Credit cards. Student loans. Store credit cards. Dental credit cards. Car loans. First mortgages. Second mortgages. Lines of credit. Zero percent financing. We’re borrowing for everything! How Debt Keeps us Constantly Broke We are like crows, in a sense. Hey, look at that shiny thing, we think. And we want it. For major purchases, [...]
6 Ways To Avoid The Chains Of Credit Card Slavery
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Some financial experts advise young people to skip using credit cards. It’s true that if used incorrectly they can be a great way to damage your finances. Even the most disciplined among us know how convenient and seductive it can be to pull out the plastic and swipe. So for young people unaccustomed to using [...]
5 Reasons To Save Half Your Income
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Earn, Save, Invest. Repeat as necessary. I think all three are important, though I’m more comfortable with saving and earning than I am investing. The day will come when I’m better at investing, and that day is just around the corner. I’ve mentioned before that one of my goals for this year is to save [...]
Life After Debt
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Last week, I paid off my student loans. Pause for applause. Now, all I have left is a car loan. And that’s low enough to be gone before I can wear short sleeves outside. I feel like a balloon, barely tied to the bench at the picnic table. It’s secure, but the knot is loosening. [...]
What I’m Reading Right Now – December 2012
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I feel like I’ve been a bit of a bad blogger for the last few months. You see, I haven’t really be as big on sharing what I’ve been reading as much as I’ve been focusing on my own content. But I really do read a ton of different blogs each day, and there is [...]
Is College a Good Investment?
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This is a guest post from Jon Haver who graduated from college with student loans and now writes about how he paid them off at paymystudentloans.com When is a college education a good investment? Of the 15.6 Million undergraduate students who are in university right now, how many have had a serious look at whether [...]
Infographic: Student Loan Debt
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Infographic created in conjunction with http://www.caxtonfx.com. For more information on student loan debt, check out my free eBook on Student Loan Debt.
Is Your Spouse on the Hook for Your Debt when You Die?
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Ever since the life insurance talks I’ve been wondering about debt. You all were kind enough to let me know that as an unmarried person, I can get hit by a bus and no one will be on the hook for my student loan. But let’s say I’m a lawyer, and I have $100K of student [...]
Is a Payday Loan Right For You?
Every now and then, there could be a time when you are short on cash and you need some extra money to get you through. As you look through your options, payday loans could appear like a solution to your short term money problems. He is what you should consider when looking for short term [...]
Student Loans vs. Payday Loans
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When looking at alternatives for paying for your education, you may be interested in something beyond the standard student loan. And through your research you may have considered using an alternative type of loan, such as a payday loan. Here are the similarities and differences between student loans and payday loans. What’s Involved in [...]
Yakezie Carnival – Olympics Closing Ceremony Edition
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Welcome to the Yakezie Carnival, which is hosted by members and challengers of the Yakezie Network – The Largest Personal Finance and Lifestyle Blogger Network. Today, I’m kind of sad to say, is the end of the Olympics. I had a lot of fun watching all the different events, so I thought it would be fun to [...]
Do You Know HENRY?
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I was reading an article about High Earners, Not Rich Yet, and it really stood out to me because of how common it is becoming. These are individuals or couples that earn well over $100,000 per year, but aren’t considered rich yet by today’s standards (having a net worth, excluding primary residence, of over $1,000,000). Also, [...]
Should You Invest While Paying Down Debt?
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The other day I posted about When to Open a Roth IRA, and I got an interesting comment from Jason at Work, Save, Live. He wanted to start investing in a Roth IRA for many of the reasons I mentioned in the article, but he hadn’t started yet because he’s working his way out of [...]
The Right Time for Debt Settlement
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Many people struggle with debt today. Unemployment remains high, the job market fails to create enough jobs, and the cost of living outpaces most incomes It would be great if everyone could solve their debt problems on their own. Well-known and unknown financial gurus publish books and videos with good, basic financial advice for consumers [...]
2 Little-Known Factors That Could Affect Your Credit Score
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Many different factors come into play when it comes to calculating your credit score, and each credit bureau does things just a little differently (their algorithms are secret and change constantly to try and always have the best possible risk ratings). However, there are common themes among all three bureaus that most people know about: Payment History [...]
Want a Method for Clearing Debt that Really Works? Make it a Game!
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Almost five years ago, I had a net worth of negative $23K, $200 in savings, and ample amounts of credit card debt. Fast-forward to now and you’ll find a far different financial picture: A net worth of over $130K, $87K in savings, and $0 in credit card debt. Plus, I own my first home, and [...]
Do College Students Need Life Insurance?
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An interesting question crossed my mind the other day – do college students need life insurance. And as with any tough financial question, the answer is: it depends on your situation. There are many different reasons to consider getting life insurance while you are a college student, but I want to highlight two big reasons [...]
Different Lending Alternatives
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There are may different ways that you can get a loan if you need one, especially depending on the purpose of the loan. Here is a look at different alternative ways you can go about getting a loan to meet your individual needs – whether it is starting a small business or making ends meet. [...]
5 Things Not To Spend Money on in College
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This is a guest post from Josh, who is a college student, startup founder, and weekend warrior. Check out his blog, Entrepreneur Stories. “Live like no one else now, so that later you can live like no one else.” – Dave Ramsey. Follow that advice and when it comes time for your 20 year school [...]
