For those who have invested unwisely or not saved much money for retirement, the bridge to Social Security income is clear — keep working. If you still have debts you want to pay off before retirement, the free Debt Optimizer by MoneyTips can help you reduce your interest payments and lower your debt. However, if
admin
How do you know that your bank is the best one for you? You can consult all the advertising flyers and conventional information available at bank branches — or you can do some homework on the fundamentals of your bank with help from the online Bank Data Guide from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
More Americans believe that we should forgive all federal student debt than feel that the recipients should pay their loans back. In a shocking survey recently conducted by MoneyTips.com, nearly 42% agreed with the statement, I believe President Trump’s Department of Education should forgive all federal student debt to help the economy. Less than 37%
You may like shopping for a new or used car, but you will not like paying for it — especially when it comes to arranging the auto loan. The finance and insurance (F&I) office at the dealership is nobody’s idea of a good time. How can you keep your time in the F&I office to
Credit card usage is dropping among the millennial generation. A surprising 67% of Americans between 18 and 29 years of age have no credit cards at all, according to a recent survey. That compares to only 45% of Americans between the ages of 30 and 49, and 38% of those aged 50-64 without credit cards.
If you are stretching your funds to purchase a home with a minimal down payment, you are probably familiar with private mortgage insurance (PMI). It is generally required in any home purchase in which the down payment is less than 20%. PMI is insurance for the lender, not for you — it covers the lender
We all have heard the cliché that men never ask for directions. That may or may not be true on the road, but a new survey refutes the stereotype with respect to finances.
A recent survey by Country Financial finds that in a wide range of basic financial topics, men are more likely to ask
Sunday, July 23, is Parents’ Day, which was established when President Clinton signed a Congressional Resolution into law in 1994 to recognize, uplift, and support the role of parents in raising children. At some point when those children are grown, however, it often becomes their responsibility to care for their aging parents. It is an
Retirement represents a new stage in your life. It’s a time of change and opportunity. To make the most of your opportunities, you must make sure that one aspect of your life does not change – your good credit score.
A recent survey by the credit bureau TransUnion found that over 30% of Baby Boomers
Nothing is as easy as it seems. If life were easy, we could solve the financing gaps in Social Security in five simple words – eliminate the cap, problem solved.
Life isn’t easy In the words of H.L. Mencken, for every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong. Nothing is
During his successful Presidential campaign, Donald Trump vowed to crack down on illegal immigration, promising, “I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall.” Do we still want a wall built? A recent MoneyTips survey says no, but Trump voters say yes. In fact,
Are you planning to renovate your home in 2017? There’s a better than 50/50 chance that you are, if a recent poll by LightStream is accurate. The January 2017 LightStream Home Improvement survey found that 59% of homeowners plan to spend money on renovations during this year, with 42% of the planned renovations costing $5,000
College is not only supposed to give you the skills you need in a particular field of study, but also the general life skills that you need to survive and thrive. Without good habits, your collegiate financial education can come via the school of hard knocks – through incurring fees and interest charges.
According to
Congratulations! At your 60th birthday, you’ve actually entered your seventh decade of living. We hope that you have given some thought to your retirement by now and made significant plans toward meeting your retirement goals. If so, age 60 is a good milestone to trigger a review of your retirement plans. (If not, start planning
Credit is a great convenience, but it’s a convenience that you will pay for — especially if you go over your credit limit.
Traditional over-limit fees were radically changed by the Credit CARD Act of 2009, which switched credit card over-limit fees to an opt-in basis — meaning that consumers have to specifically consent to
MoneyTips If you want to send money directly to your friends online, there are a number of apps that allow you to do so, including Venmo. Venmo is one of the leading person-to-person (P2P) financial apps, successful to the extent that it is sometimes used as a verb (“Just Venmo me the money”). That may
In a recent survey, more people than not believe that President Trump will lower business taxes, but the same wasn’t true for their own personal taxes. On other critical issues in the news, Americans are torn, but not Trump voters.
As our government acts on repealing ObamaCare, with restructuring our antiquated tax system on deck,
Most people say they plan for retirement, but they are really planning for financial independence. The day you achieve financial independence is a great day – you have accumulated enough wealth to not have to work again, and will be able to retire whenever you choose. (We use the word “day” symbolically; as a practical
June 28 is National Insurance Awareness Day. Are you aware of all the factors influencing the costs of your insurance? For example, does your credit score affect your car insurance rates? If you live in California, Massachusetts, or Hawaii, the answer is no. For residents of all the other states, the answer is yes, thanks
June 28 is National Insurance Awareness Day and less than a week later, on the Fourth of July, we celebrate Independence Day. This is the perfect time to brush up on your knowledge of fireworks safety and how potential damage or injury could be covered by your insurance policies. For many Americans, the Fourth of
Student loan debt has made it difficult for many young Americans to enter the housing market. A recent survey from the National Association of Realtors found that 71% of student loan borrowers cited their student loan burden as a reason to delay buying a home.
The student loan plight may be a major factor in
To plan properly for retirement, you have to know how much money you should expect to receive in Social Security benefits. Fortunately, you can check your estimated benefits anytime by establishing a my Social Security account on the SSA website. Unfortunately, these estimates are just that — only estimates, subject to significant change. That change
We all know the political stereotype – Republicans are supposedly the party of the wealthy, and Democrats are the party of the less economically advantaged (outside of Hollywood). How does this stereotype hold up with respect to credit scores and outstanding credit card balances?
A recent study by LendingTree provides some answers. Using the definition
It should not come as a surprise that people with lower incomes have lower levels of retirement savings. However, many people with lower incomes have no retirement savings at all – and a recent Federal Reserve report suggests that far too many Americans across all age groups fall into that category.
The Federal Reserve’s Report
Treasury Report Targets Dodd-Frank In February of 2017, President Trump issued Executive Order 13772, which gave the Secretary of the Treasury 120 days to create a report reviewing financial laws and regulations with respect to seven “Core Principles”. Those principles are generally related to streamlining the financial markets and, in the President’s opinion, reducing constraints
For most homeowners, mortgage costs are the largest regular expense in the family budget. How can you manage those costs in the most efficient way? We offer a few suggestions for reducing either short- or long-term mortgage expenses to fit your needs.
1. Refinancing – According to Casey Fleming, Mortgage Advisor at C2 Financial and
If your credit score is in the low- to mid-600s, you have what is usually considered to be fair credit — not in the range where you have trouble getting personal loans at all, but in the range where finding a good interest rate and reasonable terms can be challenging. Whether you are experiencing a
You may need a personal loan for a number of reasons — perhaps to deal with unexpected medical expenses, to consolidate high-interest credit card debt, or even to take that well-deserved vacation. Unfortunately, if you have borderline or bad credit, personal loans may be difficult to get at your local bank or credit union. You
It’s bad enough when your day is derailed by an unexpected trip to the doctor, but it’s even worse when you can’t afford to pay the bill. Unfortunately, too many Americans find themselves in this position, according to a recent survey conducted by Ipsos for the healthcare transparency group Amino.
The survey found that 37%
Welcome to parenthood! You are a proud new father, simultaneously overjoyed and terrified. Since you are now responsible for another human being, you should know that the estimate of what it will cost to raise your child is approximately a quarter of a million dollars, without accounting for inflation. If you would like to send
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 38
- 39
- 40
- 41
- 42
- …
- 53
- Next Page »