Get smart with your money
Good financial advice leaves you better off. Bad advice does the opposite, and may even enrich someone else at your expense.
In my latest for the Associated Press, some areas where you need to be particularly careful to seek out good advice, since bad advice can be so costly.
Today’s top story: How to give money advice that sticks. Also in the news: 3 steps to spring clean your credit card debt, how to research 401(k) funds on Morningstar, and using a loan to pay your tax bill.
How to Give Money Advice That Sticks
Focus on what you say and how you say it.
3 Steps to Spring-Clean Your Credit Card Debt
Scrub that debt away.
How to Research 401(k) Funds on Morningstar
Navigating the investment research company.
Should You Use a Loan to Pay Your Tax Bill?
Check the interest first.
Today’s top story: 5 tips for finding the best mortgage lenders. Also in the news: 8 warning signs you won’t finish college, the best financial advice at every age, and how to make your finances more flexible before the next recession.
5 Tips for Finding the Best Mortgage Lenders
8 warning signs you won’t finish college
All of the debt without the degree.
The Best Financial Advice at Every Age
Money moves by the decade.
How to Make Your Finances More Flexible Before the Next Recession
Knowing what to prioritize.
Unsolicited money advice is like stale fruitcake: Most people wish the givers would just keep it to themselves.
Still, those who are “good with money” often want to help friends and family who struggle. Many of us remember the timely money tip that made all the difference: when a co-worker suggested we contribute to the company’s 401(k), for example, or that time a relative warned us off an investment that really was too good to be true.
In my latest for the Associated Press, I turned to neuropsychologist and executive coach Moira Somers, author of “Advice That Sticks: How to Give Financial Advice That People Will Follow.” Her book was written for financial planners, but the techniques she suggests, backed by behavioral finance research, could be helpful for anyone who wants to give effective money counsel.
Today’s top story: The best financial advice at any age. Also in the news: What you can do about gender-based hikes for car insurance, trading privacy for car insurance discounts, and how to decide what to splurge on.
The Best Financial Advice at Every Age
The best financial moves to make by decade.
What You Can Do About Gender-Based Rate Hikes for Car Insurance
Older women often pay more.
Should You Give Up Privacy for Car Insurance Discounts?
The new trend of usage-based insurance.
How to Decide What to Splurge On
Treat yourself.
Today’s top story: How to know if paying for money advice is paying off. Also in the news: 5 inconvenient truths about real estate agents, the 10 fastest-growing metro areas, and Millennials are loading up on personal loans.
How to Know If Paying for Money Advice Is Paying Off
Calculating your return on investment.
5 Inconvenient Truths About Real Estate Agents
What to know before hiring one.
Home Affordability Watch: The 10 Fastest-Growing Metro Areas
The 10 fastest-growing metro areas, ranked from most to least affordable.
Not just student loans: Millennials are also loading up on this kind of debt
Personal loans are a favorite of this generation.