Credit card issuers and HELOC lenders are like fair-weather friends: They cozy up to you in good times, but when the economy heads south, they abandon you faster than Usain Bolt runs the 100 meters.
Take free money. No matter how in debt you are, if your employer offers a matching contribution on a 401(k) or other retirement vehicle, you must sign up and contribute enough to get the maximum company match each year. Think of it as a bonus.
A cash advance on a credit card is one of the worst types of borrowing because the interest rate is typically 21 percent or more.
The prenup needs to be drawn up months before the wedding, not days - it's not something you slap together and sign in the car on the way to the ceremony. A shotgun prenup might not hold up in court.
Rather than saying, 'My checking account is a wreck,' change it to 'I will learn how to track my spending and balance my checkbook.'
When someone chooses to value herself over the things she can buy, true transformation begins.
Like your home's closets, your financial clutter needs an overhaul every now and again, and the payoff will go far beyond the psychic satisfaction of neatening up.
A pile of bills and statements - whether paid or not - is a sign that someone is clueless about what's coming in and going out.
If you have debt I'm willing to bet that general clutter is a problem for you too.
We never had it as rough as the kids have it today. Look at the price of a gallon of gas or a piece of real estate or a college education.
To make the most of your money, I recommend sticking with mutual funds that don't charge a commission when you buy or sell.
People have got to learn: if they don't have cookies in the cookie jar, they can't eat cookies.
The most important loan to pay is your student loan. It's more important than your mortgage, car and credit card payments. You cannot discharge student loan debt in the majority of cases.
The world does not need another credit card.
Your goal should be to pay off your credit card bills in full at the end of each month and set aside money toward your emergency savings.
Those carrying a credit card balance should scale back to making the minimum payment each month so they have more money to put into savings.
If the only way you can build an emergency fund is to pay the minimum due on your credit card, that is what you need to do.
Late payments also hurt your FICO score. And never, ever take out a cash advance on your credit card.
Make this the year you tackle that credit card debt once and for all.
I get so frustrated when people tell me it's unrealistic to create an eight-month emergency savings fund, or have money saved for a home down payment, or pay off their $5,000 credit card balance.
