Personal Money Management

If you've been laid off, adhering to a strict budget helps you stay on top of bills. Making all your purchases with credit cards will only deepen your debt. Instead, plan ahead and keep a budget....

Purchasing a certificate of deposit (CD) is a safe way to invest without the risks involved with the stock market. A CD typically earns more interest than a traditional savings account, allowing...

"I can't be overdrawn," the joke goes, "I still have checks!" Clearly that is not the way things really work. You are responsible for knowing how much money is available in your checking account,...

Life insurance is an important coverage in any family's financial planning. It can help ensure your final expenses will be taken care of and your family will have a source of income. It is...

The key to effective financial planning is knowing what your goals are and how much money you will need to achieve them. Maybe you want to have an adequate college fund for your kids or have...

If you've ever played the lottery you know you have the option to receive your winnings in one lump sum or as a series of monthly or annual payments. The lump sum price is always less than the sum...

The Uniform Commercial Code "allows transfer of a check to a new owner any number of times," according to Check Advantage, but negotiating third party checks may prove difficult in certain situations.

Sometimes payday is just too far away. We've all searched the couch cushions for change and gone through the dirty clothes pile to double-check our pockets. But, when you require more than a...

You can easily donate money to specific people or websites, using a variety of different methods. Whether the receiving party is soliciting donations or not, all you need to know is an email...

Term life insurance provides death benefits coverage to the insured's beneficiary if the insured dies before the policy ends. Death benefits include funeral costs, outstanding consumer debt and...

Cashing in on heaps of spare change is often a long-anticipated event, the result of months or even years of stashing nickels and dimes. But if you wait too long or collect too many coins, the...

Using personal finance computer software is an easy and convenient way to keep your accounts in order. These programs will also typically offer check printing from home. Although there are many...

After home prices crashed in 2008, many people became upside down on their mortgages, meaning they owed more on their home than they could sell it for. For example, if you purchased a home for...

Managing your money without credit cards is simply a matter of living within your means. While it sounds simple, it can be a bit challenging when you're first making the change. The goal however,...

To receive Social Security benefits, you must submit an application for approval. Once your application is approved, you can monitor your Social Security account and benefits to determine exactly...

Royalty checks are payments to the creator or owner of a product based on the amount of a product's sales. They are often associated with creative professions, but royalty checks can come from a...

Average checking account balance is the average amount that exists in one month or 30 days. Banks use the average to calculate interest so they will usually provide this number for you, however,...

If you live and breathe, you will experience troubles, and no one is exempt. If you are behind on your bills due to a lay off at your company, medical bills, car troubles, or need help paying for...

When you have difficulty making ends meet between paychecks, getting a loan from a payday loan or cash advance lender can bridge the financial gap. Short terms and high fees quickly turn these...

You know they're in there---broken chains, mate-less earrings and the wedding band you jettisoned after the divorce---so why not resurrect your abandoned jewelry from obscurity and cash in on the...

Identity theft is among the fastest growing crimes in the U.S. today according to the Department of Justice. Its variations include: check fraud; credit card fraud; financial identity theft;...

To minimize potential damages to you of fraud and identity theft, you should carefully monitor your online accounts and activities. You may not be able to completely prevent fraud, but you can...

Occasionally, you may come across a check made out to you that is only good for a specific amount of days. This could be from either your employer or possibly a company reimbursing you for a bill...

Investing money can be a smart way of putting your money away to grow for the future. However, you must be careful to invest your money wisely, or it could be lost in no time. Thousands of scams...

As we go through life, we build up a lot of family paperwork. Some of it should be kept forever, and some of it should only be kept a certain number of years.

A CD, in the investor sense, stands for certificate of deposit. It is a certificate from a bank stating that the person named on it has a specified sum of money on deposit for a given period of...

There may be times when you need to wire money to other individuals around the country. This could be a family member who needs money or a close friend dealing with an unforeseen expense. Whatever...

Lines of credit became very popular in the early part of the 21st century when interest rates were low and credit standards were relaxed in order to increase demand. The most popular line of...

Visa Buxx is a prepaid card designed to teach teens about responsible spending. Those too young for a credit or debit card can use it to pay for purchases and withdraw cash. In turn, parents can...

As a general rule of thumb, as long as the bank routing number and your account number on the check are still active, you can continue to pay bills using checks with your old address printed on...

The Internet has opened up a new world of global commerce, allowing people in most nations to buy and sell goods or services online. One such service popular with web users are recurring...

Many Americans carry monthly debt that can consume their monthly budget. Getting out of debt can help individuals have a brighter financial future and live less stressful lives.

Everyone wants to get ahead financially, but the burdens of debt can be overwhelming. When you pay only the minimum amount due on your debt, you end up spending much more than you thought. Through...

Losing a job is one of the most traumatic experiences a person can have. After dealing with the initial shock, it's important to plan out a financial strategy for dealing with the situation....

If your adjusted gross income is less than $100,000 for the tax year 2009, you may be eligible to convert your IRA account into a Roth IRA account. The amount of the conversion must be reported as...

In most cases, once you turn 65 you can begin drawing Social Security. The actual age can vary slightly if you have a disability that keeps you from working. If this is the case, you receive a set...

Sending money from one country to another is not as difficult as it used to be. There are several ways to send money from the United States to Hong Kong. While it is not very safe to send cash in...

Identity theft is a growing problem and a costly one. Repairing your credit and restoring the correct balances to bank accounts and credit accounts can take hundreds of hours of your time and...

For reasons known only to you, you have decided to roll over your existing IRA account to a new IRA account with a different money management or brokerage firm. You must initiate a direct...

A Roth IRA is a type of individual retirement account. It allows investors who meet the certain requirements to withdraw money from their account tax-free at retirement age, unlike Traditional...

The three basic components of any investment in terms of its risk are a) the cost of capital; b) the basic ability to meet fixed costs at a timely manner; and c) the ability to maintain and grow...

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) allows you to receive one free credit report from each of the three major consumer reporting agencies every 12 months. You can request this report from...

Buying in bulk is a popular money-saving strategy for families of all sizes. A stockpile of basic supplies from buying in bulk gives a cushion if money gets tight. You also eliminate unexpected...

A Series 3 Commodity broker is a licensed broker in the United States who can sell various futures/commodities products to the public. The Series 3 Commodity broker is licensed by a SRO (self...

With an economy that continues to spur downward, many people are looking for ways to alleviate some of their debts by asking for forgiveness. This is most commonly seen in real estates where the...

For the first time in history, the price of gold sky-rocketed past $1,150 per ounce on November 18, 2009 . Because of this high price, people are trading their unwanted beautiful necklaces and...

Your credit score is an important resource that can greatly contribute to your future financial stability, allowing you, for instance, to qualify for low-interest loans. Your debt-management...

A personal financial crisis can occur even when the economy is not flagging as it is currently. When funds are low and money is needed for bills, gas or groceries, it can feel overwhelming and...

Not long ago, sending money overseas was complicated and time consuming. You'd have to stand in line at the bank, withdraw money and then head to the post office, where you'd purchase a money...

An intelligent consumer looks at "bonus," "extra" and other adjectives shrewdly. The question is, "Compared to what?" An annuity that offers a 3 percent rate of return, with an extra 4 percent...