Is All Debt Really So Bad?

bad sign

In some circles, there is the idea that all debt is bad, and that it should all be paid off as soon as possible. For some time, I felt that way, too. (There’s nothing wrong with feeling that way, either. You manage your money in a way that works for you.) However, I started differentiating […]

Who’s Looking at Your Credit Report?

An eye

One of the things that you need to realize is that your credit report is a way for others to judge your level of financial responsibility. So, who’s looking at your credit report? You might be surprised. Lenders The most obvious group of people who are likely to check your credit is lenders. It’s fairly […]

Masked Credit Cards: Beyond the Virtual Credit Card Number

masked credit cards

One of the ways that you can protect your sensitive financial information online is to use a virtual credit card number. This type of transaction allows you to avoid sharing your real credit card account number online, and can be useful if you are concerned about credit card fraud. However, even when you use a […]

How to Manage Your Checking Account on a Variable Income

fluctuating income

One of the biggest financial challenges my family faces is our variable income. The nature of my freelance work means that our income varies a bit from month to month, and my husband is an adjunct professor, so his income changes every semester. Because of the varying income — and the fact that we don’t […]

Should You Include CDs in Your Retirement Portfolio?

retirement sign

When putting together a retirement portfolio, it’s a good idea to include different types of assets for diversity and to reduce the risk associated with your portfolio. One of the worst things you can do for your financial future is to put all of your eggs in one basket. Without the right asset allocation for […]

Electronic Job Search: Learn to Use Keywords

job search using keywords

We live in a world that is connected online. In many cases, your resume will first vetted by a computer program. If someone decides to run a quick online search involving you, he or she will see your social media profiles. This means that, if you want to survive an electronic job search, you need […]

Long-Term Tax Planning: Give Gifts Now

gift tax

When you start building wealth, it makes sense to pay more attention to your tax situation, and what your tax situation is likely to be like in a few years. This is about more than just trying to figure out how to reduce your tax liability for the next year, or even figuring out how […]

For Bigger Savings, Sweat the Big Stuff

saving on stuff

They say you shouldn’t sweat the small stuff, and I’m inclined to believe them. Unfortunately, a lot of the focus on saving money goes toward the small stuff. While I don’t have anything against pinching pennies, I definitely think that there are other ways to go about saving more money. One of those ways is […]

3 Mistakes to Avoid When Rolling Over an IRA

rollover ira

Since the law changed a few years ago, many people have been interested in rolling their Traditional IRAs into Roth IRAs. Anyone, no matter their income, can convert a Traditional IRA to a Roth, and that has many scrambling to take advantage of what the Roth IRA has to offer. Many are aware that when […]

Start Investing: 5 Steps for the Beginner

Many would-be investors are scared of the prospect of investing. They are concerned about how to get started, whether or not they have enough money to invest, and they worry about the complexity of investing. In fact, many people don’t ever start investing because they become paralyzed by fear and information overload. The good news […]

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