Search

10 Retirement Resolutions for 2015 12/14/2014 07:00pm • The new year offers an opportunity to review your retirement finances and make changes that will boost your chances of a secure retirement. Consider these retirement-related new year's resolutions for 2015. Bump up your savings rate. Try to save at least 1 percent more next year. If you get a rais 8 Last-Minute DIY Holiday Gifts 12/13/2014 07:00pm • Did you leave your do-it-yourself gift making until the last minute? You don't have to scrap handmade presents altogether. Instead, check out these super simple DIY gifts. Most of them cost less than $10, and take under an hour to make. 1. Jar gifts. What could be easier than tossing the ingredie Become a Good Candidate for MBA Scholarships 12/10/2014 07:00pm • Student loans are a popular way to pay for an MBA, but loans come with one major drawback -- debt, which can take years to repay. Scholarships can relieve students of some financial burden, but knowing how schools award them, which non-academic institutions offer MBA scholarships and when to apply 9 Cheap Hobbies for Restless Winter Months 12/10/2014 07:00pm • The chill of the winter months can bring a restlessness associated with the need to stay indoors. Warmer places in the United States, such as Southern California, Florida and Hawaii, don't require a drastic change to regular activities in the winter, while colder regions, like the Midwest and Northe How to Spend Less Than $100 During the Holidays 12/10/2014 07:00pm • It's the time of year for holiday parties, delectable meals, frosty temperatures and good cheer with family and friends. These traditions, however, often have expenses attached. Many people factor in gift shopping as a major cos t this time of year, but often overlook other holiday-related financia How Could America Get Its Medical Debt Problem in Check? 12/10/2014 07:00pm • American consumers are deep in debt, and the lion's share of it -- more than a third -- is medical debt. A recent study by personal finance website NerdWallet found that $21 billion in medical debt was collected from consumers in 2012, representing 38 percent of debt in collections. Unlike most t 5 Debts You Should Pay Off Now -- or Later 12/10/2014 07:00pm • You often hear that there's good debt and bad debt. That's probably because we'd all be depressed if financial experts went around referring to bad debt and worse debt. After all, it's challenging to live without owing somebody something. If you want to buy a house with cash, by the time you save u Lower heating costs may improve household budgets 12/10/2014 05:04pm • WASHINGTON -- Motorists have been enjoying falling prices at the gas pump for a while. This winter, lower gas prices will likely combine with lower home heating costs to sharply improve many household budgets. "The fall in oil prices is worth about $75 billion to American consumers, and that's 10 Things Teens Should Know About Money 12/09/2014 07:00pm • Teens and the recessionToday's teens appear to be relatively savvy about money, which isn't surprising given that they grew up just as the Great Recession was shaping the country's economic path. Many of them watched their parents struggle with lost jobs or savings that got battered by the stock mar 50 Ways to Improve Your Finances in 2015 12/09/2014 07:00pm • Give your money a makeover.The new year is the perfect time to hit "refresh" on your finances. Whether you need to update your insurance, revamp your budget or scale back some shopping habits, take some time to consider these 50 action steps. They can help you improve your finances over the next 12 Not Home for the Holidays: 7 Tips to Keep Your Residence Safe 12/09/2014 07:00pm • For many, the best part of the holiday season is spending quality time with family -- and when you live in another city or state, that means packing up and heading out. Before you leave, it's important take the proper precautions to keep your house or apartment safe while you're gone. If you're trav 5 'Band-Aid' Fixes That Hurt Your Finances 12/08/2014 07:00pm • You're short on cash, but there is something important you need to spend money on, like your mortgage or an electric bill or groceries. So you settle on what's often called a "Band-Aid" fix. That is, you come up with a very short-term solution that solves your financial dilemma today. The trouble 5 Ways for Millennials to Lower Taxable Income in 2015 12/08/2014 07:00pm • Millennials of all ages can agree on one issue -- paying taxes for the first time is a startling wake up call. The sting of watching money disappear each paycheck rarely dissipates, and often gets worse as raises and new career moves push people into higher tax brackets. So what's a taxpaying millen 7 Tips for Paying Off Your Credit Card Before the Holidays 12/08/2014 07:00pm • Credit card debt can be stressful any time of year, but it's particularly burdensome around the holidays, when the pressure to spend is greater than ever. A November survey of 1,000 adults from Bankrate, which aggregates financial rate information, found that for the third year in a row, Americans' 4 Strategies for Repaying Federal Parent PLUS loans 12/07/2014 07:00pm • When it comes to student loan debt, 20- and 30-something college graduates aren't the only affected population. Parents are just as susceptible to over-borrowing as their children -- maybe more so. While dependent undergraduates can borrow a maximum of $31,000 in subsidized and unsubsidized student