when it comes to creating and adhering to a successful savings plan for college, you may need to work over the long term to save enough money. In order to get a substantial head start on the rising cost of tuition, it’s a good idea to have several eggs in your basket when you're budgeting for college.
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March 25th, 2013
Getting married is one of the most exciting things that can happen in your life. But for those of us who work hard to maintain a solid financial plan, it can also be a scary financial endeavor. How do I know? Because I’m on that road myself. I’ve had a major shift in my financial philosophy since my early 20s that has led me to track all my spending and avoid buying anything I don’t technically need.
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March 22nd, 2013
Each month, we take a look at data from our members to analyze the current state of credit and debt in the U.S. This month we’re honing in on student loan debt, which has been a
hot topic for quite some time now. What we found might surprise you.
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March 18th, 2013
We all know not to grocery shop when we’re hungry, and we all know not to visit retailers selling handbags for more than our mortgage payments. However, there are several shopping mistakes that aren’t as easy to identify. Read on for a roundup of common errors and how to avoid them.
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March 17th, 2013
Imagine this: You’re a happily married stay-at-home parent and your husband has been supporting the family with his one income for years. You’re frugal and smart with the family money, but then your husband is laid off and has trouble finding work. You’re forced to drain your savings and max-out the only credit cards you have—the ones you hold jointly.
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March 6th, 2013
Up to this point, all of our
National Consumer Protection Week blog posts here at the
Credit Karma Blog have covered ways to help protect you. First, we mentioned some ways to
keep your money safe. Then, we discussed how to
spot and avoid credit repair scams. Finally, we shared some good ways to
protect your credit. This post is going to be a little different. And we sincerely hope you won’t need to read it, because today we’re going to talk about what to do if you’re a victim of identity theft.
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March 1st, 2013
As mentioned in an earlier blog post, next week is
National Consumer Protection Week, a campaign that encourages consumers to take advantage of their rights and make better-informed decisions. In the spirit of NCPW, we here at the
Credit Karma Blog will be writing a series of blog posts with handy tips on how you can protect yourself. A few days ago, we covered several ways to
keep your money safe. Today, we’re going to show you how to spot and avoid credit repair scams, which are unfortunately more prevalent than we’d like.
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