Today’s top story: What a poor credit score can cost you. Also in the news: The worst money moves for the new year, how to cut next year’s expenses, and tips to get tax season started off on the right foot. What a poor credit rating is costing you Your job prospects could be at […]
Recent Blog Posts
Column: Five ways do-gooders can erase student-loan debt
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – When P.K. Drago graduated from George Washington University in 2009 at the peak of the Great Recession with $40,000 in student loan debt, she decided to do volunteer work. “It was not a good time” to get a job, the 26-year-old now says, and so she joined AmeriCorps, a volunteer organization […]
Five ways do-gooders can erase student-loan debt
LOS ANGELES, Dec 30 (Reuters) – When P.K. Drago graduated from George Washington University in 2009 at the peak of the Great Recession with $40,000 in student loan debt, she decided to do volunteer work. “It was not a good time” to get a job, the 26-year-old now says, and so she joined AmeriCorps, a […]
Can you be too cautious about spending money?
Dear Liz: I think I have a phobia about spending money. I’m a young professional who has devoted a lot of time to building up my savings account. I also contribute sizable amounts to my 401(k) and IRA each month. I pay off my credit cards each month, and I am making larger-than-necessary payments on […]
Don’t invest emergency cash
Dear Liz: I always hear you talking about having an emergency savings fund. Most people that I’ve heard talk about this recommend keeping it in cash. I just couldn’t stand watching that money languish in a low-interest savings account, so I recently moved it over to my brokerage account and purchased a few exchange-traded funds. […]
Use a credit card like a debit card to avoid debt
Dear Liz: Here’s a suggestion for the reader who prefers a debit card to a credit card so she will not get in debt: Use your credit card as a debit card. Every month I pay any credit card balance plus an additional amount equal to a month’s average purchases. Then I keep track of […]