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Welcome to NerdWallet’s Smart Money podcast, where we answer your real-world money questions. This week’s episode starts with a discussion about how to negotiate. Then we pivot to this week’s money question from a listener’s text message. Here it is: “I have a question about my car’s value. I track my finances through Mint and they add…

If you’re the parent of a young adult, you may be asked to co-sign for a car loan or an apartment lease. Before you agree, know what’s at stake — you could be putting your own financial security at risk. What co-signing really means When you co-sign, you become fully responsible for someone else’s debt.…

When it comes to saving money, this year may look a little different from years past. The savings rate is lower than its peak of about 34% in April 2020, but Americans are still saving more than they did before the pandemic. This is according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, which defines savings…

I hadn’t heard of the grandparent scam when my father called me a few years ago to report that my son was in jail, out of state. My dad had been asked to wire bail money and not tell me. Dad was all but unshakable in his belief that he had actually talked to my…

I get it. It’s easy to shop on Amazon. Running low on toilet paper? Need lightbulbs? Want a bath caddy on a whim? With two clicks and even less thought, the item you need/want/desire is at your doorstep, often in 48 hours or less. Shopping locally requires more thought. Supporting small businesses is an intentional…

The U.S. economy ground to a halt in March 2020 as state after state issued lockdown orders and shut down businesses to blunt the spread of the coronavirus. A year later, mask-wearing is commonplace, the phrase “social distancing” is now in the dictionary, elbow bumps have replaced fist bumps and hugs are still on pause.…

03/24/2021 Update: As of today, the lobby at 9618 Brentwood Dr is OPEN! We invite all of our members to visit the Brentwood location for any of their financial needs. The night depository will still be available for use, and is checked and processed regularly, at 9601 F St until the Credit Union is able to open the lobby at that location. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at 402-593-2680. We look forward to finally…

Turn Your Quarantine Clutter Into Money I placed more online orders than I can count in 2020. And I justified all of them. My front porch was filled with boxes containing all sorts of things: furniture (I needed to redecorate), paper towels (I needed to stock up), crafts (I needed activities), board games (more activities)…

How to Craft Smarter Money Goals in 2021 Setting money goals in 2020 was likely an exercise in futility. Maybe you’d been saving for a trip abroad, but the pandemic kept you at home. Or you wanted to save up for a down payment on a house, then the recession left you out of a…

5 Credit Mistakes That Can Haunt You

5 Credit Mistakes That Can Haunt You Some credit mistakes are a lot worse than others. Little ones, like paying a credit card bill a day late, may cost you a penalty fee, but that’s a relatively minor irritation — it’s not going to stand between you and a mortgage. Other seemingly small slip-ups can…

How to Be Reunited With Your Long-Lost Money Are you owed money you don’t even know about? You might be, if your name is in an unclaimed property database. Each year, billions of dollars from forgotten security deposits, refunds, uncashed paychecks and even old bank accounts are reported to state agencies. And each year, according to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, an organization affiliated with state treasury departments, states return more than $3 billion to their rightful owners.…

For online grocery delivery, add fees to the list I haven’t set foot in a grocery store in nearly four months. With a 10-month-old baby to think about, my husband and I have kept trips to the store to a minimum out of an abundance of caution during the pandemic. We’re fortunate to have just about every grocery delivery service at our disposal — and we’ve taken advantage. In between orders from Costco, Whole Foods, Imperfect Foods and more, I’ve…