Making Sound Financial Decisions
Sound decisions are the key to having a healthy financial life – to building wealth, paying off or staying out of debt, and to building a good credit score. Even the small, day-to-day money decisions…
latoyairby
LaToya Irby is a full-time freelance writer and a graduate of the University of Alabama. She primarily writes about personal finance, freelancing, and other self-employment topics.
Discover to Refund Cardholders for Payment Protection Fees
As part of a settlement with the FDIC and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Discover is required to refund about $200 million to cardholders who enrolled in credit protection plans by phone. Payment protection plans…
When a Merchant Incorrectly Charges Your Card
When we use our credit cards, we trust the businesses swiping our cards to charge the correct amount. But, don’t get so comfortable that you forget to check your credit card statement to confirm that…
Big Balances Can Be Big Trouble
Credit limits can be deceiving. While they do represent the maximum amount your credit card issuer will let you charge, it’s not necessarily the amount you should charge. In fact, your credit card balance should…
Six Reasons to Have a Savings Account
A recent survey conducted by the FDIC shows that 25% of American households lack a savings account. You can certainly save money outside a savings account – by stacking the cash in a safe place…
Are You Checking Your Credit Score Too Often?
Reading about credit scores often can make you paranoid. You probably already know that credit scores are important for many of your financial moves – even those that don’t involve borrowing. Because your score is…
Withdrawing From an IRA
If you’re looking for money to pay off your debt or accomplish another big financial goal, you may consider the funds you’ve put in your IRA or individual retirement account. Be care, depending on the…
Credit Reports Don’t Tell a Complete Financial Story
In the world of finances, your credit report is one of the most important documents because it contains so much information about your financial habits. Your credit report is pulled from a database to which…
Making "Pay Yourself First" Work
Saving isn’t easy. It’s especially hard when you try to save what’s left over after you’ve paid all your other expenses. For one, you may not have much money left over after paying bills. And…
Borrowing a Title Loan is Risky
If you’ve incurred unexpected financial emergency, but don’t have an emergency fund or sufficient credit to bail you out, you might be tempted to take out a title loan. Be careful, these loans are one…