Personal Finance

While most people understand that their credit score is the key to getting approved for a loan, not all realize that having a high credit score also improves their finances because it can save you money. The higher your credit score, the lower the interest rate you will qualify for, thus saving you money over the life of your loans. This post guides you through your credit score, from everything that determines it, what helps and hurts a score, what leads to bad credit, how to check your score, and most importantly, how to improve your credit score fast.

If you want to experience financial independence or live the life of your dreams, you are going to have to avoid going into debt. Put simply, when you are in debt, you are working for someone else and, as a result, you can never reach your goal of financial independence... The key, then, is to avoid debt altogether and this post outlines ways to avoid debt so that you can make sure your money is working for you and not working against you.

Debt plagues millions of Americans every day. It is such a common problem that many of us don't even think twice about what we owe, or how we landed in such a predicament. The simplest explanation is that debt happens when you spend more than you earn but it's not actually that simple when real life steps in. Unexpected events and bad planning...can leave you facing big debt that may take years to pay off. By understanding some of the main causes of debt, we can make better financial decisions in avoiding it. Let's take a look at some of the worst offenders.

According to the just-released latest quarterly household debt and credit report by the NY Fed, Americans' debt rose to a new record high in the fourth quarter on the back of an increase in virtually every form of debt: from mortgage, to auto, student and credit card debt (although HELOCs posted a tiny decline). With interest rates on household credit rapidly rising, and with no savings to fall back on, this is a recipe for disaster.

Do you have what it takes to pay off your debts and become comfortable financially or perhaps even rich, even VERY rich? You probably do but don't know exactly what to do or think your situation is just too dire to possibly turn around. Read the following articles for some encouragement, financial advice and ideas on how to make considerably more income, pay off your debts and possibly even become that millionaire you've always wanted to be but didn't know how to accomplish.

Robo-advisors are all the rage right now and many passive investors are choosing to invest with them. Who exactly are they? Well, this article explains exactly who they are, and how you can use them.

The first rule of personal finance is never carry a credit card balance. It’s another one of those simple to understand yet difficult to execute money management concepts for a large swath of the population.

Your credit card bills may not be keeping you up at night yet, but if you analyze your financial situation, you may find that you are closer to the edge than you think. Here are 5 warning signs that you have way too much debt:

Households should be encouraged to maintain at least a small buffer of liquid savings, even if the cash in that buffer is not being used to pay down high-interest debt. Here's why.

...Should you pay off your mortgage early either by paying extra dollars toward your loan's principal balance or by paying off the rest of your mortgage in one giant payment if you had the opportunity to do so or are there times when not paying off your mortgage early actually makes sense? Not surprisingly, it depends on a host of factors. Here is what you should look at when determining whether paying off your mortgage early is the best choice.