Paying down debt can make you more financially secure and give you more flexibility when deciding what to do with your money. But if you have a large debt load, it can be hard to feel like you’re making a real dent in your balances. Unfortunately, there’s no magic way...
Learn moreAn emergency fund is your stash of just-in-case money. Along with your insurance coverage, it’s a vital...
Learn moreA Roth IRA, or Individual Retirement Account, is one of the most common types of retirement savings...
Learn moreYour credit report is a detailed history of your past use of credit. It’s a bit like...
Learn moreLike many good habits, saving more money is easier said than done. Once you’ve gotten into a...
Learn moreCredit card debt can be overwhelming. As interest accrues, your balances may keep increasing even if you’re...
Learn moreFICO and VantageScore are two of the most common credit scoring models. Contrary to popular belief, you...
Learn moreHMOs and PPOs are two different types of health insurance plans. HMO (or Health Maintenance Organization) plans...
Learn moreBudgeting can be a lot like dieting. You start out with big hopes for dramatic changes in...
Learn moreIt might seem like there’s only one way to pay down your student loans (namely: slowly, painfully,...
Learn moreUnemployment insurance is a government program that gives you money if you lose your job. Sometimes, life...
Learn moreCredit is, simply put, your financial reputation. Your credit history describes your record as a borrower, including...
Learn moreA target-date fund is an investment fund that’s based on your expected retirement date. These mutual funds...
Learn morePersonal income tax is money the government collects from people based on how much they earned or...
Learn moreBanks, lenders, and others use your credit report and scores to determine your creditworthiness. In other words,...
Learn moreBalance transfers are a way to move what you owe on one (or more) credit cards and...
Learn moreE-filing means filing your taxes online. You’ll still need all the same documents you’d use to file...
Learn moreIRAs and 401(k)s are two popular types of retirement savings accounts. Most people who work in the...
Learn moreA budget is a plan you can use to better manage your spending and saving. When you...
Learn moreDebt is money that you owe to another person or a financial institution. When you borrow money,...
Learn moreA credit card lets you buy now and pay later, all without the hassle of counting out...
Learn moreBanks are institutions that take deposits, cash checks, and make loans. They are essentially home bases for...
Learn moreSavings are funds that you put aside and don’t spend. Life can be full of surprises, both...
Learn moreInterest is the cost of borrowing money. For a borrower, interest is the price of taking on...
Learn moreAn annual percentage rate (APR) represents the annual cost of borrowing money, including fees. Because the APR...
Learn moreAlthough you might hear the phrase “your credit score” tossed around, you actually have multiple credit scores—potentially...
Learn moreCar insurance is an agreement between you and an insurance provider. In exchange for regular payments from...
Learn moreA prepaid card lets you spend money that you’ve already added to the card. It’s similar to...
Learn moreA deductible is the amount of money you must spend out of pocket before your insurance company...
Learn moreIf you pay more than your fair share in taxes over the course of a year, you’re...
Learn moreYour credit report and credit scores describe whether you have a good track record of repaying borrowed...
Learn moreA mutual fund is a professionally managed fund that pools lots of investors’ money in order to...
Learn moreInterest is what a lender charges you to borrow money. It is usually expressed as a percentage...
Learn moreBonds are essentially IOUs. When you buy a bond, you become a lender to whatever entity issued...
Learn moreTax withholding is money your employer takes out of your paycheck each pay period. Your employer then...
Learn moreCredit is money that’s available to you to borrow whether through a credit card, mortgage, car loan,...
Learn moreWhen you need a car, you have two options: buy or lease. If you buy a car,...
Learn moreThe stock market is the collection of physical and electronic markets where buyers and sellers come together...
Learn more1099s and W-2s are both types of tax forms. If you’re a contractor, you should receive one...
Learn moreThe W-2 is a tax form your employer must complete at the start of each year to...
Learn moreInsurance is financial protection. Along with your emergency fund, insurance makes up your safety net so that...
Learn moreMost people pay taxes throughout the year. When you file a tax return, you calculate how much...
Learn moreA student loan can be any kind of borrowed money that’s used to pay for education. Although...
Learn moreStocks are pieces of ownership in companies. If you bought one stock of, say, Amazon, and Amazon...
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