February 19th, 2013
**Today’s guest post is contributed by Benjamin.**
Want to improve your finances? Maybe you’ve got debt; maybe you have trouble saving money; maybe you feel like your finances are in control of you rather than the other way around. Whatever the case may be, there are four keystones of financial stability that you can master with a little effort (and patience) that will help you get your financial life on track.
All you have to do is spend some time working on these, and you’ll notice a marked improvement! Here they are:
1. Watch your interest rates
In today’s world, interest rates are crucial. They are like a “Difficulty Level” meter in a video game… you know, where you select whether to play the game in the “Easy,” “Medium” or “Hard” mode? Except in this case, it’s not a game. It’s your life. And if you have high interest rates on your debt then it’s like going through life in “Hard” mode.
And that’s no fun!
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February 1st, 2013
While the holidays have come and gone, many of us are still feeling the financial sting that is distinct to this most wonderful time of the year.
Credit card debt is usually where most consumers have borne the brunt of the holiday weight (financially, at least—I’m sure nana’s cookies haven’t helped other areas either). But it’s important to know that if you are toting some major credit card debt that you are not alone. Here are some numbers from
Credit Karma's December 2012 data that may or may not shock you.
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October 29th, 2012
How many experts have you heard tell you to “keep a budget”? Why don’t they ever acknowledge that almost nobody keeps a budget consistently? After all, why would we? Keeping a budget makes us feel bad about our purchases. Even worse, it’s backwards-looking, which means we simply look at our spending, shrug, and say, “I guess I spent that much.” “Keep a budget” is the kind of advice personal-finance writers love to write...but few people actually follow.
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October 18th, 2012
>One of the greatest pieces of personal finance advice I ever received was to know myself well. Personal finance is personal. No matter what the financial gurus say, one size doesn't fit all when it comes to personal finances. What may work for one person often doesn't work for the next and vice-versa. Due to this, it's important to know yourself well so that you can take the financial advice that is out there and decide whether or not it really makes sense for you.
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October 17th, 2012
Have you gone out for coffee recently and used an iPhone app to pay for it? How about sending a text message to a cab company to send a car to your exact location? There’s no doubt about it, we are now living in an instant gratification society. Phones come as fully loaded as a laptop and just about anyone can go through a drive through to not only get food, but to get coffee, a car wash, or who knows what else. Having everything we want and need at our fingertips can only be a good thing, right? Not necessarily...
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October 15th, 2012
When I started college, the internet wasn't the machine it is today. You couldn't apply for a credit card online. It could only be done over the phone, via snail mail or on a college campus, where credit card companies would set up tables and advertise to new, wide-eyed college students. Sure enough, I was one of those new college students who knew nothing about credit cards, and I applied for my very first card.
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August 15th, 2012
Many people know that they need a bank account because they need somewhere for their pay to be deposited and they need to pay bills each month. Many people also know that they should have a credit card and use it responsibly because it helps them build a strong credit history and a good credit score; but not many people know that their banking relationships can also affect their personal credit score.
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July 24th, 2012
>Insurance is the act of transferring your risk of loss (typically monetary) on a particular item (or life) to a corporation. In exchange for transferring that risk, the "insured" agrees to pay a particular premium amount. I acknowledge that many insurance products out there are a waste of money, however
there are 5 different products that YOU must carry to protect your family and your future.
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June 18th, 2012
No matter how little I've had, there have always been times in my life when I'll find myself with a little extra cash. The strangest was a literal "Pay it forward" moment in college when a guy in a business suit walked up to me on the street, handed me twenty dollars, said "Pay it forward," and walked away.
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June 14th, 2012
Yeah, we know: cash is king. Except for getting change. Except for when cash gets dirty. Except for when you lose cash. Except for when the product you purchased breaks, or the item you ordered online is not what you thought it'd be. Aside from obvious purchase protections and greater accountability, though, there are some lesser-known benefits of using your
credit card.
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