You’ve done all the right prep work to buy a home. You saved for a down payment, cleaned up your credit, and got pre-approved for a mortgage. You found a home that you can afford, and now the days are ticking down to closing—and everything seems too good to be true. Unfortunately, it could be. [...]
Investing may seem like it’s just for the super-rich, but you don’t need a million dollars to start. In fact, you can start investing with a measly $1,000. If you have a job that offers a retirement savings plan, you’ve probably already started making some investments. The next step—investing on your own—really isn’t that scary, [...]
Growing up, I was constantly told that buying a home was the American Dream. When I was in the military, I was sometimes looked down upon because I was a renter, but it just made more sense for me at the time. Here are four reasons you might consider renting rather than buying a home: [...]
You don’t need to be rich to start investing or saving money. Even people working at their first jobs or newlyweds living on a tight budget can develop the habit of saving. Here are five ways to automate your savings program to make it effortless: 1. Set up a savings account and simply arrange automatic [...]
This article was written by guest blogger Bahiyah Shabazz. Imagine you’re taking a summer road trip and the check engine light on your dashboard suddenly pops on. You pull over to the nearest auto shop to get a diagnosis, only to find out that your transmission is going out. The mechanic can fix it today, [...]
Given the flooding, wildfires, tornadoes, and other severe weather of the past few years, you’re probably fully aware that these conditions have a direct impact on rising homeowner’s insurance costs. If you haven’t already, it’s likely you soon will be contacting your insurance agent to find a way to combat these huge rate increases. However, [...]
It’s one of the most common financial conundrums: What do you do when your spouse’s money style is different from yours? If your spouse is the polar opposite of you when it comes to money management, you may have challenges to overcome. According to a working paper, Fatal (Fiscal) Attraction, published by professors at Northwestern [...]
Even if you’ve done a great job saving up money for retirement, you may eventually face healthcare expenses that could quickly drain your savings. Fidelity estimates that a 65-year-old couple needs $220,000 for healthcare expenses in retirement, but the truth is that healthcare costs are tough to quantify because you never know what issues you [...]
Did you go into shock when you saw how the 2014 tax laws affect you? I couldn’t believe how much of a marriage penalty Congress created. We’re back to the bad old days, when my best advice for folks in the top tax brackets was to get a divorce. Divorce can be good for your [...]
This article was written by guest blogger Steve Cook. Many of the important differences between buying a condominium and buying a single-family home are obvious: living space, neighborhood type, yard, maintenance, convenience, amenities, security, utilities, and transportation. However, there are some lesser-known, and often overlooked, differences that should also be considered when deciding between a [...]
