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10 Signs You Might Be a Victim of Identity Theft 07/06/2015 08:00pm • Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the country, according to the credit bureau TransUnion, with almost 10 million incidents a year. In fact, the bureau calculates that every minute, 19 people become victims, and the average cost to the victim is $500 and 30 hours. Those are some scary 3 Financial ETFs Set to Benefit From a Better Economy 07/06/2015 08:00pm • An improving U.S. economic outlook and expectations for higher interest rates mean the prospects are bright for stocks in the financial sector. Some investors have been wary about financial service stocks in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis and the subsequent regulation that hit this se 17 Legal Secrets to Reducing Your Taxes 07/05/2015 08:00pm • Around the time I stopped fighting with my parents and began listening to them, my dad imparted some brilliant financial advice. He told me to become a scholar of the tax law. OK, perhaps he didn't use those exact words, but the message was the same: Know the tax law and take every tax deduction to Not All ETFs Are Created Equal 07/05/2015 08:00pm • When investors think about the risk in their 401(k) or other brokerage accounts, they often frame it in terms of volatility. Most often, they are concerned about sharp declines in the U.S. stock market. With memories of the 2008 market plunge fresh in people's minds, it's understandable that many vi 5 Steps to Take When Your Student Loan Servicer Changes 07/05/2015 08:00pm • When Phil DeGuzman's private student loans were sold to a new lender, he felt powerless. "I found out about it via email," says DeGuzman, who was in graduate school at DePaul University in Chicago at the time. "The process was smooth because I had no choice but to accept it." Now, he makes payment Greece Rejects Austerity Measures, Faces Uncertain Future 07/05/2015 08:00pm • International markets bent -- but didn't break -- Monday after Greek citizens rejected austerity measures that would have opened the cash-strapped country to billions of dollars in emergency funds. Stocks in Europe, Asia and the U.S. began the week with a shaky start. But the sky didn't fall, perhap 5 Steps to Dump Debt During Your Senior Years 07/03/2015 09:00am • In 2013, the average household headed by someone age 55 or older had $73,211 in debt, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute. While this may seem like a significant amount, 67 percent of retirees the EBRI surveyed earlier this year said their debt is not a problem. Some financial exper The High Cost of Higher Education 07/01/2015 08:00pm • With the rising cost of higher education, more and more people have been asking the question lately: How am I going to pay for my child's college education? There's no easy answer to this, and for those who want their kids to succeed by sending them to the best possible school, it might seem like t Is Your Shopping Buddy Making You Spend Too Much? 06/30/2015 08:00pm • When you shop with friends or family members, you're often doing it not to spend money but to spend time. Mona Wood-Sword, who owns a public relations firm in Honolulu, Hawaii, says that shopping for her is a form of therapy. "Especially as a woman, we need our friends around us, filling that void 3 Things to Know About the New Student Loan Interest Rates 06/30/2015 08:00pm • Here's the good news: New federal student loans are cheaper this year. The 2015-2016 federal student loan interest rates take effect July 1 and are more than one-third of a percentage point cheaper than last year's rates. "This is something that's going to continue to happen and it's going to fluct 12 Money Lessons Your Child Should Know Before Age 12 06/30/2015 12:00am • There is unfortunately a significant lack of financial education in our country, which makes it more important than ever for parents to teach basic money lessons to their children. Although some financial topics might seem challenging, you might be surprised what your children can absorb. From ab 6 Steps for Declaring Financial Independence From Your Parents 06/29/2015 08:00pm • For many people, graduation day symbolizes the start of financial independence from one's parents. They no longer provide a significant income stream for you, so you're left on your own to find work and start paying your own bills.But for many, it's not the end of that financial relationship. Many p 4 Things You Can Change About Your Credit Card With a Phone Call 06/28/2015 08:00pm • When it comes to your credit card, you have more power than you realize. A simple phone call can potentially save you hundreds of dollars, improve your credit score, score you extra frequent flier miles and more -- and your chances of success are higher than you'd imagine. Most people never make tha 4 Alternatives to Consider When Denied a Parent PLUS loan 06/28/2015 08:00pm • After his son was accepted at the University of Maryland--Baltimore County, with an opportunity to play lacrosse, his father applied for a Parent PLUS loan to cover the costs. But a long-ago bankruptcy and tax lien caused the father, who shared his experience with U.S. News but declined to be named The Debt Gender Gap: How Women Can Close It 06/25/2015 08:00pm • Even as society closes gender gaps in parenting, marriage and the workplace, we're still pretty convinced that men and women are innately different in some ways. One 2013 study from Penn Medicine illustrated neurological differences between the sexes. For instance, the study found men tend to be bet