Get smart with your money
Investment management can cost as little as 0.25 percent of a portfolio’s value each year. Yet many people still pay 1 percent, or even more, for financial advice.
Whether they’re getting a good deal depends on exactly what they get in exchange. Spoiler alert: Many should be getting a lot more, or paying a lot less.
In my latest for the Associated Press, how to determine if you’re paying too much or getting a good deal on financial advice.
Today’s top story: How to rebound from natural disaster debt. Also in the news: Quitting your job without another lined up, a 5-step recipe for financial success, and how to get in the holiday spirit without going into debt.
How to Rebound From Natural Disaster Debt
Slow and steady recovery.
Ask Brianna: Should I Quit My Job Without Another Lined Up?
Escaping a job you hate.
Your 5-step recipe for financial success
Five simple steps.
How to get in the holiday spirit without going into debt
A budget is essential.
Today’s top story: What to do if an ATM eats your deposit. Also in the news: Betterment adds a charitable giving option, 3 things you definitely shouldn’t finance, and the best Cyber Monday sales for 2017.
What to Do if an ATM Eats Your Deposit
Don’t panic.
Betterment Adds a Charitable Giving Option
Just in time for Giving Tuesday.
3 things you definitely shouldn’t finance
Don’t take out that credit card just yet.
Best Cyber Monday Sales for 2017
No need to fight the crowds.
Today’s top story: Black Friday snafus and the insurance that fixes them. Also in the news: Holiday credit card promotions, how to skip long lines at the airport without spending a dime, and five things you shouldn’t buy on Black Friday.
Black Friday Snafus and the Insurance That Fixes Them
Protect yourself.
Are Holiday Credit Card Promotions Right for You?
Reading the fine print.
Skip Long Lines at the Airport — Without Spending a Dime
What you need to know.
5 things you shouldn’t buy on Black Friday
Hold out for real bargains.
Discussing economic class is tricky in America, but the working and middle classes face vastly different financial challenges than upper-income families, and the gaps are growing wider. Good money advice for high earners could be lousy for low earners, and vice versa.
For example, certified financial planners recommend saving a three-month emergency fund before tackling other money goals.
That advice can make sense for affluent families — those who can afford a financial planner — since high earners often have enough discretionary income to create an emergency fund quickly. For families living paycheck to paycheck, the same advice could be an expensive mistake.
In my latest for the Associated Press, why good money advice isn’t one size fits all.
Today’s top story: What doesn’t affect your credit score. Also in the news: A crash course for first-time Black Friday shoppers, how far your money will stretch on Black Friday, and how to pick a college that won’t break the bank.
What Doesn’t Affect Your Credit Score
Focusing on the important factors.
A Crash Course for First-Time Black Friday Shoppers
Tips for rookies.
See How Far Your Money Will Stretch on Black Friday
Getting the most for your money.
How to pick a college that won’t break the bank
Avoiding years of student loan repayment.