For many consumers the global economic disaster caused by the American housing market and the financial services industry still linger in their minds when they think about money. The financial crisis was a wake-up call and a living case study as to how fragile the financial system can be. As a result many consumers no … Read more
When it comes to bank accounts, there are lots of things that can be confusing. I’ve been asked a lot of questions about bank accounts over the years and thought it would be good to answer many of the most common questions here. What is the difference between a savings account and checking account? A … Read more
Buying a home is a central part of the American Dream. This has seemed a little out of reach to many families in recent history with the fallout from the housing bubble. Lenders are more skittish than ever to loan money to those with less than perfect credit. In addition, new government legislation has creditors … Read more
It’s hard to escape talk of recession, whether we are in or out of one and whether it’s single, double or even triple dip. What matters to most people is, ‘will their money stretch as far as it needs?’ and what to do if not. A good starting point is to reassess your outgoings and … Read more
The search for an affordable car insurance quote can take time and patience. Even though your search may be frustrating, don’t give up. If you don’t try to get a lower quote, you’ll end up paying more for your car insurance than you need to. Before you settle on a new policy, try a few … Read more
If there’s one thing that a lot of consumers have had to learn or relearn over the last few years, it is the importance of saving money and maximizing every dollar spent when shopping. The economic downturn has changed many consumers’ shopping habits and forced a lot of people to rethink the way they purchase … Read more
Everyone is looking for ways to get a little extra money, but often some of the simplest ways are the ones we overlook. Many credit cards are offering a variety of incentives to get people to sign up for their cards. Sometimes they offer to give you your credit score free while others offer a … Read more
So there’s been news of the Payment Protection Insurance or PPI scandal floating around for a long time now. Although we can try to make light of the situation by noting the bonus-like repayments that victims are receiving, or the boost in the economy that has come as a unexpected bi factor of the scandal;[1] … Read more
It is tax season once again, and it is time to fill out your tax form again. Every year, towards the end of January, most of us who are employees or professionals begin to get our tax information returns in the mail, called the Form W-2 or Wage and Tax Statement indicating our taxable income … Read more
A lot of the daily transactions and activities of modern society are now being accomplished on the Internet, so it is not surprising that filing tax returns can now also be done online with Free File from the IRS. Since 2003, the Internal Revenue Service has partnered with some of the leading tax preparation software … Read more
There are many reasons why people would claim for compensation. When an incident occurs within the workplace or upon public property, it can often be due to safety negligence. Filing for compensation can lead to the problem being assessed by those that own and manage the area, and more often than not, they are ordered … Read more
Most of us expect a pretty decent tax refund every year. It’s a nice incentive to look forward to after working hard the whole year and staying productive! The size of the tax refund you receive depends on a number of factors including: Income Dependents Tax exemption statuses and the amount you withhold from your earnings … Read more
The way we pay for everyday items on the high street is changing, and some new advances that have been in the pipeline for a while are about to make their way into popular culture. For many people the prospect of paying for goods using their smartphone is something that has been in the cards, … Read more
Being in debt is one of the worst feelings in the world. You just can’t feel like you can control your financial situation. It is even worse if you’re in debt because of something outside of your control, like medical expenses or caring for a loved one. Regardless of the reason you’re in debt, there … Read more
Credit card debt affects millions of Americans, and carries with it a host of bad side effects such as hurting your credit score and leaving you in financial ruin. When you run up a large credit card debt, you risk incurring large interest rates that will sink you even further into debt. In addition, your … Read more
We’ve all tried saving money by not going out to eat, and most of us fail. We’ve tried saving money by eating at home, but dining out is important to our interactions with friends, colleagues & family get-togethers. Some people just feel too tired at times to prepare a meal on their own, so they … Read more
The number of Americans using alternative financial services is on the rise. The most recent survey by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) reveals surprising statistics on just how many Americans choose to have little to no financial relationships with traditional banking institutions, choosing instead to patronize alternative financial services or AFS. Data from the FDIC survey now estimates … Read more
The year is quickly drawing to a close, and that means millions of people will be booking airline flights across the state, across the country, or across the globe to visit their family. A common mistake many people will make when booking their flights, however, is failing to purchase their flights with credit cards that … Read more
For many companies, health insurance enrollment is either here, or coming soon. Many employees will just allow their employers to renew whatever they had last year, but some employees will certainly want to re-evaluate their options. Upcoming Medical Procedures If you have an upcoming medical procedure, or you think something may happen then you should … Read more
Prepaid cards are an interesting financial product. They allow a person the convenience of traditional credit cards, without the interest and without the traditional ties to a bank. For some, prepaid cards are the perfect solution. If you are bad at paying off debt with discipline, or spending way more than you should, then prepaid … Read more
Free software is such an integral part of my life. Everything I do has free software involved in one way or another, and I thought it might be useful to highlight some of the free software I use to keep my life moving. Below are the free pieces of software I’m using. Finance Mint Mint.com is … Read more