Wednesday’s need-to-know money news

HomeInheriting Grandma’s frequent-flier miles, how to pay less for homeowner’s insurance, and what you need to know about rising interest rates.

How Student Loans Can Hurt Your Mortgage Application
Those pesky student loans can reduce your ability to borrow money.

Can You Inherit or Transfer Your Frequent-Flier Miles?
What happens to Grandma’s miles after she takes her final flight?

How to Reduce Your Home Insurance Costs
Home insurance doesn’t have to break the bank.

The Best Children’s Books for Money Lessons
It’s never too early to start teaching kids how to manage their money.

5 Things to Know About Rising Interest Rates
How to navigate the new lending environment.

Friday’s need-to-know money news

Old windmill in the town of Gorinchem. NetherlandsHow to save big bucks when traveling, preparing for back to school shopping, and what mistakes to avoid when managing your 401(k).

5 Coolest Travel Share Websites
Why pay for an overpriced hotel room when you can have the literal run of the house?

9 Money Management Tips for Newly Employed Millennials
Finally making real money is exciting. But finding ways to save it is vital.

Help with Managing Finances for People with Disabilities
Things to take into consideration when taking care of a disabled person’s finances.

2013 Sales Tax Holidays for Back-to-School Shopping
Find out when your state’s holiday is and what purchases will be tax-free.

The Experts: The Biggest 401(k) Mistakes to Avoid
Important tips on how to properly manage your 401(k).

Wednesday’s need-to-know money news

creditThe mystery behind credit scores, why buy a dress when you can rent one, and what turns Americans off about haggling.

What Really Influences Your Credit Score?
The creators of the VantageScore, a rival to the leading FICO, discuss the formula behind the numbers.

Taking Control of Your Personal Debt

While the math may be simple, the choices can be difficult.

Should You Rent Your Next Dress?
Why pay thousands for a designer dress you’ll wear only a few times?

The Secrets of Super Travelers
How to travel like the pros.

Haggling Can Pay, But Many Americans Refuse to Bargain
Why Americans are wary of this worldwide custom.

Friday’s need-to-know money news

HertzThe best place to rent a car for your summer road trip, six surprises that could ruin your retirement and how baby boomers can keep their identities safe both online and off.

The Best Car Rental Agency in America
Before you hit the road this summer, find out who has the best rental policies.

Insider Shopping Tips From a Grocery Store Cashier
How to get more for your dollar at the supermarket.

Don’t Let These Six Surprises Ruin Your Retirement
Rule No. 1: Expect the Unexpected

Homeowner Tax Breaks Not as Great as You Think
Tax breaks always sound good, but they don’t always pay off.

How Boomers Can Keep Their Identities Safe
Simple tips to protect your identity.

Thursday’s need-to-know money news

iStock_000013037442XSmallProtecting your finances while on the road this summer, prioritizing your debt and how to find a job after graduation.

The 10 Commandments of Summer Travel
Thou shall follow these tips to keep your finances and identity safe this summer.

Sizzlin’ Summer Financial Reads
Feed your mind while working on your tan.

Which to Tackle First: High-Interest Debt or Small-Balance Debt?
The best methods for prioritizing your debt.

How I Found a Job After Graduation
Seven recent grads share their employment world successes.

Is Your Neighbor Hurting Your Home’s Value?
Bad neighbors can lead to bad home values.

Wednesday’s need-to-know money news

Passenger airplane landing on runway in airport.The myth of open houses, the credit report you never knew about and how to avoid being squeezed by airlines.

The Credit Report You Haven’t Seen Yet

How “alternative credit data” could help you get approved at lower rates.

Cyber-thieves: More Tips on How to Protect Yourself From Credit Card Theft

Protecting you and your credit from cyber-theft.

Are Open Houses a Waste of Sellers’ Time?

Open Houses are not only a waste of time; they could be an open invitation to thieves.

The Worst Fee-Greedy Airlines

From bag fees to charging to make reservations by phone, airlines are determined to squeeze as much money out of passengers as possible.

When to Buy a Mutual Fund

There’s money to be made in mutual funds, if you have the patience.

Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

Handsome man in garageTips on summer finances, the dangers of excessive mortgages and how not to turn your home into a money pit.

How to Save More Money This Month
Six ideas to help you get through June without breaking the bank.

