6 Strategies to Help You Get Out of Debt
If you’re weighed down by debt, you’re not alone. Eight out of 10 Americans have debt, with the average American carrying around $68,000, according to a Pew Survey of American Family Finances. Debt isn’t necessarily bad. In some cases, it can actually help build wealth. But if you’re saddled with a lot of high-rate consumer debt, you could be putting your finances at risk. To help you eliminate what you owe, we asked the finalists of...
Save, Don’t Splurge, Once College Bills Stop Arriving
The kids are finally done with college and there are no more horrifying tuition bills ruining your mail. So what do you do? Splurge on gifts, fix up the house, take a vacation, pay bills, or stuff a little more cash into the retirement saving account you’ve been neglecting. If you are like many parents, you’ve been promising yourself for years that you will start saving for retirement in earnest once the children-related expenses end....
4 Ways to Improve Your Finances in One Day
Starting on the path to financial health can be overwhelming. But as you start paying attention to your money management techniques, you’ll notice it’s not the big things as much as it is your small, daily decisions that truly impact your finances — for better or worse. In just an hour or two, you can complete a small task to make a big improvement in your financial situation. Do What You’ve Been Dreading Emotions often win out in the...
Money Talk: Options for Paying for College
Question: I have two kids heading to college. Both need co-signers for their student loans. Will me co-signing have a negative effect on my credit? The kids have no choice. I’m middle class, having made enough to get myself by as a divorcee, but there’s no college savings. To make matters worse, I make just over the base for them to get a Pell Grant. I’m concerned about my credit, but my kids need to go to college. Answer: Your...
Obama Proposes Changes to Overtime Pay
Washington — Here’s a convenient way of getting more work out of your employees, without paying the required time-and-a-half pay for anything over 40 hours a week: Call them “managers.” Currently, these so-called white collar workers are exempt from overtime if they make more than $455 a week or $23,660 per year, even if they perform routine tasks like stocking shelves at a convenience store. In fact, those small-time bosses don’t...
