Entries by Andy
If you discovered that you owe money to the IRS but can’t come up with the money to take care of the debt, understand you have options. Having options to take care of your tax bill is to your advantage. Without a doubt you need to exercise your right to these options and fast. The [...]
When the tax filing deadline comes around each year millions of Americans are ready to or have already filed their income tax returns. Still millions more find themselves having to request a tax extension because they are simply not ready with their tax information by the deadline. While there are many people who make the extension [...]
Overdrafts are a common result of individuals who are either unorganized or simply too busy to keep track of their debit card use and other debits from their checking accounts. When this happens, too many debits are presented to a bank account which lacks sufficient funds to cover all transactions. Here we look at ways [...]
Vacation is one of those luxuries that can easily cause you to go over budget. Even the best budgeter gets caught up in the spur of the moment. I know no one really wants to budget on vacation. But, I promise you, there is one thing worse than budgeting on vacation — that is, being [...]
Both federal and private bodies help students pay for their schooling in the form of loan, which is a twenty-first century tool available to every student in need of tuition money. This one-stop panacea assists students especially those from low-income families reach the height of their professional dreams. Student loan interest rate is considerably lower [...]
Just as a tango requires a dancing partner, forex trading cannot take place without having a forex broker to “dance” with you. The Internet and a trading platform may get you access to a broker, but the broker is the business partner that will connect you to the currency market, and the manner of that [...]
One of the realities of our financial culture is that before people lend you money, they want to see that you are likely to repay it. Lenders check your credit history before deciding to lend you money, since they want to gauge how much of a risk of default you represent. If it appears that [...]
If you don’t take the time to prioritize your debts or repair your bad credit, you may be the target for solicitations designed to take advantage of your financial situation and your money. There are many more companies being born in light of America’s struggle with debt and bad credit. As those who have money [...]
Most parents will agree that they have spent far more money on clothing and accessories for their children than they have ever spent on themselves. Besides the fact that kids grow and most clothes need to be replaced for size reasons every few months or years, parents also have to contend with their own guilty [...]
One idea to help you improve your finance is to keep track of your money and answer the question: where is it all going? Even if you don’t like to budget, I think it is worth going through the exercise of tracking your expenses at least once. Keep track of where you every pennies that [...]
Like the butterflies in your stomach when you meet that special someone, budgeting can be exciting when you first begin. However, like so many relationships the budget begins to have cracks, then flaws, then serious issues. If you can’t overcome and work with these issues, much like dating, it will soon end in heartbreak. Don’t [...]
Does budgeting work? There are many critics that say tracking every single income and expense source is too complicated. That no one has time to handle budgeting for a family on a monthly basis. Is budgeting intimidating if you’ve never done it? Sure. But other than fear, what good reason do you have to not [...]
Do you know your credit score? If not, here is a good list of ways to check your credit scores for free. I signed up for a few of these free accounts and got my scores. Naturally, the next question is what is a good credit score? Follow by, how do I compare to others? [...]
It’s hard to contemplate your death, and the possible need for life insurance and estate planning, but it can be even more difficult to think about what you will do if you need help taking care of your needs. The AARP estimates that about half of the older population today will spend some time in [...]
Debt consolidation loan is simply a type of loan obtained to pay off multiple loans. The good thing about this debt management tool is, it helps lower interest rates and allows you the freedom to pay a monthly lump sum instead of multiple payments. Put differently, a debt consolidation loan lets you rearrange your numerous [...]
Savings accounts won’t do you any good if they are empty. And even if they have some money tucked inside, they won’t do much if you are not contributing to them on a regular basis. Statistically, Americans have already proven there are not saving enough for emergencies or their financial futures. Most blame a lack [...]
As more people get on the straight and narrow when it comes to personal finances, many more are still happy to remain trapped in the dregs of debt by making the same mistakes over and over again. One source of the vicious cycle is the payday loan. I nearly spit out my drink when I [...]
For each type of insurance sold to consumers today there are many potential questions that can go unanswered. Sometimes we don’t ask the questions because we are embarrassed by our lack of understanding. In other cases we simply do not know which questions to ask. Regardless of the reason why, many questions go unanswered it [...]
Going on a family vacation does not necessarily mean drowning in debt. The key is to do it right and do it early. For example, my family of four as well as our relatives family of four, are planning a Disney vacation for next year. We visited a travel agent recently to set up the [...]
The holiday season is here and Christmas is rapidly approaching. For many people, the holidays mean a great deal of gift buying and giving, travel to and from family, and social occasions with co-workers and friends. All of those activities cost money and many people find themselves in serious debt every January. How can you [...]
One of my father’s phrases that stuck with me from my childhood is “moderation in everything.” It is one of those things that you don’t really understand at the time, but as you get older it really starts to make sense. What he meant was it is okay to have a little bit of everything [...]
One of the worst things about traveling is the number of potential problems that travelers experience when flying on airlines. Delayed or canceled flights, lost luggage, or getting bumped off a flight altogether, leaving you stranded in the airport happens to the best of us. At some point, you will probably be stuck in an [...]
The most valuable lesson I’ve been taught came from my dad –- from the day I was a little girl being bounced on his knee till today when I’m a career woman in my own right, dad has just one piece of advice when it comes to finance: Just because you have the money, it [...]
I finally did it. I left my boring old job for a more interesting one. Unfortunately, the interesting job does not pay as much as the old one did. Having taken a pay cut recently, I am beginning to implement some penny pinching measures to stay financially on track. Packing lunch to work For almost [...]
Over the years, I tried many productivity tools to keep up with my ever-growing to do list. I had the original Palm Pilot, Handspring Visor Platinum, and Sony Clie T-665C; but in the end, nothing beats my trusty old notebook. There’s something about the ability to quickly write, doodle, and sketch without worrying about the [...]