Self-Help Articles

Newlywed Finances

Ah, being a newlywed. Life is beautiful, your loved one is beautiful, and everything is peaches and cream. Well, in your mind and heart it may be, but the honeymoon has to end sometime. Two hearts are now joined as one, and so are your...

Pay It Forward

Remember when you were a kid and you had a piggy bank? You would drop pennies and nickels into it just to hear that pleasing “plink” sound. You didn’t spend that money on candy or tickets to the movies, and eventually, all those pennies and...

Send your child to college on pennies a day

Your grandmother used to say: "A penny saved is a penny earned," but these days a penny doesn't seem to be worth much. If you drop one, it's barely worth the trouble to pick it up. While it's true that a single penny won't get...

Teaching Children the Importance of Money

Children seem to be born with an insatiable desire to spend. Whether it’s Christmas, birthday parties, or a trip to the local mall, children are never too shy when it comes to vocalizing their wants. And sometimes, they’re relentless. Parents face this on a daily basis....

Variable Expense Funds

Dinner at your favorite restaurant, or the dentist bill for next month’s cleaning. That technical gadget you’ve been drooling over, or your home owner’s insurance which isn’t due for 120 days. The new fall fashion, or the car inspection sticker that expires in 32 weeks....

What Does My Credit Score Mean?

Do you know what your credit score means? Really, do you? You may want to make sure you are perfectly clear on that, because The Consumer Federation of America reported in September of 2004 that of 1,000 Americans they surveyed, only one third understood that...

Which Credit Card Fits Your Wallet?

Many of us are bombarded on a daily basis with low-rate and no-rate credit card offers. Several a day can be seen stacked in mailboxes everywhere. But, the real question is, what do we do with these? Deciding whether to file them in the recycle...

10 Secrets To Frugal Family Fun

Today, four tickets to a professional ball game, four hot dogs, and four sodas can run you over $100. The same goes for a trip to a theme park, and the food there may cost even more. Fortunately, family fun can be found for a...

How to Stop the Paycheck-to-Paycheck Cycle and Save Instead

For far too many Americans, sweating it out financially until the next paycheck arrives is an all-too-common occurrence. What’s more, for those who find themselves in such a sticky situation, it’s not hard to imagine that saving money is high on the priority list. According to...

Tips to Securing a Great First Credit Card

Everyone remembers their first credit card. For some, the memory marks the beginnings of a successful financial journey… For others, it marks the beginning of a series of ill-advised purchases with the accompanying high-interest rates – and a descent into the murky waters of late...

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