Blog

It’s no secret that today’s college graduates are drowning in student debt. And even though the government recently voted to keep student loan interest rates relatively low, there’s no guarantee that they’ll stay low in the future. With graduates (and many who went to school without ever getting a degree)...

August 13, 2013

Credit card debt – it’s something that hangs over many Americans. According to the Federal Reserve, in April 2013 the average credit card debt equaled $3,364 per U.S. adult. This assumes that EVERY adult has a credit card and that those cards carry debt. But not all adults own a credit...

August 06, 2013

At some point, you’ll realize that the debt you’re carrying has gotten way out of hand. You may have a bit of a panic attack when that moment comes. You may feel a bit trapped.Take a breath. You can get through this. It’s going to take some time and a bit...

August 05, 2013

Back in 2006, The New York Times reported that the credit monitoring business was making nearly a billion dollars a year selling their services to individuals. These services purport to notify you of fraud, and usually allow you to keep close tabs on your actual credit score. But are they really worth your...

June 26, 2013

In 2012, the American Bankruptcy Institute reports that Americans filed 1,181,016 non-business bankruptcies. Even though bankruptcies have dropped significantly from the previous three years, many American families and individuals are still taking some serious financial hits. If you’re among the millions of Americans who have recently filed for bankruptcy, it’s never too...

June 19, 2013

Talking to kids about money can be difficult, and teaching them first-hand about money matters is even more so. But many of today’s adults are struggling to manage money properly, and that’s not a problem we want to pass on to the next generation. Luckily, there are plenty of hands...

May 30, 2013

Fixing an error on your credit report can be time consuming, and not a little frustrating. But with a recent FTC study showing that 26% of consumers could have potentially problematic errors on their credit reports, checking for and reporting errors is more important than ever. Why Are Credit Report Errors So...

May 23, 2013

Having spent numerous years educating and counseling service members, I have come to realize that a very large number of them have very little if any financial education.  Especially now, in my present position, counseling service members who have no knowledge of establishing credit, is a daily occurrence.  Regardless of...

May 06, 2013

The numbers are shocking. In 2012, the average credit card debt among adults aged 65+ was $9,283 (Demos). One-third of senior households has no money left over each month or is in debt after meeting essential expenses (Institute on Assets and Social Policy). The share of Americans 65 and older in the labor force went from 12.1% in 1990...

April 29, 2013

By Brian Page Personal finance is just as much about protecting what is inside of us as it is protecting what is around us. Our own personal finances have a direct impact on our emotional well-being. It is our responsibility to balance a successful personal and professional life, and be...

April 16, 2013

As a kid we knew. Well, we had to have an answer - we were asked the question all the time. Although, in my case, I didn't know. Not until I was about 30 years old. I married my husband in college and was thrust into military life right after...

March 04, 2013

Mark Cussen is a financial analyst and contributor for the website, Money Crashers Personal Finance. He writes about financial education and training and economic policy. The political uproar over the fiscal cliff issue that permeated the media back in December has faded from the news headlines. However, the effects of the resolution to...

February 26, 2013