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Thursday’s need-to-know money news

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imagesToday’s top story: How to tame your student loans. Also in the news: Why you shouldn’t skimp on insurance, critical personal finance tips for your first years after college, and three bills to pay off before you retire.

How to Tame Your Student Loans (Told in Under 350 Words)
Wrangling your student debt.

Don’t Skimp on Your Insurance
Pay now or pay more later.

4 Critical Personal Finance Tips for Your First Years After College
It’s a whole new world.

3 bills to pay off before you retire
Smoother sailing.

Friday’s need-to-know money news

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budgetToday’s top story: Mapping your financial journey. Also in the news: What Wells Fargo’s settlement might mean for you, six unusual ways to get out of debt, and surprising Social Security benefits for divorced spouses.

Mapping Your Financial Journey
Building a roadmap to success.

What Wells Fargo’s $185 Million Settlement May Mean for You
The Wells Fargo wagon has rolled into some big trouble.

6 Unusual Ways to Get Out of Debt
You don’t have to deliver pizzas.

2 surprising Social Security benefits some divorced spouses can get
All is not lost.

Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

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teen-creditToday’s top story: What to know about cash-back shopping websites. Also in the news: Tips to slash unnecessary monthly expenses, what you need to know about online bill pay, and the factors that affect your credit card’s interest rate.

What to Know About Cash-Back Shopping Sites
Getting rewarded for shopping!

4 Tips to Slash Unnecessary Monthly Expenses
Cutting out the fat.

Online Bill Pay: What It Is and Why You Should Use It
Making your bill paying life easier.

The Factors That Affect Your Credit Card’s Interest Rate and How to Tell If Yours Is Too High
What’s driving your rate?

Secrets of next-door millionaires

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The way most Americans build wealth is no secret: Save, invest, repeat. How average people keep their wealth, though, gets a lot less attention.

It boils down to how they handle risk. It’s hard to accumulate wealth without taking some risks, but there are perils that “next-door millionaires” seem to avoid.

Next-door millionaires weren’t born into wealth. They haven’t invented killer apps or won the lottery, exercised a pile of stock options or played professional sports. They’re the majority of millionaires, and they include teachers, small business owners and professionals who accumulate wealth gradually over time. They’re often in their 50s or 60s before their net worth ticks over to seven digits.

In my latest column for the Associated Press, how to apply the secrets of next-door millionaires to your own finances.

Thursday’s need-to-know money news

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currencyToday’s top story: Why you’ll always need cash. Also in the news: Must-know tips for selling your home, nontraditional ways to fund your retirement, and why people with low checking account balances pay high fees.

Why You’ll Always Need Cash
We’re not going all-digital just yet.

5 Must-Know Tips for Selling Your Home
How to get your asking price.

10 Nontraditional Ways to Fund Your Retirement
Thinking outside the box.

People with low checking account balances pay over $500 a year in fees
Overdraft fees can pile up quickly.

Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

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imagesToday’s top story: Simple ways to teach your kids about money. Also in the news: Investing tips for those in their 20s, the best things about buying a house in the fall, and why you should look at frugality as a method instead of a lifestyle.

Simple Ways to Teach Your Children About Money
It’s never too early to start.

5 Investing Tips for Your 20s
Taking the longview.

The 7 Best Things About Buying a House in the Fall
Timely tax deductions.

Think of frugality as a method, not a lifestyle, to avoid wasting your time
It’s not just about saving money.