When it comes to selecting an insurance plan, you have a tricky financial choice to make: Purchase the most expensive insurance policy or pass up a high-priced policy in favor of more affordable coverage and rock-bottom annual premiums? You don’t want to rush through the decision because in terms of coverage, you generally get what […]
A decade has passed since the height of the last major financial crisis. And if you have a pessimistic – or practical – mindset, you know that Americans are due for another money meltdown in the future. Today’s economy looks different than it did 10 years ago. The U.S. stock market has experienced the longest […]
What does financial security mean to you? Does it mean not lying awake at night worrying about bills? Does it mean knowing that if an unplanned expense comes your way, you’ll have a means of handling it? If you’re hoping to become financially secure, you’ll need to avoid certain habits that will stop you from […]
Sometimes money is like technology. Getting stuff done, whether it’s updating an operating system or moving a bank account, takes longer than it should. There are some money chores, though, that can be done a lot faster than you may think. The following financial tasks, which could save you a lot of cash and stress […]
A record number of Americans are becoming millionaires. As of 2016, there were 10.8 million millionaires nationwide, according to a 2017 report from Spectrem Group. Could you become one of them? Reaching that milestone isn’t the challenge it once was, after all. If you’re at the beginning of your career, you still have decades left to save. And even […]
Saving toward retirement is challenging for many Americans. Given all of the competing demands on your paycheck, it can be hard to set aside money that you won’t need for years, or even decades. But even though many people aren’t as diligent as they should be about retirement saving, they’ve still done a good enough […]
Are you charitably inclined and want to do it with moxie and momentum? We are headed into the fourth quarter and understanding how the new tax laws impact you will help you enhance your charitable decisions. Standard deductions have gone up — for individuals $12,000 and couples $24,000. If you are over 65, you each […]
There are well over 100 different majors college students can potentially choose, and it’s no big secret that graduating college will generally boost your earnings power. Having said that, there’s a huge difference in earning power among the choices. Not only do some earn dramatically more than others, but many fields have minuscule unemployment rates […]
Creditors are calling you every day, you dread going to the mailbox because of what you may find, and you’re losing sleep at night trying to figure out how you’ll pay off all of your debt. Then you hear of a company that claims to do battle with the creditors on your behalf, often settling […]
Social Security plays a vital role in your retirement planning. With the potential to receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in Social Security payments throughout your golden years, it’s essential to make smart decisions based on all the facts that are available to you. Yet several aspects of Social Security are confusing to people, and […]
If you’re unhappy with your salary at work, you’re in good company. In a new study by staffing firm Robert Half, 46% of employees feel they’re underpaid for what they do. Not surprisingly, women are more likely to report feeling underpaid than men, which no doubt ties into the ever-present wage gap that’s plagued our […]
Having a variety of investments has always been considered a sound portfolio practice because it ensures that when one investment declines, you’ve at least got a chance of having something else that gains. But blindly following even a good rule of thumb can do more harm than good. That’s what behavioral finance researchers at Morningstar […]
