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 […]
If you’re starting your first job or are still relatively young, starting to save for your retirement or increasing your retirement savings is perhaps the smartest financial decision you can possibly make. The long-term compounding power you have could transform seemingly small amounts of money into a large retirement nest egg down the road. One […]
Social Security is a crucial source of income in retirement, but the amount you get in Social Security varies significantly depending on when you decide to begin receiving it. If you don’t plan properly, you could miss out on big money, or worse, end up in poverty. For instance, if you plan to claim Social […]
Savings rate-chasing is a strategy in which savers consistently use a tool such as Bankrate or MyBankTracker to determine which savings account is offering the highest interest rate, then regularly move their cash reserves to the highest-yielding account. For example, if a rate-chaser has $25,000 in savings in Bank A, which offers a rate of […]
The stock market has been extremely volatile during 2018, but the past month has brought new optimism to the market for investors. Most major market benchmarks, including the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite, have rocketed higher to new record levels. Yet through it all, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) has been one […]
Promotions, opportunities, and big raises generally go to the employees who manage to stand out from their peers. To become one of those people — an employee who is clearly a leader among equals — there are a handful of things you can do. It’s not about promoting yourself or saying how great you are. […]
Perhaps the biggest variable in your situation is how long it will take you to pay off the credit card. For example, if you can pay the credit card balance off in five months, you’ll only end up paying about $300 in interest, which is just 6% of the $5,000 you need. Meanwhile, the IRA […]
If you hold a degree from an American university, chances are, Sallie Mae swings by your inbox every few weeks to remind you that you have a student loan payment due. Today, approximately 70% of American college students graduate with a “significant” burden of student loans. The average graduate will have to pay back about […]
If you’re like most Americans, this past summer season was filled with short trips out town, family vacations, and likely some extra spending on eating out and entertainment as well. A recent NerdWallet survey found that Americans planned to put $1,019 on their credit cards to cover travel summer travel costs and said they’d spend […]
