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8 Money Lessons Your Child Should Know Before Leaving for College 08/18/2015 10:00am • All over the country, college students are heading off campus, living away from their parents for the first time. Most parents are still supporting their collegiate offspring, but these young people are embarking on their first immersion into managing their own finances. That presents a challenge Survey: Most Americans not stepping up retirement savings 08/18/2015 08:38am • WASHINGTON — Financial analysts say it’s important not only to save for retirement, but to save more every year. Unfortunately, a new survey says that most Americans aren’t doing that — or saving anything at all. A Bankrate.com survey shows that fewer than one in five Americans — 19 per Your Back-to-School Financial Checklist 08/13/2015 08:00pm • Many of us give ourselves a little more latitude (financially and personally) during summer. We'll have that extra mojito or leave work a little early on summer Fridays without thinking twice. "Here in the Midwest , we're trying to do as much as we can with travel," says Michael Foguth, president The Case for (and Against) Spouses Having Joint Checking Accounts 08/13/2015 08:00pm • If wedding bells were ringing for you this summer, you may be in the thick of trying to figure out how to blend your beloved's financial life with your own. One of the most fundamental decisions a couple faces is whether to treat money as a joint asset or something to be managed separately. Tradit How Back-to-School Shopping Can Hurt Your Credit Score 08/12/2015 08:00pm • Parents are no doubt well aware that hasty back-to-school shopping can do serious damage to their bank accounts, but there's another reason to be mindful of how much money those clothes, books, crayons and markers are costing you. Overspending on supplies could easily wind up hurting your credit sco 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