Personal Finance
Creating an emergency fund is a necessary part of financial planning. People often have unexpected or significant expenses arise and have had to turn to emergency funds to make ends meet day-to-day. It’s even more challenging is if there is no emergency fund to access. An emergency fund creates a “buffer” that can help individuals […]
Whether you’re retiring in 10 years, 5 years, 3 years, 1 year, or have just retired, getting organized, planning ahead, and being in control of your money-related matters, goes a long way toward making your retirement experience a little less stressful. Furthermore, everyone’s retirement is unique. Beyond deciding when to begin receiving retirement benefits, other […]
Got a cellphone? Get read for a flood of bill collector texts. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is proposing changes to the 1977 Fair Debt Collection Practices Act The changes will allow debt collectors nearly unlimited ability to contact debtors via digital communication. The Act previously prevented debt collectors from calling and harassing people […]
Voicing concern over America’s widening income inequality gap, multi-billionaire investor Warren Buffett thinks he may have a solution — give poor people money via the tax system. Buffett believes that expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit system (EITC) will mean more money in the hands of hard-working but less-skilled Americans. A “refundable” tax credit, the […]
Currently, the price of gold is about $1,275 an ounce. At the peak in 1980 and again in 2011 the precious metal traded above $2,000 an ounce. Now, buying and investing in gold is hard. Getting those peak prices can be once-in-decade events. But finding gold on the ground, well, that’s free money! Why part […]
A vacation is usually an exercise in spending too much money through design or ignorance, like buying a pricey souvenir that gets thrown into a closet once it’s brought home. Consider that the average American comes home from vacation with over $1,500 charged to credit cards. Such debts are usually borne out of paying for spontaneous, […]
The founder, chairman, and CEO of Blackstone, Stephen Schwarzman, is advocating for immediate legislative action to improve the lives of struggling Americans, including a substantial increase in the minimum wage. Schwarzman is pushing for what he calls “Marshall Plan for the Middle Class,” named for the American-led fund that rebuilt Europe from rubble after World […]
The weird thing about insurance is that you never know when you may need it, so you buy it in the hopes that you never need it. Still, many people loyally buy insurance from the same firm year after year like it’s a fast-food item, instead of considering their actual needs. Here are four mistakes […]
Capital gains tax is a tax that is levied on the profit you make when you sell an asset. The rate of tax depends on how long you have held the asset and your income level. Capital gains tax traps are common, and they can result in you paying more taxes than you should. In […]
Debt has become part and parcel of our life today. Studies show that the average American carries roughly $38,000 in debt, excluding mortgages. Sometimes, a debt burden can grow too large to bear. As a result, you could get caught in what experts call the “debt cycle” — a situation where you have to borrow […]
