Filed under: Retire, Retirement Advice
Kiplinger, one of my favorite personal advice sites, today offered 12 rules for making money, especially retirement savings, last. Nothing wrong with their advice, but it neglects what I think is one of the most important considerations — how to keep Uncle Sam out of your pocket.
Here’s what Kiplinger advises, plus some tax and other advice worth considering:
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Filed under: Debt
While most of the economic news out there isn’t too encouraging, here’s something positive to think about: The amount of debt Americans owe on their credit cards is dropping.
In fact, it’s at its lowest level in eight years, according to TransUnion, one of the nation’s largest credit bureaus. The average amount that people owe on their credit cards is currently $4,951, down from the $5,719 it was a year before. In addition, more borrowers made payments on time in the last quarter compared to the year before.
Filed under: Debt, Consumer Ally
If a debt collector calls and threatens to sue or have you thrown in jail unless you immediately authorize a payment from a bank account, hang up because it’s a scam, says Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.
Madigan has issued a consumer alert warning people to be on the lookout for scammers posing as payday loan debt collectors. They call and threaten either a lawsuit or even arrest unless a payment is made. The state has seen a rise in consumer complaints of these bogus collection calls in recent weeks. In most cases, the callers already have some personal information about the consumer, including a place of employment and Social Security number. They also say they have the consumer’s bank account number on file and ask to confirm the number.
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Filed under: Banks
Not all bankers are villains.
Though you probably find that pretty hard to believe these days, what with all the loan foreclosures and obscure and punishing fees banks are charging even their best customers.
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Filed under: Debt, Wealth, Bankruptcy
Danielle Liss knew she was headed for a financial crisis. The Nevada-based lawyer had watched her credit card debt climb to $37,000, and she’d recently borrowed $45,000 from a relative. For the time being, she was keeping her head above water, but the date by which she needed to start paying off her six-figure student loans was less than a year away.
Filed under: Budgets, Insurance, Retire, Health
What expenses can you ditch in retirement to save a little cash? SmartMoney.com identifies this list of six items: (Continue the story…)
Filed under: Budgets, Insurance, Retire, Health
What expenses can you ditch in retirement to save a little cash? SmartMoney.com identifies this list of six items: (Continue the story…)
Filed under: Debt, Tax, Consumer Ally, In the News
California Attorney General Edmund Brown is suing TV’s Tax Lady Roni Deutch for $34 million, claiming she duped thousands of consumers who sought her tax advice.
Filed under: Credit, Debt, Bankruptcy
To say that Billy Glynn expresses controversial, self-styled views for solving America’s economic woes is putting it mildly. A self-described “think tank of one,” the venture capitalist and entrepreneur is used to raising money by the millions in fields from music technology to molecular science; InformationWeek once ranked him as one of 15 top global innovators.
Filed under: Debt, Family Money, Bankruptcy, Student Loans
With $830 billion in student loans outstanding in America, mounting student loan debt is increasingly wreaking havoc on the lives of U.S. college graduates and dropouts alike.