Filed under: Borrowing, Debt, Family Money, Consumer Ally
Homeowners desperate to dig themselves out from crippling monthly mortgage payments are now protected by a new Federal Trade Commission rule banning mortgage-relief companies from charging fees in advance.
Filed under: Retirement, Insurance – Car Insurance, Insurance – Life Insurance, Insurance – Home Insurance
Baby Boomers hit a big milestone this year: the oldest will be hitting 65, what was once called the Golden Years. For the next 19 years, 10,000 of them will mark this big occasion every day, according to Pew Research Center.
Filed under: Retirement, Insurance – Car Insurance, Insurance – Life Insurance, Insurance – Home Insurance
Baby Boomers hit a big milestone this year: the oldest will be hitting 65, what was once called the Golden Years. For the next 19 years, 10,000 of them will mark this big occasion every day, according to Pew Research Center.
Filed under: Debt, Student Loans
Over the last two years, I have received more questions about student loans than I got in the previous two decades combined. The reason is brutally simple: Not only is college more expensive than ever, but because of the recession, it’s also the hardest time in decades for college graduates to find decent employment — and thus earn the money they need to be able to pay off their loans. This financial double-whammy is crushing a generation of young people under a mountain of debt.
According to the most recent U.S. Department of Education statistics, two out of every three students who graduated from college in 2008 financed their education at least partly with student loans, with the typical borrower starting out their working life owing around $23,000. In 2009, the total amount of federal student loans outstanding topped $605 billion. (Continue the story…)
Trillions are the new billions, at least in Washington, D.C. But how can you wrap your mind around a number that huge? Our friends at Mint.com have prepared this infographic to help you visualize $1 trillion in terms easier to understand.
Continue reading Visualize $1 Trillion and How Many Mortgage Payments It Represents
Filed under: Insurance, Family Money, Identity Theft
Dealing with the death of a loved one is stressful enough. But not knowing what to do with someone’s finances after the person has passed away poses an additional burden on a grieving family.
Filed under: Retirement, Saving Money, Retirement Advice
Why aren’t we saving more money?
Filed under: Debt
This is the fourth installment in our Paying Off Your Debt series that looks at how real people beat their debt for good.
Gerri Helms, 61, was nursing wounds from a divorce, up to her ears in $32,000 of debt and considering bankruptcy. But instead of taking that fateful step, the Orlando, Fla. resident chose to do something that sounds easy enough in practice but really isn’t: she found a part-time gig — on top of her full-time job — and dedicated her paychecks from that part-time work to kill off her debt. (Continue the story…)
Here’s the scenario: You’re in the elevator, or perhaps the office, when the smartphone dings (or vibrates or whatever you have it set to do). It’s one of the notices you set up with your bank, where you do most of your business online. The credit card bill is due – tomorrow. Or maybe the mortgage. Or the car loan. And, for whatever reason, you haven’t paid it. What do you do?
Well, the first thing you should do is call the biller. If you’re never late, they may be willing to give you a few days grace. They may also (assuming this is not a credit card bill) be able to take immediate payment over the phone at no charge. But sometimes these aren’t options. Then, you likely have a $35 late fee staring you in the face. (Continue the story…)
Here’s the scenario: You’re in the elevator, or perhaps the office, when the smartphone dings (or vibrates or whatever you have it set to do). It’s one of the notices you set up with your bank, where you do most of your business online. The credit card bill is due – tomorrow. Or maybe the mortgage. Or the car loan. And, for whatever reason, you haven’t paid it. What do you do?
Well, the first thing you should do is call the biller. If you’re never late, they may be willing to give you a few days grace. They may also (assuming this is not a credit card bill) be able to take immediate payment over the phone at no charge. But sometimes these aren’t options. Then, you likely have a $35 late fee staring you in the face. (Continue the story…)