Blogs

How to Take the Heat Off Your Summer BudgetSummertime brings more than sunburns and barbecues — it can also send your monthly expenses through the roof. But with a little work now, you can enjoy the hot season and avoid pinching pennies in the fall.“Ideally, one saves a little bit of money in each of the cooler months and then spends down those funds in the summer,” says Michael Schupak, founder of Schupak Financial Advisors in West New York, New…

A College Education Isn’t PricelessCollege-bound high school seniors of America: You are about to embark on one of the most formative periods of your life, full of new friendships, personal growth and overcaffeinated conversations on the nature of humanity.Keep “ruinous student debt” off the list.At this point, while you’re working on applications and deciding which schools most excite you, you may be hearing that college debt is “good debt.” That an education is priceless, and if you’re going to borrow…

How to Resist Online Ads and Keep Your MoneyOnline ads are like salespeople. Sometimes they’re helpful — and sometimes they trail you while you shop, make suggestions, “check in” on you, and all but shove you to the checkout.Those online ads “chase you around the internet,” says Neeru Paharia, associate professor of marketing at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. They get in your face to convince you to spend.And while online advertising isn’t all bad — it can expose…

Your House Isn’t a Piggy Bank Your home equity could keep you afloat in retirement or bail you out in an emergency — but not if you spend it first. U.S. homeowners are sitting on nearly $6 trillion of home value they could tap as of May 2018, according to data provider Black Knight. Lenders are eager to help many do just that through home equity loans, home equity lines of credit and cash-out refinancing. The rates are often lower…

Two Hearts, One Bank Account: Are You Ready?Valentine’s Day is a time when many couples take their relationship to the next level. For some, that means giving that special someone a key to your apartment. For others, it means sharing finances by creating a joint bank account.Whether you’re in a new relationship or newly married, you might want to think twice about combining love and money. Among spouses and partners, 31% reported money as a major source of conflict or…

Your Easiest New Year’s Resolution: Make Your Savings Grow Faster Sticking to your new year’s resolution is often a time-consuming proposition. Want to get fit? Be ready to spend hours at the gym. Considering a side hustle? Goodbye, weekends. But if your resolution is to save more, there’s one quick way to start: Open a high-yield online savings account. You can do this at many banks in less than 15 minutes, and you’ll earn at least 20 times more interest…

Holiday Shoppers, Beware of These 3 Identity Theft Risks Big sales, must-have items and a list that just seems to get longer: Holiday shopping can drain your wallet and your sanity. Don’t let the stress erode your guard against identity theft, though. All that holiday shopping can leave you more vulnerable to scams. “It’s the fact that we’re not paying attention that makes the holidays so risky for ID theft,” says Eva Velasquez, CEO of Identity Theft Resource Center, a…

Make a Plan to Save 30% or More on Your Heating Bills October is Financial Planning Month – and there’s nothing better than making a plan to save money. If your utility bills in winter put a crunch on your budget, these tips to reduce energy usage can help. #1: Turn down the thermostat You can save as much as 10 percent a year on heating and cooling by simply turning your thermostat back seven to 10 degrees for eight…

How to Budget for December Holidays in October You might have pumpkins on your porch, but it’s already time to make room for the year-end holidays in your budget. “I was at Costco the other day, and I already saw Christmas trees, [so] we need to be thinking about it right now,” says Nick Givogri, a California-based regional executive for investment service Merrill Edge. Here’s how to get started. Work backward Your past holiday spending is the best indicator of…

3 Healthy Financial Habits to Start Now Developing healthy financial habits can do wonders for helping us achieve our goals, and the earlier you start, the better! Here are three habits to start today: Write down what you spend Budgeting is the foundation of personal finance. If you’re new to budgeting, the first step is to write down all of what you spend: it could include the coffee you get each morning, the sofa you purchased for your apartment or…

Ace Back-to-School Shopping With 6 Smart MovesBack-to-school shopping is an expensive chore. And if you shop local sales, it’s a chore you’ll share with thousands of other parents in the vicinity. If it’s big savings you’re after when you brave the crowds, sales flyers won’t cut it. You’ve got to get creative.“Back-to-school shopping can put a big strain on family budgets, but planning ahead to take advantage of discounts, setting a budget, and only buying what your child actually needs…

How to Safeguard Your Cash and Personal Info at ATMs An ATM can be a lifesaver when you’re on the go and need some fast cash. But as helpful as these machines can be, they’re also magnets for fraudsters who are out to make a quick buck. In fact, criminals stole data from magnetic-strip debit cards at ATMs at the highest rate in over 20 years during the first several months of 2015, according to a report in The Wall…