BROWSE HOW TOs

Check Out All Categories

Personal Finance

Find answers to nagging financial questions, from taxes and stocks, to real estate and insurance. Saving money for a new home or your kid’s college tuition? Planning for retirement? eHow can help. Learn the tricks of the trade for saving, budgeting and building wealth. Our experts cull together a range of experience in real estate, investing and money management to provide the best source of personal financial guidance available online. Repair credit, master IRS forms, maximize ROI or insure your car, home and health by following eHow’s expert instructions.

Categories in Personal Finance

Articles in Personal Finance

How to Understand the Equal Credit Opportunity Act

By eHow Personal Finance Editor

0 comments

The Equal Credit Opportunity Act was created to ensure fair treatment for consumers who are seeking credit. Read on to understand how the law works... more »

How to Understand the Types of Credit Reports

By eHow Personal Finance Editor

0 comments

Turn on the radio or television and you’re likely to hear a commercial urging you to get your free annual credit report, or to call a specific company if you’re swimming in debt and they’ll throw a life-ring to freedom your way. Many people don't ... more »

How to Unpack Your Goods

By eHow Personal Finance Editor

2 comments

Get settled into your new home with an organized plan for unpacking your household goods... more »

How to Update or Correct Your Credit Score

By Heather S

0 comments

If you have a negative entry in your credit history, it is up to your creditor to change or correct it. Credit reporting agencies, such as Experian, TransUnion and Equifax do not have the authority to change information unless one of two things ... more »

How to Use an Oil Company Credit Card to Save on Gas

By John O'Mahony

0 comments

Everyone’s complaining about rising gas prices, but it’s possible to get a discount every time you fill your tank by signing up for another oil company product. Here’s how you do it... more »

How to Use Automatic Reinvestment For Mutual Funds

By eHow Personal Finance Editor

0 comments

Automatic reinvestment is a tool used by mutual funds that allows investors to purchase additional shares in the fund using their dividends or capital gains distributions. It's similar to an automatic deposit into your checking account. In this ... more »

How to Use Baking Soda in the Medicine Cabinet

By eHow Personal Finance Editor

0 comments

Baking soda is indispensable in the medicine cabinet. For everything from dandruff to athlete's foot, baking soda offers an inexpensive, non-toxic remedy. Keep a few boxes of baking soda near the medicine cabinet and try some of the following ... more »

How to Use Benchmarks to Compare Mutual Fund Returns

By jpwhickson

0 comments

If you have a varied portfolio it may be difficult to compare investment returns. Each type of investment has its own market conditions that favor its growth. Comparing a bond fund return to a stock return is like comparing an apple with a lemon. ... more »

How to Use Bits of Soap

By Virginia Allain

0 comments

One hates to throw away that last little bit of bar soap. Here are a number of ways to use up a sliver of soap that still has some good in it... more »

How to Use Credit Cards Properly: Making Friends with Everyone’s Enemy

By 007GreenMachine

0 comments

Despite what others say, credit cards can be a great tool to have in your wallet. Here are ideas about how to use credit cards positively and avoid falling into the credit card debt traps that many others do... more »

How to Use Credit Cards to Add to Financial Power

By Gina Turchiaro

2 comments

Having credit can be a bad thing as we all know. However, young adults should be aware that establishing good credit, and not getting in debt over your head, can be beneficial if one wants to make a large purchase one day. There are ways to ... more »

How to Use Hydrogen Peroxide Around the House

By eHow Personal Finance Editor

0 comments

Hydrogen peroxide is most commonly used as an antiseptic, and is the active ingredient in many teeth whiteners and all-fabric bleaches. It is sold in a 3 percent solution and is quite handy for a number of uses. The followoing list of suggestions ... more »

How to Use PayPal With EBay

By eHow Personal Finance Editor

0 comments

It's very easy to use your PayPal account with eBay. After all, PayPal is owned by eBay! Sellers and buyers alike can use the integrated features to pay for items and eBay fees as well as to streamline the process of shipping auction items. By ... more »

How to Use PIP Insurance for Auto Accident

By ChristiB

0 comments

Were you just in an auto accident? Did you sustain injuries and/or lose time from work as a result? If so, you need to receive treatment for your injuries and you'll want reimbursement for any lost wages from work. This article will explain the ... more »

How to Use the Time Value of Money Function (or TVM) on Financial Calculators For Simple Problems Involving Interest-Accruing Loans

By Laura Schofield

1 comments

Sometimes it feels like you're never making progress against your credit card debt. Just making the minimum payment due on your interest-accruing account usually pays nothing more than the interest for that billing cycle period! Do you want to ... more »

How to "Leverage" Your Unwanted Gift Cards

By Matt C

2 comments

Christmas is over and you're stuck with gift cards you will never use. Instead of losing money by tossing it away in the junk drawer or selling it at a 10% discount on eBay, there are websites where you can get full value and even earn extra ... more »

How to Achieve A Perfect Credit Score

By scottb992000

4 comments

The ultimate credit goal is to reach an 800 credit score and be able to maintain it. Here are some tips to achieve an 800 credit score... more »

How to Achieve Financial Success with "The Richest Man in Babylon"

By Angie Shiflett

1 comments

We are all looking for ways to achieve financial success. Many of us believe that this aspiration is far beyond our reach. However, we can all achieve financial success - even the individual with the smallest income can do this. In "The ... more »

How to Add a Credit Card to a PayPal Account

By eHow Personal Finance Editor

0 comments

There are a variety of reasons to have a credit card associated with your PayPal account. The card can be a source of backup in case you don't have sufficient funds for a purchase, be a way to raise your spending limit or be a way of confirming ... more »

How to Advanced Earned Income Credit/ Get extra money added to paycheck

By logan

1 comments

Advance Earned Income Tax Credit/who is eligible/how do employees apply for the AEITC/It's your money anyway.. more »

How to Afford a Second Home

By eHow Personal Finance Editor

0 comments

Many dream of being able to afford a second home for a vacation get-away, as an investment, as an extra income source or all three. It is important to make sure you can afford a second home before you decide to buy one. A second home can be ... more »

How to afford to be a stay at home mom.

By amylaine

3 comments

Do you think it is impossible for you to be a stay at home mom? With just a little adjusting of your budget and routine you just may be able to afford to stay home without loosing much of a income. You may even find out you are loosing money by ... more »

How to Apply for the Citizens Energy Fuel Assistance Program

By Amanda Morin

0 comments

As the winter weather turns colder and the cost of heating fuel rises, low-income families sometimes have to make hard choices about how to budget their money. Knowing this, Citizens Energy (in conjunction with CITGO) has instituted a number of ... more »

How to Assign Your Lease

By eHow Personal Finance Editor

0 comments

If you want to move out of property that you're renting before your lease expires, you may be able to assign your lease to another tenant - with your landlord's consent... more »

How to Avoid an IRS Income Tax Audit

By John Ingrisano

1 comments

The best way to handle a tax audit from Uncle Sam is to avoid one from the start. That's because even if you win a battle with the IRS, an audit can be annoying and unnerving. At the very least, it will cost you a great deal of time. Use a ... more »