How to Have Fun without Spending Money
You can still have fun and keep within your budget — you just need to have some free fun! Look for fun activities that cost you nothing (or next to nothing): [more…]
Probing Probate: What You Should Know
Probate is a term that is used in several different ways. Probate can refer to the act of presenting a will to a court officer for filing — such as, to [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…]
Using Coupon Codes to Save Money
Unlike offline coupons that require you to bring an actual piece of paper to the store, online coupons work with codes and sometimes with special coupon links. [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 Save on Phone Bills
Keeping in touch by phone is an expensive proposition, so cutting back on the monthly phone bill is a welcome relief to many pocketbooks, saving money when you need to. [more…]
Buying Stock on Margin
Margin means buying securities, such as stocks, by using funds you borrow from your broker. Buying stock on margin is similar to buying a house with a mortgage. If you buy a house at a purchase price of [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 Calculate Return on Your Investments
When you make investments, you have the potential to make money (called a return). Money in a bank account pays interest, which is your return. You earn that small amount of interest for allowing the bank [more…]
Financial Strength Ratios for Investment Analysis
Financial strength ratios go by many names (liquidity, solvency, financial leverage), but they all point to the same thing: What is a business's financial strength and position? A balance sheet–oriented [more…]
Negotiating a Debt Collection Settlement
A debt collector may agree to let you pay less than the total amount you owe on a debt. Although settling a debt shows up as negative information in your credit report, negotiating a settlement indicates [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…]
Start Currency Trading with a Practice Account
For currency trading newbies, the best way to get a handle on currency trading is to open a practice account at any of the online foreign exchange (forex) brokers. Most online forex brokers offer practice [more…]
Benefits of Setting Up a Trust
Trusts are an important part of your estate plan when you want to leave money to your minor children. Trusts ensure that money, managed by a trustee, is set aside and made available to them when they reach [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…]
Returning to Work after Retirement: Social Security Benefit Reduction?
When you go back to work after you retired early and already started collecting Social Security, you could end up with reduced benefits. It all depends on whether you've reached your full retirement age [more…]
Introducing Basic Types of Hedge Funds
Hedge funds are designed to reduce an investment risk (called hedging) while maintaining a good return on investment. You can sort hedge funds into two basic categories: absolute-return funds and directional [more…]
How to Take Advantage of the Turmoil in a Down Market
You can’t control what happens in the markets, but you can turn market turbulence into opportunities. Consider actions like these during market declines: [more…]
How to Add Insulation to Your Home
Creating a well-insulated home gives you money-saving results right away because proper insulation makes your home much more energy efficient. Here’s how to insulate some key areas: [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…]
What Debt Collectors Can’t Do to Recover Your Debts
Knowing what debt collectors cannot do to collect a debt from you may help you deal with and protect you from their approaches to debt collection.
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act [more…]
How Roth IRAs Differ from Regular IRAs
The tax law of the United States allows a tax reduction on a limited amount of saving for retirement. The Roth IRA's principal difference from most other tax advantaged retirement plans is that, rather [more…]
What to Expect from Debt Collection against Your Unpaid Bills
Laws govern what debt collectors can do if you fall behind on an unsecured debt. If a debt collector sues you, you will be notified of the lawsuit via a summons [more…]
Filing for Personal Bankruptcy as Chapter 7 or Chapter 13
The founders of the United States foresaw that honest people might suffer severe economic misfortune or make poor choices. So, they provided for bankruptcy in the U.S. Constitution. [more…]
Developing Strategies for Trading Stock
Categorizing the phases of the market enables you to adjust your trading strategies based on current market conditions. The idea: Trade aggressively when you're confident in your market assessment, but [more…]
