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Know What Should -- and Shouldn't -- Affect Student Loan Borrowing 08/11/2015 08:00pm • The class of 2015 graduated as the most indebted ever, with an average debt level of approximately $35,000, reported The Wall Street Journal. Before it, the class of 2014 held the "honor," owing approximately $33,000 on average. And before that, there was the class of 2013, which owed approximatel Netflix Provides Breakthrough for Working Parents in America 08/10/2015 08:00pm • Flexibility is the word of the month with last week's news about Netflix's new "unlimited" parental leave policy. While the U.S. still trails the rest of the globe when it comes to family-friendly work policies, the tech giant's decision to offer full pay to employees in the first year after the bi 4 Financial Stocks To Profit From Interest Rate Increases 08/10/2015 08:00pm • As the U.S. economy continues to improve, many people watching the stock market expect the Federal Reserve to begin a series of interest rate increases beginning as early as September. Although an environment of increasing rates is generally bad for stocks, it is typically beneficial for the financ Should Your College Kid Get a Credit Card? 08/10/2015 08:00pm • These days, applying for college can be easier than applying for a credit card. When Spencer Shulem tried to get a credit card at age 18, he quickly discovered how difficult it can be. He applied to a handful, and despite having a job and earning $30,000 a year, he was rejected by all of them due t Should You Let Uber Help You Lease a Car? 08/10/2015 08:00pm • Uber is taking another spin with car leasing. The popular ride-hailing startup began helping its drivers with vehicle financing in late 2013, but the effort quickly drew criticism over high interest rates and rigid lease structures. Uber also cut fares, which meant many drivers had to work longer ho Why Mixed-Asset Income Funds Belong in Your Portfolio 08/09/2015 08:00pm • If a typical fund is a fruit salad, a mixed-asset income fund is a bowl of berries: a blend of relatively low-risk stocks and bonds that are designed to channel income to an investor. This type of fund is becoming more popular as an investment vehicle that is relatively safe, predictable and gener 7 Financial Steps to Take When Getting a Divorce 08/06/2015 08:00pm • The financial effects of divorce could be worse than any downturn in the economy. An average bear market lasts 15 months and results in a 32 percent loss in investments, according to investment firm Edward Jones. Meanwhile, a divorce can wipe out 50 percent of a person's assets and never ends, says What the 2015 Song of the Summer Can Teach Us About Credit 08/06/2015 08:00pm • No summer is ever complete until "The Song of the Summer" is crowned. It's got to be catchy. It's got to be poppy. And it's got to be impossible to go to a beach, a barbecue or a neighborhood pool party without hearing it. It's the hit pop song that even people who don't listen to hit pop songs know Dusting Off Your New Year's Money Resolutions 08/06/2015 08:00pm • Remember all those financial goals you set for yourself right around New Year's Day? How's that going? This would be the year, you said, that you would get serious about saving for retirement and fattening up your emergency fund. You vowed to write a will, buy more life insurance or save for a hou How to Stop Living the Paycheck-to-Paycheck Lifestyle 08/06/2015 09:00am • For Laura Jones, it wasn't a lack of savings that led to her living paycheck to paycheck. In fact, the 38-year-old Lawrenceburg, Indiana, resident had been diligently putting money away in her retirement account. However, when she lost a job, she realized her money was out of reach, and frugal livin 5 Ways to Get a Big Head Start on Holiday Shopping 08/05/2015 08:00pm • Each year around the holidays, you may look at your calendar and realize with horror that you aren't prepared. There isn't enough money or time to buy gifts or upgrade decorations to replicate the amazing holidays you remember as a kid. So why not start preparing for the December shopping onslaught Discover High-Tech Tools That Help With College Savings 08/04/2015 08:00pm • Saving for college is no longer as simple as stashing money in a savings account, says Marcos Cordero, CEO of Saving for College LLC, which publishes the website Savingforcollege.com. With dozens of state-sponsored 529 plans, which are tax-advantaged college savings accounts, as well as other inv Weigh the Benefits, Drawbacks to Living at Home During College 08/04/2015 08:00pm • Picture the first day of college: unpacking extra-long twin sheets, unloading the mini fridge, meeting the roommate and pinning up that Bob Marley poster. For many students, that classic college introduction doesn't happen. Nearly one in five freshmen, on average, commuted or lived off campus in f Take Calculated Risks to Profit From These 5 Dividend Stocks 08/03/2015 08:00pm • All investments carry risk, and after the havoc of the 2008-2009 financial crisis, most Americans know all too well how devastating the downside of a belly-up investment can be. In the years since then, many on Main Street cast their aspersions on Wall Street, blaming greedy bankers and complex fi Blending Families and Your Finances 07/30/2015 08:00pm • Combining finances is often the easy part of blending a family. Just ask Harley Turner, an aspiring author, seasonal tax preparer and stay-at-home mom in Beloit, Wisconsin. She says that in the early days of dating her husband, they only saw each other on weekends, when her other kids were with thei