Get smart with your money
Today’s top story: The biggest financial mistake women make. Also in the news: 4 business credit card mistakes you can’t afford to make, 5 divorce mistakes that can cost you, and why you might owe taxes this year.
The Biggest Financial Mistake Women Make
Investing is important.
4 Business Credit Card Mistakes You Can’t Afford to Make
Don’t get in over your head.
5 Divorce Mistakes That Can Cost You
No talking on Twitter.
Why You Might Owe Taxes This Year
About that tax break…
Today’s top story: Getting by on the average retirement income. Also in the news: Tips on back-to-school shopping, how to profit from someone else’s financial mistake, and how to decode your credit card bill.
Could You Get By On the Average Retirement Income?
Where does that income come from?
Cross Items Off Your Back-to-School List With These Tips
Summer is almost over.
How to Profit From Someone Else’s Financial Mistake
Saving on someone else’s purchases.
Decoding Your Credit Card Bill
Understanding the terms.
Most of us have wasted money on ill-considered purchases or stuff we really couldn’t afford. As we get more financially savvy, that happens less often. But we can still profit from other people’s bad choices.
People who prize the latest and greatest, for example, quickly need to upgrade to the next shiny thing. That leaves plenty of lightly used cars and electronics for sale at a discount.
People who can’t look beyond cosmetic damage also provide buying opportunities for those who can, since surface flaws can ding price without hurting functionality. Then there are the “d’oh” mistakes: the stuff that didn’t fit or turned out to be the wrong shade of robin’s egg blue. That stuff gets returned so it can be discounted and snapped up by frugal buyers.
In my latest for the Associated Press, three ways to profit from others’ mistakes.
Today’s top story: Small financial mistakes that could cost you big. Also in the news: Are certificates of deposit worth it right now, saving on vacations through Costco, and how changing your wireless plan could affect your credit report.
Small Financial Mistakes That Could Cost You Big
What looks like a small mistake could become expensive in the long run.
Are Certificates of Deposit Worth It Right Now?
Rates are climbing.
Costco Travel Vacations Pack Luxury and Value
Savings beyond the warehouse.
Sprint’s $15 unlimited data plan required a ‘hard pull’ credit report, and it’s not the only one
Changing your plan could impact your credit report.
Today’s top story: How to help your partner’s credit without harming your own. Also in the news: Why Millennials can count on Social Security after all, 3 smart ways to supercharge your travel rewards, and the worst financial mistake a grandparent can make.
Help Your Partner’s Credit — Without Harming Your Own
Start by talking about it.
Millennials Can Count on Social Security After All
Good news!
3 Smart Ways to Supercharge Your Travel Rewards
Spend strategically.
This is the worst financial mistake a grandparent can make
No matter how well-intentioned.
Today’s top story: Investing your tax refund so it feels like splurging. Also in the news: IRS scams to avoid, financial mistakes to watch out for, and being frugal without wasting your time.
How to Invest Your Tax Refund So It Feels Like Splurging
Long term rewards.
Don’t Fall for These IRS Scams
With tax season comes scam season.
3 Big Financial Mistakes You Don’t Want To Make
Avoiding these pitfalls.
How to Be Frugal Without Wasting Your Time
Making the most of your time AND money.
Today’s top story: Getting debt collectors off of your credit report is about to get easier. Also in the news: How to change a bad spending habit, the worst financial mistakes you can make during a divorce, and the worst markets in America to buy a home.
Why Kicking Debt Collectors Off of Your Credit Report Just Got Easier
Changes are coming to your credit report.
To Change a Spending Habit, Focus on Cause and Effect
Tiny changes could make a big difference.
3 Worst Financial Mistakes You Can Make in a Divorce
How to protect your best interests.
The 10 Worst Markets in America to Buy a Home Right Now
Where you buy matters.
Today’s top story: How to manage your credit cards while traveling abroad. Also in the news: The biggest financial mistakes each generation makes, tax mistakes you need to avoid, and how to protect your bank account from being looted by cyber criminals.
5 Credit Card Tips for Traveling Abroad
Don’t get hit with heavy fees.
3 biggest financial mistakes made by each generation
Which one is yours?
9 Tax Mistakes You Should Never Make
Simple errors that could end up costing a lot.
5 Ways to Keep Your Bank Account From Being Looted
Protecting your money.
Obamacare’s effectiveness, getting paid what you’re worth, and avoiding the embarrassment of a credit card denial.
Cutting Through the Rhetoric: Does Obamacare Work?
Yes, if you’re patient.
10 reasons your retirement plan won’t cut it
And how to fix them quickly.
7 Steps to Smart Salary Negotiation
How to get paid what you’re worth.
Financial mistakes young investors should avoid
Don’t let your enthusiasm ruin your portfolio.
Why Was My Credit Card Declined? 4 Common Reasons
Avoiding embarrassment in the checkout aisle.
Surviving unemployment, the pros and cons of taking a personal loan to pay off credit card debt, and where your state ranks on the list of America’s most debt-free.
How to survive a job loss
Tips on how to get through one of life’s most difficult times.
Use Personal Loan to Cut Credit Card Debt?
Is trading one debt for another a smart idea?
4 signs of financial immaturity in teens
Could your teen already be on the road to financial ruin?
6 Financial Mistakes We Don’t Make Anymore (and 2 We Still Do)
What financial mistakes are we still making in the “new normal”?
The Most Debt-Free States in America
This list may surprise you.