5 Strategies for Demolishing Your Debt in the Coming Year

When it comes to New Year resolutions, paying down debt — along with other financial goals — is often on the radar. Chances are that you’ve had the idea to use demolishing your debt as one of your own New Year resolutions at some point in the past. However, actually following through can be difficult, […]

How to Perform a Year-End Evaluation of Your Finances

Now that the year is almost over, it’s a good time to look back on your finances and see how you’ve done. Understanding where you’re at, and where you want to go next, can help you make better decisions about the future. As you close out this year and prepare for another year, here’s how […]

Should Credit Decisions Include Non-Credit Payment Transactions?

One of the biggest bones of contention in recent years has been the way credit scores are figured. A number of factors go into your credit score, most of them based on the way you handle your debt. However, as your credit history becomes increasingly important for financial transactions that don’t include borrowing, some people […]

Using a New Credit Card? What You Need to Know About EMV Chips

If your credit card issuer has sent you a new card recently, you might have noticed an addition: a little computer chip on the front surface. This computer chip is called an EMV chip, and it represents a technical standard being widely adopted in the wake of data breaches and the growth of fraudulent purchases. […]

Want to Protect Your Identity? Stop using Checks

I’ve been a little frustrated since moving to Pennsylvania because I still need my checkbook in some cases. While it’s inconvenient to use a check most of the time, I started thinking about some of the other issues that come with using a checkbook. One of the problems with using checks is that they are […]

Are Long-Term CDs Really a Good Idea?

It’s been a rough several years for savers. Thanks to efforts to stimulate the economy and keep the money flowing through the system, interest rates have been low, and that means lower yields on cash products, like savings accounts and CDs. There are hopes that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, […]

Career Choices and the Lifetime Earnings Gap for Women

We hear a lot about the earnings gap for women. The research indicates that women still make less than men. Some measures say that women working full-time earn 77 cents for every dollar that men working full-time earn. However, but other calculations, such as those completed by the Pew Research Center, women earn 84 percent […]

What You Need to Know About Paying Taxes

As tax season starts to wind down (or speed up, if you are trying to beat the filing deadline), it’s a good time to reflect on what you should know about paying taxes, and how you can streamline the process. Even if it’s too late for this year’s tax season, you can always put systems in […]

How to Use Your Savings to Reach Your Goals

Few of us can afford to spend without regard to our outflows. As a result, that means that many of us need to save up when we want to make a big purchase. Whether it’s saving up for a new computer, being prepared to make car repairs as needed, going on a family vacation, or […]

Do You Really Need to Stop Working for a Successful Retirement?

One of the hallmarks of a “traditional” retirement is the idea that you stop working. You quit your job, and then ride off into the sunset, ready to relax on some beach somewhere — or at least make eternal rounds of your kids’ and grandkids’ homes. But is this the type of retirement you want? […]