How Do I Balance College Savings with Retirement Planning? Q: I'm trying to save for both my kid's college and my own retirement, and I honestly don't know how to do both at the same time. What's the smartest way to balance those two goals?
How Do I Plan for Big Expenses Like a Wedding or New Baby? Q: I've got a couple of major life events coming up — definitely a wedding and then hopefully soon after, a baby! I'm intimidated to even begin to plan for expenses like these. How do you do it without blowing up your entire life budget?
How Can I Budget for a Family Vacation? Q: We really want to take the whole family on a big vacation in the next year or so, but with so many people, it's going to be incredibly expensive. I have no idea how to budget for something that big. Where do I even start?
Should I Pay for My Child's Education or Encourage Loans? Q: When it comes to college, should I be trying to pay for it all myself — or is it okay to have my kid take out some loans? I don't want to saddle them with debt but I also need to protect my own future.
What Is Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI), and How Can I Avoid It? Q: I've been seeing the term "PMI" pop up while researching mortgages, but I'm still not totally clear on what it actually is. Why do some people have to pay for private mortgage insurance, and is it something you can get out of?
What Are Closing Costs, and How Much Should I Expect? Q: I keep hearing about "closing costs" when buying a house, but I'm not totally sure what that actually includes. Is it just the down payment, or are there a bunch of other fees I should be budgeting for? How much money should I realistically expect to need for closing?
How Much House Can I Afford? Q: I'm finally ready to buy a house after saving for years to get enough together for a down payment. Now that I'm officially shopping for a home, I'm wondering exactly how much I should spend. I don't want to be "house poor," and not be able to afford anything else, but I also don't want to be so afraid to stretch my budget that I pass up my dream home. What's the best guidance here?
What Should I Know About Property Taxes? Q: I know that when you buy a home, you have to pay property taxes, but I don't really understand how they work. Who decides how much I owe, and how do I budget for this?
What Are the Tax Implications of Investing? Question: I'm starting to invest for the first time, and I keep hearing people talk about taxes on investing... What do I need to know about paying taxes if I invest in the stock market and make money?
What Are The Best Strategies for Retirement Investing? Question: I know I should be saving for retirement, but with so many options out there — 401(k)s, IRAs, stocks, bonds — it all feels a little overwhelming. What are the smartest strategies for investing for retirement, especially if I want to make sure I'm setting myself up for a comfortable future?
Investing for Beginners Question: I know I need to be investing for my future, but it sounds really complicated and risky! How does it actually work, and where should I even start?
How Much Should I Save vs. Invest? Question: I'm trying to be smart with my money, but I'm not sure how much I should be saving versus investing. How do I figure that out?
What Tax Benefits Are Available for College Savings? Question: I'm a new mom and I really want to help set my child up for success when it comes to their college education. I know that a 529 college savings plan is they way to go, but I'm not sure what tax benefits are available? I have heard it may vary by state, and I just don't want to make any wrong moves... but I also want to save as much as possible (both on my taxes now, and for my child's future!) Please help.
What Retirement Accounts Offer the Best Tax Advantages? Question: I recently got my first job, and began contributing towards retirement. I am very proud of myself, but I know I have a lot to learn! Specifically, I have heard that some retirement accounts offer tax advantages. What does this term mean, and what do I need to do come tax time to make sure I'm contributing to my retirement accounts in a way that offers the most tax advantages?
How Do I Claim the Most Common Tax Deductions? Question: I just worked my first job in 2024, and will pay taxes for the first time in 2025. I have heard about taking tax deductions for my charitable contributions or even with a home office, but I've also heard that tax deductions aren't worth it for most people. Can you explain?
How Can I Reduce My Taxable Income? Question: I always hear about tax deductions and ways to reduce your taxable income, but every year when I look at my taxes, it just doesn't seem like there are ways for me to save. I'm wondering if I'm missing something? What are the best ways to reduce your taxable income?
How Do I Build an Emergency Fund While Paying Off Debt? Question: I know that having an emergency fund is important, and I've been trying to build up more than $200 or so, but debt always seems to eat away at what I'm able to save. How can I do both things at once without sacrificing my goal to become debt free? Is an emergency fund really that important?
