Self-Help Articles

Thinking of a Payday Loan? Don’t! Here’s What to Consider Instead

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, and I sincerely hope you are, you’ll know I’ve talked often about avoiding high-interest rates at all costs, be it when considering a new credit card, a personal loan or a mortgage, and taking steps to ensure...

Stop Overspending With These Tips

In honor of the new year, let’s talk about easy ways to revamp your monthly budget by lowering some of your regular expenses. Truth be told, it’s always a good time to reevaluate how much money is going out versus how much is coming in,...

Don’t Let Obstacles Stand In Your Way of Crafting Your Perfect Budget

When it comes to putting your finances in place, creating and sticking to a budget is pretty basic advice, and for good reason. A budget can help you track and manage your spending, create an emergency fund, swiftly pay off debt or reach your savings...

Credit Freezing and Credit Monitoring, Two Types of Protection You Need to Know About

In this day and age, we’re all vulnerable to internet hackers finding a way to access our private, personal information. We’ve all heard the various media reports of big-name companies and even governmental entities’ computer systems being breached, and when it comes to personal finances,...

Money Rediscovered: Fun Facts, Historical Tidbits and Weird Things About Your Cash

Let’s face it, thinking about money, or in particular the lack thereof, can be a source of stress for many folks, especially around the holidays. But as it happens, there’s much more to money than its ability to invoke panic as it pertains to your finances....

Seven Smartphone Apps for Smarter Saving, Spending, and Budgeting

Your smartphone can do a lot of amazing things: With the touch of a few buttons, you can create the ultimate workout playlist, talk and text with friends and family across the country (or the world), play games, take photos, and binge-watch the latest episodes...

Here’s How to Spot Money-Saving Gimmicks Like a Pro

When strolling your favorite clothing store, perusing the lunch menu at your regular haunt or scanning the sale items during your weekly grocery shopping trip, you may notice screaming advertisements promising massive savings and super specials all aimed at saving you money. As in so many...

How to Feel Better About Your Finances and Make Better Choices

When your finances are in a slump, your mood can act as a mirror, leaving you feeling down about your prospects of fun - and often costly - weekend plans and even anxious about future financial obligations. Obviously this is a problem, not only because you may...

A Low Credit Score Could Mean Higher Bills

The more you learn about your finances, the more you'll discover many aspects of them are intertwined, and they have a great deal of effect on each other in both good and bad ways. Knowing that, it's important to take into account your entire financial...

A Guide to Storing Important Documents

In some ways, the story of our life is told on paper. Birth, marriage, purchases, travels, finances, insurance policies, and legal issues can all be found on official, often government-issued documents that we must collect, store and keep within arm’s reach should we ever need...