Credit card balance transfers can be useful when used strategically and in combination with other efforts to reduce your overall debt and total interest paid. However, depending on the situation, they may not always the best decision to assist with credit card debt.
While it may be difficult to predict exactly when you’ll encounter medical expenses, the simple fact is they are inevitable. Everyone will have to go through the stress of dealing with medical issues and the costs that come with them at some point.
Transitioning from high school to college is a major milestone in a teenager’s growth, and it brings many changes. Some of those changes are financially related, and one of the questions that both teens and their parents often ask is whether they should have a credit card in college.
Balance transfers can be amazing tools for helping you maximize credit card point potential, reduce your interest rates, and pay off your credit card balances faster when used wisely. However, they can easily become crutches that do little to address your debt and only rearrange it, like pushing unpleasant vegetables around on your plate rather than eating them.
While it’s important to begin building your credit early, it’s even more important to build it responsibly. As early as 18, you’ll start to receive credit card offers. While these offers can be tempting, understanding all the details before accepting them is crucial.
It’s always a good plan to set some money aside to use as a down payment when financing a new or “new to you” car. As a general rule, you’ll want to pay 20 percent of the vehicle’s value as a down payment for a new car and 10 percent as a down payment for a used vehicle.
Purchasing a vehicle is a significant financial decision. Right now, we are in what is known as a low-rate environment, which means we are paying less interest on the auto loans that we take out. However, interest isn’t the only thing that affects our monthly car payment.
That new car smell can be absolutely intoxicating, and the comfortable driver's seat can entice you to lay out your entire savings into a new vehicle purchase. However, the sticker shock can quickly bring you back down to financial reality.
The time has come! You’ve saved for your down-payment. You’ve triple-checked your finances and know your available monthly budget. You even found the perfect car online. Excitement is in the air, along with that new-car smell. And…you’re walking into a trap!
When you receive your tax refund, learning how to spend it wisely is your best bet. But you should also learn some of the ways you shouldn't be using it. Below, we've provided you with ideas on how to use your IRS tax refund and some ways you should avoid.
