Dummies.com: Personal Finance

How to Read Stock Tables

Newspaper-published stock tables give you daily updates and trends in stock performance. To make smart investment moves, you need to understand stock symbols, P/E ratios, dividend payments and yield, trading [more…]

How to Trim Spending

You can cut back on spending in times when money is tight, but spending less doesn’t mean you have to cut out the things you enjoy. Here are some ways you can trim the money tree, pain-free: [more…]

How to Cut Back on Unrequired Expenses

You can reduce the amount of money you spend in all kinds of ways, and many of these expense cutbacks don’t require that you reduce your standard of living — only that you make more deliberate decisions [more…]

How to Solve Financial Shortfalls

If you have a shortfall after you calculate your required expenses, something’s gotta give to eliminate that shortfall. When you’re faced with a shortfall [more…]

How to Create a Monthly Budget

Does the word budget send chills up your spine? It shouldn’t. Budgets allow you to have some control over what you spend. A monthly budget can help you to decide how to spend your money, plan for your [more…]

How to Boost Your Household Income

When you can’t make ends meet with expense cuts, look at income. You, your partner, and any children you have can generate additional income — income that can soften the money woes that come with a dicey [more…]

How to Avoid Unnecessary Banking and Credit Card Fees

Even small fees can take their toll on your finances, so try to avoid fees whenever you can. To avoid getting dinged for unnecessary fees, follow this advice: [more…]

How to Save on Insurance

Given all the insurance coverage you need — health insurance, homeowner’s insurance, life insurance, auto insurance — those costs can take a large bite out of your bank account. Fortunately, you can reduce [more…]

How to Get Discounts on Homeowner’s Insurance

If you own your home and have homeowner’s insurance on it, you can qualify for discounts on your homeowner’s insurance policy. Reduce risk, the chances of having a claim at all, and the severity of any [more…]

How to Use Insurance Coverage You Already Have

You can make your insurance policies really work for you by taking advantage of the insurance coverage those policies offer that you may not even know about — and, in the process, avoid paying for unnecessary [more…]

How to Save on Individual Health Coverage

If you have or want individual health insurance coverage, you can do several things to help lower the costs of that health insurance, saving money while still having the protection of health coverage. [more…]

How to Borrow from Your 401(k)

You can borrow from your 401(k) only if your plan document allows you to borrow for the specific reason you have in mind. Some 401(k) plans permit borrowing for any reason, but most permit loans only for [more…]

How to Roll Over Your 401(k)

If you leave your job, the most sensible thing to do with your 401(k) from a tax-management point of view is a 401(k) direct rollover (also known as a trustee-to-trustee transfer) of the money. With this [more…]

Tax-Deferred Ways to Save for College

Saving money for college (yours or your children’s) is a good thing, even when financial times are tough. Uncle Sam backs up that college-investment philosophy with a variety of savings programs that contain [more…]

The Types of Federal Student Assistance Programs

The U.S. Department of Education gives out a substantial amount of money to help students and their families afford the costs of higher education. Student financial aid from the federal government requires [more…]

The Types of Federal Student Loans

Four major types of federal loans are available to students or their parents: Stafford Loans, PLUS Loans, Perkins Loans, and Consolidation Loans. Each type of loan is aimed at a different set of people [more…]

How to Defer or Discharge Student Loan Debt

Under special circumstances, you can receive a deferment on the repayment of your federal student loans. You may even get your entire student loan debt forgiven [more…]

How to Decide Whether to Refinance a Fixed-Rate Mortgage

If you have a fixed-rate mortgage and interest rates drop, you may want to refinance the same mortgage loan to reduce your monthly payments. The following table shows monthly payments for 15- and 30-year [more…]

How to Develop Good Shopping Habits

Shopping can often feel like a black hole on your finances. To keep your shopping trips from turning into a spending frenzy, use these habits and think about how you can spend more thoughtfully. [more…]

How to Use Coupons Wisely

The key to effective coupon use is to be organized about the process. Every coupon you need but can’t easily locate is cash slipping through your fingers. [more…]