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What You Should Know About Impact Investing 02/21/2017 07:00pm • More Americans, especially millennials, are interested in investing in sustainably minded companies that hold a tangible connection with their social values. Robert Johnson, president and CEO of American College of Financial Services in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, predicts the election of President Do Over 65? How to know if you can afford a 'gray divorce' 02/21/2017 06:31am • WASHINGTON — Later-in-life divorces dubbed “gray divorce” have more than doubled since 1990 among couples who are 65 and older, making up 25 percent of all Americans who divorce after the age of 50. The rise in gray divorces during the past decade has caused significant financial strains fo 7 Smart Ways to Spend a $1,000 Tax Refund 02/20/2017 07:00pm • You could be coming into some money soon. According to the Internal Revenue Service, in 2016, 111 million Americans received tax refunds, with the average amount being $2,860. Of course, you may not be due anything. The IRS expects 30 percent of taxpayers to not receive refunds this year. But let's 3 smart tax refund moves for homeowners in 2017 02/19/2017 07:00pm • Tax season is upon us and many consumers -- particularly homeowners -- across the country are filing their tax returns and anticipating a refund. According to a 2016 survey by NeighborWorks America, two-thirds of taxpayers expect to receive a refund in 2017. What should a homeowner do with their ref 5 Smart Ways to Use Your Home Equity 02/16/2017 07:00pm • Cash-strapped middle class families may be richer than they think. Or at least, that could be true if they have owned a house for a while. Equity in a home -- that is, the value of a property in excess of any mortgage balance -- can be a powerful financial tool if used correctly. Home equity loans a What You Need to Know About Taking Out Any Cash Advance 02/16/2017 07:00pm • Sometimes we hear advice so often -- don't do this, don't do that -- that we simply know something is a bad idea and forget why it's a bad idea. Taking out a cash advance is a bad idea. If you're ever in the position in which you feel as if you have to take a cash advance, you'd do well to learn wha Is Buying a Home Through a Short Sale Ever a Good Idea? 02/16/2017 07:00pm • Today's real estate market is tough on homebuyers. With low inventory, rapidly rising home values and wages that haven't yet caught up, finding a home in your price range that doesn't have multiple offers can be a difficult task. If you've encountered this already, it may seem like the right time to Say What? Decoding Ubiquitous Financial Jargon 02/15/2017 07:00pm • Meeting with a financial professional can be key to getting your finances on track. But one thing that doesn't make it easier: When your financial advisor seems to be speaking an entirely different language. "Deleverage" ... "Fixed income" ... "Tax-loss harvesting." What the heck is your advisor ev 10 Important Investments Before Having a Baby 02/15/2017 07:00pm • How to save for a baby.Everything changes when you have a child. Pre-planning your finances before a baby arrives can make a difference later. A USDA report says middle-income, married parents are projected to spend $233,610 raising a child born in 2015. That's about $13,000 per year annually, with Prequalification vs. preapproval, and why one doesn't mean much 02/15/2017 11:25am • WASHINGTON — In the current, competitive housing market, it helps to be able to show a seller you've already got your financing ducks in a row, and a letter from the lender can do that. Just make sure it's the relevant letter. Often, a borrower's first step is to fill out an online form requ Which Are Better: Fixed-Rate Mortgages or ARMs? 02/14/2017 07:00pm • Choosing a mortgage has been a simple matter during recent years of record low rates: lock in the best deal you can find with a 30-year, fixed-rate loan. After all, with these great fixed deals offered everywhere, why risk a future rate increase with an adjustable-rate loan? In fact, fixed-rate mort Student Loans: What DeVos Might Do 02/14/2017 07:00pm • After one of the more contentious Senate confirmation hearings in recent memory -- and a first-ever vice presidential tie-breaking vote, Betsy DeVos has been confirmed as the new U.S. secretary of education. While much has been written about this controversial appointment in recent weeks, there's be 7 Habits of Highly Successful Savers 02/14/2017 07:00pm • According to a 2016 study conducted by GOBankingRates, more than two-thirds of Americans have less than $1,000 saved, with 34 percent admitting to having absolutely no money in their savings account. Though today's consumers are more aware than ever about the importance of savvy spending, these sta How to talk to your mate about money -- and keep the romance alive 02/14/2017 12:42pm • WASHINGTON — There’s a disconnect between how well couples say they communicate about money and what the research says, according to Fidelity’s 2015 Couples Retirement Study. For instance, 72 percent of couples surveyed feel that they communicate about money exceptionally or very well, yet How to save money by ditching your car 02/14/2017 11:00am • Chris Balish hasn't owned a car since 2005. After discovering that his massive SUV wouldn't fit in his cramped apartment parking garage, he quickly sold the vehicle. Balish, who was living in St. Louis at the time, figured out how to get to work on public transit and bicycle. "By the end of the m