insurance

I recently heard an interesting discussion on Dave Ramsey’s radio show about the length of time you need to live in a home in order for it to make sense going through the process and expense of purchasing it. It’s a rare occasion that I disagree with Dave Ramsey, but in this instance, I [...]

While traditional brick and mortar banks can be very convenient, they can rarely compete with the high interest rates offered by online high yield savings accounts. Personally, I think these online high interest accounts are the best place to stash your emergency fund and save up money for your short-term goals, such as, saving money [...]

The following is a list of the nationally available highest yields 12-month CD rates. In general, certificates of deposit (CDs) are great investments because your principal is protected by FDIC insurance and your interest rates are guaranteed. Moreover, you can use CD Ladder to make your CD savings more flexible and effective. You can open [...]

When it comes to insurance, it’s all about reducing risks. The whole point of insurance is to help you hedge against the risk that unexpected events could financially devastate you — or at least cost you a great deal more than you would like to pay. If you have an auto insurance policy, you might [...]

If you read enough personal finance blogs, you’ll see a common theme and the number one answer to your financial dilemma — “Spend Less than You Earn”. Unfortunately, it’s easier said than done, otherwise, we wouldn’t have this rampant debt problem in our society. Fortunately, I went through this myself, and over the years, I’ve [...]

There’s no shame in admitting it: It’s possible to make it through college and into the real world without having the first idea about investing, money management, or anything that deals even remotely with finances. But thanks to the growing number of Web sites and online tools devoted to fiscal responsibility, it’s easier than ever [...]

The other day a friend called and asked me for some advice on personal finance. I was pretty flattered because it has only been a year since I first began reading and studying personal finance. In only one year I have already seen the positive effects that studying personal finance has had on my life. [...]

Before you buy a home, you should obtain a pre-approval letter from the mortgage lender that states how much you’re eligible to borrow. This provides you with two important information: (1) the price range that you should be focusing on, and (2) the starting point for your monthly mortgage payments calculation. You can use an [...]

The first step to buying a used car is choosing a vehicle, or at least narrowing your options. Ask yourself: How many passengers do you regularly carry? What sort of trunk or cargo space do you need? What is the minimum gas mileage a car has that will stay within your budget? What would your [...]

The year’s end is quickly approaching, and with it rests the spending deadline of flexible spending accounts (FSAs). What is an FSA? A flexible spending account is an account that employees can use to cover out-of-pocket medical expenses completely tax-free. FSAs are built as employees make equal, recurring contributions from their paychecks to the account.
Why [...]