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3 Student Loans for Parents to Fill a College Tuition Gap 08/01/2017 08:00pm • During the summer months, college-bound students and their parents will pay their first tuition bill for the fall semester. Seeing the amount due can be a harsh dose of reality, especially since they may have to multiply it by four years and the number of children in the family. Even after financia How Expected Family Contribution for College is Calculated 08/01/2017 08:00pm • California mom Kristina Shurbert was stunned to find out some colleges use the value of your home to calculate your expected family contribution. "I was shocked to only now realize that Kenyon College has their own method of calculating 'demonstrated need' and does not use the FAFSA amount of estima 7 Ways to Be a Debt-Free Credit Card User 08/01/2017 08:00pm • Credit cards are tricky beasts: On one hand, they're an essential part of establishing and building personal credit. On the other hand, their convenience and means of instant gratification get consumers into trouble. What's more, the disproportionate rise in the cost of living compared to income gr 8 Things You Can Learn From a First-Time Homebuyer Boot Camp 08/01/2017 08:00pm • For most, homebuying seems to be an overly complicated process. Viewed from a wider lens, you have multiple steps -- mortgage application and approval, making an offer, competing with other buyers, contract negotiation, the due diligence period and (hopefully) a successful closing -- rolled into on 3 Ways the Credit Industry Is Changing How We Apply for Loans 07/31/2017 08:00pm • If all goes as planned, you will soon be able to apply for credit by sending a text. Experian, the credit bureau, recently announced what it calls a "groundbreaking innovation." It isn't mainstream yet, though several lenders and card issuers are involved in a pilot program in which consumers can i 5 Scary Facts About Financial Literacy -- and How to Avoid Becoming a Statistic 07/31/2017 08:00pm • If you're reading this story, then you're already ahead of the curve. That's because adults and teenagers in the U.S. -- and worldwide -- are enormously ignorant when it comes to financial literacy. They struggle to understand basic concepts such as how interest works, why inflation matters and how 10 Smart Ways to Deploy Your Extra Cash 07/30/2017 08:00pm • There are so many bad ways to use your money. However, what if you have made the responsible decision to handle your money wisely? Where should the next dollar of free cash flow be deployed? Should it be used for savings, paying down debt, saving for retirement or helping your kids go to college? H Pros and Cons in Paying a Child's Student Loans 07/30/2017 08:00pm • For U.S. parents in their later working years, or who are already in retirement, keeping debt at bay is an important part of protecting their investment portfolios and maximizing retirement income. After all, a fixed income beckons. In that context, every dollar steered toward a debt payment is one 5 Ways to Be Happier When You Retire 07/30/2017 08:00pm • Psychologists have determined that each of us has our own individual set point of happiness. As events unfold in our lives, we may temporarily become more or less happy, but then as time goes on, we revert to our mean level of happiness. But the same experts also tell us that as we get older, our h 4 Steps to Determine if a Top Online MBA Is Worth It 07/30/2017 08:00pm • For Lauren Crawley, getting an MBA simply made sense for her career. The recent graduate from the online MBA program at the Indiana University--Bloomington Kelley School of Business says before enrolling, she understood that many higher-level consulting jobs required the degree. "You look at postin Your 10-Step Checklist to Retire in 2018 07/27/2017 08:00pm • Plot your transition.Will 2018 be the year you finally retire and say goodbye to your job forever? If so, the next few months will come and go faster than you think. Use that time to do these 10 things, which will help ensure a smooth transition out of the workforce.Calculate your retirement expense Dealing With Rejection: 5 Things to Do When You're Declined for a Loan 07/27/2017 08:00pm • It's not you, it's me. You may hear that line sometimes if you're dating, and someone wants to let you down easy. But if you're rejected for a loan, it's you. Not them. It's definitely you. So what should you do if you're declined for a loan? Your strategies are going to vary, depending on what typ 3 Ways to Use Life Insurance While You're Still Alive 07/26/2017 08:00pm • Life insurance can seem like a necessary evil. In fact, says Kimberly Dula, partner with accounting firm Friedman LLP in New York City, "many of don't look at their life insurance as an asset at all." Instead, she says, they see it as a monthly bill from which they will never personally see any ben 5 financial tasks that can be automated 07/26/2017 11:00am • For many consumers, mailing in bill payments or manually balancing a check register can feel like a blast from the past. Today's technology makes it easy to automate all sorts of financial tasks, including paying bills, donating to charities and contributing to a retirement account. " helps t 10 Facts to Know About the Pell Grant 07/25/2017 08:00pm • Pell Grants Help Subsidize CollegeGrants and loans are the major forms of federal financial aid for students seeking to earn a bachelor's degree. The largest federal grant program available to undergraduates is the Pell Grant, which assists students from low-income households. To qualify, a student