Is the way to a consumer’s wallet through his stomach? American Express AXP, +1.11% is betting that the answer is yes. Beginning this week, American Express will reward Gold Card holders with 4X points on purchases made at restaurants worldwide. Previously, the credit-card company only rewarded customers for spending money at restaurants in the U.S. […]
Category: Personal Finance
Should I Use a Personal Loan to Pay Off Credit Card Debt?
How you use a personal loan is limited only by your imagination, but one of the smartest ways to use them is to pay off credit card debt for good. Rolling your credit card debt into a low-interest personal loan can reduce your monthly payments, help you pay off your debt faster, and save you […]
How to get your finances in order in 30 days
From budgeting Opens a New Window. to planning for retirement Opens a New Window. , managing finances can be overwhelming for most people. April Lewis-Parks, director of education at Consolidated Credit Opens a New Window. says thirty days is the optimal amount of time needed to get your money matters Opens a New Window. in […]
What Can You Do With a Finance Degree?
A finance major will study areas such as investments, corporate financing issues, financial institutions and a variety of related topics. Depending on your university’s curriculum, your studies will likely have a level of overlap into areas like accounting and economics. In short you will gain insights into how money works. As someone who holds an […]
Getting to this point in your finances is like scoring a gigantic pay raise
Here’s a serious question: How long will it be before you have net investment income? Five years, the length of a typical car loan? Thirty years, the length of a home mortgage? The rest of your life, the effective length of most credit card debt? The broad answer to that question is grim. Few people […]
SEC adopts rule to protect ordinary investors, but critics say it’s too lax
The Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday adopted a new regulation that calls for brokers to act in the best interest of their clients when making investment recommendations. In a 3-to-1 vote, commissioners approved the Regulation Best Interest, along with other regulatory actions intended to enhance disclosures and clarify certain advisors’ existing responsibility to put […]
Move toward more personal financial education for students before college
There’s a growing movement to educate students before they head to college on matters of personal finance. Some students have an ACT score that will secure admission to almost any college they choose, yet they may not know how to make change or even write a check. Not knowing the basics of personal finance can […]
‘Money: It’s Personal’ — Financial preparedness tips for hurricane season
Hurricane season is here, and now is the time to get your finances up-to-date and prepared in the event of a disaster occurring in the area. The Federal Trade Commission has the following tips to make sure you’re financially ready: First, perform a household inventory of your possessions and take pictures and/or video of them, […]
Here’s how your income stacks up against your neighbor’s
Most people would love to compare paychecks, if only it were more socially acceptable. To pull the curtain back on who is making what and where, personal finance site GoBankingRates determined the average income in every state and the District of Columbia based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017 American Community Survey. The […]
Do you have a plan to retire by 50? Great, but can you cover your health care?
So you’re ready to sock away half your income, earn more through side hustles and aggressively invest so you can become financially independent and retire before age 50. But a big obstacle threatens to keep you from joining the financial independence/retire early movement, popularly known as FIRE: the high costs of health care and health […]
Hong Kong’s new pensions tax break gives early boost to retirement savings
Hong Kong’s new tax incentives for pension contributions have already encouraged more people to save for their retirement, a trend that could help ease the burden of an ageing population, according to regulators and insurers. Several major pension providers including HSBC, Prudential, Manulife and AIA told the Post they had seen a strong response to […]
5 Disadvantages of Saving With a 401(k) Plan
For most, the advantages of 401(k) plans outweigh the disadvantages. But there are some people who would benefit from steering their retirement savings to other investment vehicles. Could you be one of them? This roundup of 401(k) disadvantages will help you decide. If you want more hands-on guidance while examining how a 401(k) could fit […]