Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

Zemanta Related Posts ThumbnailToday’s top story: What life is like when you default on your student loans. Also in the news: How to get the most from selling your old cell phone, five financial questions everyone needs to know the answers to, and how having no credit score can make life difficult.

3 Grads Reveal What It’s Really Like To Default On Student Loans
It’s not a pretty picture.

Selling Your Old Cellphone? Read This First
How to get the most out of your phone.

Here’s a Financial Literacy Test You Need to Pass
Can you answer these five questions?

5 Ways Having No Credit Score Can Hurt You
Not having a credit score can hurt as much as having a bad one.

Friday’s need-to-know money news

Zemanta Related Posts ThumbnailToday’s top story: Credit report red flags that only your lender can see. Also in the news: What to do when you receive a windfall, how financial literacy can help fight domestic violence, and important tax info for freelancers.

4 Credit Report Red Flags You Don’t See – But Your Lender Does
Secret warning signs only your lender can see.

3 Things to Do When a Bunch of Money Falls in Your Lap
Think twice before buying the sports car.

How Financial Literacy Can Fight Domestic Violence
Knowledge is power.

25 Financial Terms Everyone Should Know
There may be a quiz!

Important Tax Basics for Freelancers
Sorting through the confusion.

Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

Zemanta Related Posts ThumbnailToday’s top story: Why your digital assets should be part of your estate planning. Also in the news: Three reasons to consolidate your 401(k) into an IRA, what the proposed AT&T/DirecTV deal means for you, and twelve things you should always try to negotiate.

Estate Planning 101: Don’t Forget About Your Digital Assets
Your social media accounts and iTunes purchases need to be protected.

Three Big Reasons to Consolidate Your 401(k) Into An IRA
Reducing fees is a big one.

What AT&T, DirecTV deal means for you
Our choices in entertainment providers are becoming increasingly slim.

12 Things You Should Always Negotiate On
Negotiating may be awkward, but it can save you money.

Should you have to pass a test to get a loan?
Would proving financial literacy reduce the number of defaults?

Money rules rock

Zemanta Related Posts ThumbnailThe more you learn about personal finance, the more you realize that “one size fits all” advice doesn’t really fit all. There are often too many exceptions, too many differences in upbringing, personality, culture, financial situations and goals to confidently say, “This is what everyone should do.”

Yet at the same time, people want clear direction. Give them too much information, and many just freeze up. Rather than do the wrong thing, they do nothing–which may be the worst thing of all.

So I was delighted to read about an MIT study that found rules of thumb helped small business owners more than teaching them accounting standards. The simple approach produced “economically meaningful improvements in business practices and outcomes,” according to “Keeping It Simple: Financial Literacy and Rules of Thumb.”

That gives me hope that the “money rules of thumb” pieces I write might actually help you get ahead. With that in mind, please click through to read my latest column for DailyWorth, “7 Money Rules You Need to Know.”

 

Friday’s need-to-know money news

Zemanta Related Posts ThumbnailToday’s top story: How to find the right credit card. Also in the news: Improving your financial knowledge, setting good financial examples for your kids, and why payday loans are as bad as Peeps.

What Credit Cards Should I Avoid?
Finding the card that best suits your needs.

5 Ways to Improve Your Financial Knowledge
Celebrating Financial Literacy Month!

Your Bad Financial Habits Can Hurt Your Kids
The ways in which you spend money can be a bad influence on your kids.

The may be sweet, but they’ll rot your wallet.

Social Security Debt: Do You Owe and Should You Worry?
What to do with overpayments.

What you–and your kids–really need to know about money

Zemanta Related Posts ThumbnailIn case you haven’t noticed, efforts to teach financial literacy in schools and elsewhere are a pretty big failure.

As a nation we’re not getting much better at managing our money. Efforts to change that by teaching money skills in schools haven’t done much to improve the situation. Follow-up studies on people who took financial literacy courses in school typically show the education has little effect. So the debate rages on about whether we should still try.

You won’t be surprised, given what I do, that I think it’s essential people educate themselves and their kids about money. So I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s Google Hangout with CFP Neal Frankle, who runs the Wealth Pilgrim site, where we’ll talk about financial literacy, including ways to get it and give it. The event is sponsored by Bankrate and AOL DailyFinance.

If you’d like to join us, our chat will stream live starting at 2 p.m. Eastern, 11 a.m. Pacific. Hope to see you there!

Update: If you missed the event, the link to our conversation can be found here, on the DailyFinance site.

 

 

 

Monday’s need-to-know money news

Zemanta Related Posts ThumbnailToday’s top story: The tax mistake you cannot afford to make. Also in the news: The best time to shop for Christmas (seriously), how to keep your kids out of debt, and how to use your Roth IRA as an emergency fund.

The 1 Tax Mistake You Must Not Make
Making sure your figures match.

Best Time to Shop, Save for Christmas? Now
It’s practically right around the corner!

5 Tips for Keeping Your Kids (and Grandkids) Out of Debt
Teaching the value of money during Financial Literacy Month.

How To Use Your Roth IRA As An Emergency Fund
Not just for retirement.

Negotiate Your College Financial Aid to Get the Best Deal
If done right, the school of your choice could match your best offer.

Wednesday’s need-to-know money news

Today’s top story: The key factors to getting the lowest mortgage rate. Also in the news: Personal finance trends for 2014, how to make teaching your kids about money fun, and what you can do to make good financial decisions all day long. girlcoins

The Most Important Factors to Getting the Lowest Mortgage Rate
Your credit score is key.

5 personal finance trends to expect in 2014
Mortgage rates will begin to slowly increase.

Making Financial Literacy Fun
Teaching your kids about money doesn’t have to be torture.

5 Ways to Make Good Money Choices All Day Long
Daily reminders can be a big help.

10 money lessons from elderly Americans
Advice from those who have seen it all.

Friday’s need-to-know money news

School Kids DiversityWhy schools are lacking financial literacy classes, what retirees need to consider before buying a new car, and how to get the most from your wholesale club membership.

Why We Want—But Can’t Have—Personal Finance in Schools
Is financial literacy as important as historical literacy?

Should Retirees Finance a Car or Pay Cash?
Several things retirees should consider before getting behind the wheel.

10 Mistakes Even Savvy Stock Investors Make
Tweeter does not equal Twitter.

Don’t Count on Home Equity to Fund Retirement
Being realistic about the equity in your home.

Ways to Save: Best, worst buys at wholesale clubs
Do you really need that ten pound jar of peanuts?