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Smart Ways to Comfortably Retire 09/21/2015 08:00pm • Even if you feel you aren't yet completely prepared for retirement, there is still time to correct mistakes, no matter what stage you are at. One common scenario is that you haven't regularly increased your contribution level to your retirement account or reviewed your investments. Adopting a "set- Raise Our Interest Rates, Please 09/20/2015 08:00pm • Last week the entire financial world was on tenterhooks, wondering whether or not Janet Yellen and the Federal Reserve would dare to raise interest rates -- which are now at virtually 0 percent -- by 1/4 of a point. I turns out, they didn't. Interest rates are still at zero. For most of the last de Get Standout Letters of Recommendations for College as a Home-Schooled Student 09/20/2015 08:00pm • When home-schooled students apply for college, the process is pretty similar to what teens from traditional school backgrounds go through. Home-schoolers may write personal statements, take the SAT or ACT and submit a transcript. When it comes to letters of recommendation, though, many home-school 4 Credit Card Moves to Make Before the Fed Raises Rates 09/20/2015 08:00pm • Credit card interest rates have largely been in a holding pattern for the past few years, but that's not going to last much longer, thanks to the Federal Reserve. Sometime in the next few months, we're going to see the nation's central bank raise a key lending rate. When that happens, your credit ca Reuse, Recycle to Reduce Time Spent on College Scholarship Essays 09/20/2015 08:00pm • Recycling can help our planet by reusing old goods and creating brand new, useful items. You can also use a similar process when writing your essays for scholarships. The more time you save reusing older materials, the more time you'll have to research and apply for scholarships that give you the b Create a To-Do List for Your College Search 09/17/2015 08:00pm • Freshman Year Get set for a great high school career. It's important to remember that what lies ahead is not just a four-year audition for college. Still, it will help later to think now about what admissions staffers will be looking for. -- Seek advice and teacher feedback: Ask someone you trus Get Smart, Save Money When Buying College Textbooks 09/17/2015 08:00pm • Smart book buying is one college skill you might want to master quickly. Incoming freshmen may assume the campus bookstore and Amazon.com amount to the list of choices, but upperclassmen know better. These days, there's an entire arsenal of apps that streamline the process of buying and selling boo What to Do If Your Child Drops Out of College 09/17/2015 08:00pm • So your kid gave college the old college try, but he or she didn't make the grade. Your child is dropping out. Given how important a college degree can be to one's career, not to mention one's self-growth, it's understandable if you're panicky about what will come next for your son or daughter. It' Is My Social Security Safe From Debt Collectors? 09/16/2015 08:00pm • If you're a retiree saddled with debt, you may be wondering what happens to your Social Security benefits if you are no longer able to make your monthly payments to creditors. The answer depends on to whom you owe money.To find out if debt collectors can tap into your Social Security benefits, U.S. 11 ways homeowners can fund major home improvements 09/16/2015 07:00am • Any homeowner has a long wish list of projects to improve their home: renovate the kitchen, add a deck, change outdated light fixtures, build an addition, update the heating system and more. What stands between most home improvement dreams and reality is money, of course. Home improvements can be Think Beyond 4 Years of College When Borrowing Student Loans 09/15/2015 08:00pm • U.S. News released its 2016 Best Colleges rankings last week. And just this past weekend, President Barack Obama unveiled an updated College Scorecard to help students and families research and compare higher education institutions across the country. If you're a prospective college student -- or th Is It Time to Change Banks? 09/15/2015 08:00pm • It may be time for that speech. You know the one: It isn't me -- it's you. I'm tired of being taken for granted. There's too much give and take in our relationship, with me doing all the giving. That would be the speech in which you tell your bank that you're leaving. Plenty of people don't switch What Low-Income Students Need to Know about Paying for College 09/15/2015 08:00pm • Lazarius Miller deserves an A in dodging debt. The first-generation college student, who's cut living costs as a resident assistant and scored multiple scholarships, is on track to graduate debt-free from Michigan State University next year. "I really wanted to not restart the cycle of poverty," s The Rise of Sustainable Investing 09/14/2015 08:00pm • Sustainable investing has started to gain traction in the media and among certain segments of the population. While the concept of sustainable investing can be sometimes nebulous, as well as tricky to understand, there has also been an increasing number of studies and analysis on the topic to bette Ways to Discuss Finances with Your Adult Kids 09/14/2015 08:00pm • When you're in your 20s, you can often still use the helpful guidance of your parents, especially when it comes to money. Whether it's gentle encouragement to save a bit more, find a way to set money aside for retirement or avoid credit card debt, there are plenty of words of wisdom that older gene