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Unexpected costs hit you all the time. From hefty car repair bills to medical emergencies, job losses to furloughs, emergencies are a matter of “when,” not “if.” You have a choice: you can either prepare for them in advance, or you can let them plunge you into panic every time one comes along. If you’re … Read more

Credit Karma recently unveiled a consumer guarantee (called the Credit Karma Guarantee) that promises to pay you $50 if the credit card issuer denies your application for a credit card recommended for you by Credit Karma. In other words, Credit Karma is so confident in its credit card recommendations that it’s willing to lose $50 … Read more

If you have an individual retirement account, taxable brokerage account, or life insurance policy, you’ve almost certainly named a beneficiary before. And if you had kids or were in a committed relationship at the time, you probably didn’t give it much thought. Your closest loved ones — your children and spouse or domestic partner — … Read more

There’s no shortage of ways to pay someone these days, from cash and credit cards to Zelle and PayPal. It’s easy to go your whole financial life without ever coming across a money order. But if you’re here, someone’s asked for one, so follow these directions to fill it out. How to Fill Out a … Read more

I’ve spent the last few months researching how to rebuild your credit for an educational series I’m writing. That’s why I was intrigued by CreditStrong, a service that helps you rebuild your credit by giving you specialized loans or lines of credit and reporting them to credit reporting agencies.  I know that probably sounds like … Read more

If you watch your running bank or credit card balances closely, you’ve probably noticed ghostly charges that appear and disappear within a day or two. It’s not always obvious where they come from, but they’re usually small — just a few dollars — and they never show up on your official monthly statements. So, like … Read more

Even in the best of times, carrying a credit card balance is best avoided. It’s expensive, stress-inducing, and can damage your credit score. These are definitely not the best of times. In fact, based on prevailing credit card interest rates, 2023 is the worst year to carry a credit card balance since at least 1995, … Read more