No, You Shouldn’t Take Out the Largest Mortgage Possible
Don’t be tempted by still-low mortgage rates.

How to Give Your Finances a Summer Makeover
Ten tips on strengthening your finances over the summer months.

Nail Your Home Renovation Budget
How to ensure your home does not become a money pit.

How to Avoid a Summer Vacation Disaster
Don’t let your summer vacation turn into a summer nightmare.

Monday’s need-to-know money news

Flying Piggy BankHow to get the most out of your summer vacation, protecting yourself from medical identity theft, correcting financial myths and how to start saving for retirement.

3 Ways to Maximize Your Frequent Flier Miles This Summer

While holiday blackouts can make redeeming frequent flier miles difficult during the summer, there are still good deals to be had if you know where to look.

How to Protect Yourself from Fraud at the Hospital

Identity thieves are targeting victims at their most vulnerable. Find out what you can do to protect yourself.

Want More Time Off? Some Employers Let You Buy It

A novel approach to managing vacation time could allow you to purchase a day off or sell time you’re not going to use.

Financial Advisers Correct Common Personal Finance Myths

Meet the five common personal finance myths and how to avoid them.

How To Start Saving For Retirement

The good news is that it’s not too late. The bad news is that it will be if you wait any longer.

Thursday’s need-to-know money news

YCS4 coverGood credit, stolen credit and ways to save on travel to the vacation home you should have purchased when mortgage rates were historically low.

Five Reasons Why You Can’t Ignore Your Credit

While living debt free is a good thing, living credit free can have unforeseen and expensive consequences.

Here’s Everything We Know About The Rakuten/Buy.com Credit Card Breaches

If you’ve shopped at the online marketplace recently, you should pay very close attention to your statements.

26 Secrets to Save on Travel

Flying on a Saturday afternoon may not sound like fun, but it could save you big bucks.

Farewell 3% Mortgage Rates

Job gains and an improving economy signal the end of historically low mortgage rates.

Smarter travel planning this summer

GondolaIt’s time to plan some summer fun, and yesterday’s “Smarter Travel” Tweetchat with Ally Bank featured some great tips. (You can check out the conversation using #allymoneychat on Twitter.)

Here are some ideas to cut your costs:

Travel outside the box. Your options aren’t just “fly or drive”? Donna Freedman recommends checking out the Megabus. “I went from Philly to NYC for $1.50. Could make day trips really cheap.” She also traveled on the Megabus in the United Kingdom for a fraction of what the train fare would have cost. Speaking of trains, overnight trips on Amtrak can be pretty expensive, but we’ve scored free roomettes (double-bunk sleeper) and bedrooms on overnight trips up and down the West Coast using Starwood points that we dumped into Amtrak’s Guest Rewards program.

Cut hotel costs. Once again, your choices aren’t just “hotel or bunk with friends”? Check out Airbnb or VRBO or consider a house swap.

Book strategically. The best day to book airfares is often Tuesday, while the cheapest day to fly is usually Wednesday. But Bing’s price predictor can help you figure out whether to snap up a fare or wait a little longer. (Just search for an airfare, and the predictor will give you the likelihood the current fare will increase or drop.) Join frequent flyer programs and sign up for email newsletters so you can hear about special sales. Kiplinger has more here in its “21 secrets to save on travel.”

Rescue orphaned miles. Got points in a travel program you no longer use? You may be able to shift them to a loyalty program you do use. Check out Webflyer.com’s Mileage Converter to explore the possibilities. Speaking of points:

Don’t settle for expensive. Last-minute trips don’t have to be budget-busters. Airlines may release more seats a few days prior to the flight so that you can book them with frequent flyer miles. Priceline and Hotwire are great places to bid for cheap flights, rooms and cars.

Re-shop your reservations. Change fees make rebooking airfares tough on most carriers, but you can typically change hotel and car rental reservations without penalty. I usually book a few months in advance, then check three weeks out and again a week out to see if hotel or car rates have fallen.

Plan cheap fun. Last time we visited Hawaii we bought an Entertainment book for the islands before we left. The $10 we spent for the book was offset with our first museum visit; the coupons for other activities and restaurants were a bonus. Donna suggests talking to locals and doing searches for “free/cheap things to doyou’re your destination. “Maybe something just opened & isn’t on the general radar yet,” she noted.