What Should I Do If I Think I’ve Been Scammed? Question: I'm terrified that I may have been scammed. I accidentally gave my personal information to someone who I called, because they convinced me they were with my credit card company. I hung up as soon as I figured it out, but I had already given away valuable information. Help! What do I do?
What Documents Are Essential for Estate Planning? Question: I just had my first baby, and I know I need a will to make sure she's taken care of if something happens to me. But this got me thinking about bigger-picture needs with estate planning, which is something I've honestly never thought about before. What documents do I really need?
What Steps Should I Take to Simplify My Budget? Question: What steps should I take to simplify my budget? I've never been very "money-minded," and because I find budgeting difficult (and frankly NOT fun), I've never had a budget for longer than a few weeks. But looking back, I think my problem was always that my budget was just too complicated. What are your best tips for building a budget that's super simple and easy to stick with for the long haul? Thank you!
How Do We Talk About Money Without Fighting? Question: My wife and I struggle to talk about money without fighting. And because we know those conversations are likely to end in a fight, we often just avoid the topic, which means that small issues build up until they become big problems. I want to make an effort to stop money fights before they start… but how?
How Do I Handle Financial Infidelity in a Relationship? Question: I am struggling with financial infidelity in my relationship. My partner and I have both told “little white lies” about our spending over the years, but now I have serious questions about his money habits, and I’m worried he’s not being honest with me about major purchases. How can we get to a better place where we lay all our cards on the table and learn to trust each other again?
How Do We Plan for Retirement as a Couple? Question: My husband and I got married later in life and we never combined our finances. I trust him to manage his money, he trusts me to manage mine, and we’re happy that way… But as we get closer to retirement, I’m more aware that we need to think about our shared financial goals. So, how do we start planning for retirement as a couple?
Should We Combine Our Finances or Keep Them Separate? Question: I just got married and I’ve heard tons of mixed opinions on combining finances or keeping them separate… Is there a general rule of thumb I should follow? Curious how my partner and I can make a decision that we both feel good about. Thank you!
How Do I Prioritize Debt Repayment vs. Saving for the Future? Question: "I have so many competing financial priorities, and I'm torn! Should I focus on paying off debt or saving for the future? How do I figure out the right balance without feeling like I'm falling behind on both?"
Is it Too Late to Start Saving for Retirement? Question: "I'm 57 years old and wondering: Is it too late to save money for retirement? When is it officially 'too late'? I would love to feel like I still have time!"
5 Ways To Give Back When You Don't Have Money To Donate After the turkey is gone and the Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping frenzies have subsided, here comes Giving Tuesday — a day that encourages us to give back to the communities and causes we care about.
How To Successfully Combine Your Finances With Your Partner Money can be a challenging subject to bring up with your life partner. But despite how uncomfortable talking about our finances may make us feel, the discussions eventually have to happen for you and your partner to build an honest and sustainable future together.
The Science Behind Why Black Friday Is Bad For Your Wallet For even the strictest penny pincher, Black Friday usually offers sales that appear too good to resist. But our urge to spend is actually rooted in science - there's a reason we're driven to the best bargains.
The Importance Of Having A Will And Estate Plan Many people still believe that an estate plan is reserved for those with millions and mansions. This could be part of the reason why just 42% of adults in the U.S. have estate planning documents in place, including wills and powers of attorney.
How Much Insurance You Really Need To Protect Yourself And Your Family Life teaches us that we can never be too prepared. We all need a protection plan in pace, which includes a few essential elements: An emergency fund, health insurance, a basic estate plan and - for many of us - enough life insurance.
How To Spot A Scam And Protect Your Money Picture it: Your college-age granddaughter calls, distraught, scared, and begging you to wire money because she's stuck in Mexico. You didn't even realize she was abroad.
What Does It Mean To Invest For Retirement? What does it mean to invest for retirement? To save for your future so that you can enjoy a stress-free (and fun!) life once you're ready to stop working.
How To Open An IRA Or 401(k) To Save For Retirement If you already have a 401(k), IRA or other retirement account, congratulations! You’ve taken a huge step to securing tomorrow for “future you.” And, maybe you already know how important your 401(k) account is...
