Get smart with your money
Okay, you’re on overload with all the last-minute shopping, cooking, preparing for guests and/or traveling. But try to squeeze in a few money tasks before year-end. Including: Contribute to an IRA. You can put money into an IRA even if you have a retirement plan through work, but you may not be able to deduct […]
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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Starting January 1, families with college-bound students will begin submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is the key to getting most grants, scholarships and loans, but filling it out can be a nightmare. The application form “is much too complicated,” according to financial aid expert Mark […]
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Today’s top story: What to do if you’re part of the Target credit card breach. Also in the news: 3 reasons to start your taxes early, why more Americans are looking to get their financial houses in order, and how to hunt for a job during the holidays. 3 Reasons to Start Your Taxes Now […]
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Mortgage servicer Ocwen was ordered today to cut clients’ loan balances by $2 billion and refund $125 million to the nearly 185,000 borrowers who have already been foreclosed. Ocwen is the country’s largest non-bank mortgage service company according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which filed the proposed court order along with regulatory authorities in […]
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Writing about holiday tipping for MSN was always a bit fraught, mostly because a fair number of people every year seemed to think I invented the practice–and resented me deeply for it. Here’s the scoop, per the Emily Post Institute: Holiday tipping exists. It’s a thing, in every region of the country. Who you tip […]
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Today’s top story: Financial tips that should be ignored. Also in the news: Lessons from Millennials, questions to ask about your health-care costs during retirement, and learning the basics of the 401(k). 5 Financial Tips That Can Lead You Astray Tips that belong on the Do Not Follow list. 20 Lessons We Can Learn From […]
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Congratulations to Kim from Davis, California, who won the copy of Mary Hunt’s “The Smart Woman’s Guide to Planning for Retirement” that I was giving away last week. This week’s giveaway is Beverly Herzog’s “Confessions of a Credit Junkie.” Beverly made big mistakes with her credit, but was able to dig her way out. In […]
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The more you understand about how credit works, the more frustrated you get with how much misinformation is floating around out there. At least, that’s true for me and the three experts who joined me last week on a Google hangout to talk about “Credit myths that need to die.” John Ulzheimer, who’s worked at […]
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Today’s top story: How to stop the barrage of credit card offers. Also in the news: How to lower your property tax bills, keeping your financial resolutions, and why playing a lottery that you’ll never, ever win could be a good thing. How to Stop Getting Credit Card Offers in the Mail Opting out of […]
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