Retirement Accounts 101: The Basics On What You Need Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the menu in a diner? One that goes on and on for pages — offering you everything from breakfast to dinner, 24-hours of the day?
How To Get A Cheap Rental Car Odds are, you’ve been there. You plan a vacation—flights, accommodations and an itinerary–-then you go to book your on-the-road transportation only to find it's one of the most expensive parts of the trip.
Credit Card Debt: The Best Debt Repayment Methods Owning a credit card and using it to build credit and to rack up rewards like cash back and travel bonuses can be a wonderful thing. We often need credit cards to rent a car, stay in hotels, or do countless other things that afford us freedom and enjoyment in our lives.
How Mortgage Debt Impacts Your Credit Union You may not exactly love paying your mortgage every month, but chances are you appreciate the value of home ownership — particularly if after spending time as a renter (and worrying about annual rent increases) you were eager to start building equity in an asset.
Student Debt 101: How It Can Help You, How It Can Hurt you Student loans are a part of life for 43.5 million Americans — 13% of the population — to the tune of more than $1.75 trillion. There are countless reasons why. But the main one is that a college degree (or several!) is often the only pathway to pursuing our passions.
How To Read A Credit Report If you don't know how to read a credit report or don’t know your credit score, raise your hand. First, the good news: you're not alone. According to a recent study from BadCredit.org, more than 30% of Americans have no idea what their credit score is.
How To Build Back Your Credit Score After Taking A Hit Have you ever forgotten to pay a bill, only to unexpectedly watch your credit take a hit? It stinks. And unfortunately, it can take years to recover from a simple mistake.
How To Save To Meet Your All Your Goals — Both Big And Small It’s no secret that money can be a source of stress — particularly when income is low and monthly bills are, well, higher. But what if the idea of trying to save something…anything…for the future is also a line item on your list?
How To “Trick” Yourself Into Saving More With inflation high and money tight for so many of us, there’s never been a better time to re-examine how we’re managing our finances and to make some moves to save more. Some 62% of Americans are living paycheck-to-paycheck, and 13% of us are spending more than we earn.
How To Break Free From The Mental Blocks That Stop You From Saving Money We all want to save more. After all, who wouldn’t want to be the best money saver (and savviest investor) they possibly could? But the truth is that saving money is hard, and many — if not most — of us struggle with it.
How To Save Enough To Make Birthdays, Holidays, and Vacations Special We all know that it’s important to save money for bigger life goals, like retirement or a new home — but it’s also essential to save enough to celebrate life’s little joys along the way. Unfortunately, all that celebrating can get really expensive, really fast.
8 Ways To Spend Smartly If you struggle to make ends meet, you’re not alone. More than half of Americans — 58% — live paycheck-to-paycheck, according to data from CNBC. If you’re among them, don’t despair.
7 Ways To Shop Smarter Ever feel like you’ve been on an online spending spree but don’t know how to stop? What about those in-store impulse buys that always seem to catch your attention at the check-out?
Everything You Need To Know About Getting A Mortgage When you embark on the search for a new home, you may think you know the steps to take: Read the listings, visit some open houses, sign on with a Realtor, make an offer.
Personal Loans 101: What Are They? Are you looking for a way to cover a big expense in your life? If so, you may have wondered, what are personal loans…and can they help you meet the financial needs you’re facing?
How To Create A Budget Once you’ve decided it’s time to create a budget, or get back on track with an updated spending plan, you’ll have more than a few options to choose from.
Why You Need A Budget Let’s be honest. The majority of Americans — 60% — don’t know how much money they spend in a month. They also have little idea where their money goes.
The Best End-Of-Year Money Moves To Make As 2023 draws to a close, it’s time to get our financial lives in order for the New Year so we can kick-start 2024 with as little financial stress as possible — and set some money goals for ourselves that we can actually reach.
How to Handle Market Volatility If you're relatively new to the investing world, you may have heard of market volatility, but you may not have experienced it firsthand. After all, the markets have been incredibly calm — and incredibly good (2022 notwithstanding) — for many years.
Save on Taxes By "Batching" Your Charitable Donations You hear the word batch and you think — yep — cookies. At least we do. But, there’s another application of the word you should know. Why? Because it can save you money on your taxes.
