Credit Cards
Do You Have a Plan for Your Money from Washington?
In the coming weeks many households will likely be getting some financial help from Washington. A new round of stimulus checks and a supplemental federal unemployment benefit was finalized in late Dec
Let’s Talk About Holiday Spending…Right Now
Yes, I know the calendar says it’s only Halloween. But this is the perfect time that you and I have a serious chat about your spending budget for the upcoming holiday season.
Only 1 in 3 Americans Takes This Smart Financial Step
Checking your credit report is free. And it is incredibly important to do. But a new survey from CompareCards.com says that just one in three adults checked their credit report last year.
Don’t Send Your Kid to College Without This
Now that another college year is beginning, I want to make sure that all the Moms and Dads have packed off the kids with one very important item:
Credit Card Tips During a Financial Crisis
I want to make sure that all of you are up to date on my recommendations for the smartest credit card moves if your household is dealing with a loss of income during the current crisis.
How to Reduce Your Expenses During the Crisis
I know some of you have already lost your jobs as the economy reels from the impact of the coronavirus crisis. And many more of you are worried about a job loss or sharply reduced hours.
Top Priorities for Funding your Ultimate Retirement
Previously, I made the case for how you can refine your spending choices today so you have more money to put toward retirement goals.
Stop Living Life on Borrowed Money
I want you to make it your top priority once and for all to be smart and powerful in how you choose to use the money you have, as well as the money you do not have.
What Will You Do with your 2020 Raise?
A recent survey of employers says they expect the typical raise next year to be around 3%. I hope you are the rock star who lands an even bigger pay increase. But, 3% is good when you consider that th
Yes, There Will be a Recession. Here’s How to Prepare.
It’s been more than a decade since the U.S. economy fell into a recession. That’s a long time ago. But I know for many of you, far from forgotten, as the Great Recession that lasted from late 2007 to
Americans Say Paying Off Debt is Their Top Goal
A large national survey by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies found that saving for retirement is not our top priority.
40 Million Americans Say They Will Miss a Credit Card Payment. Not You!
A recent survey reports that an estimated 40 million Americans expect to make a mess of their financial life this year by missing a credit card payment.
How to Make the Most of a Cash Windfall
Did you land a year-end bonus? Even better, a nice raise? Or, perhaps you’ve been working a side gig and have some extra income to put to work? Also, I know many of you will soon be receiving...
The Procrastinator’s Guide to Dealing with Credit Card Debt
As much as I wish that no one overspent during the holidays, I know that many of you are facing January credit card statements that are going to set off some stress. You realize there’s...
Credit Card Alert: How to Avoid the Big Trap of 2019
You know where I stand on having credit card debt. It holds you back from being all you can, and deserve, to be. I realize some of you have credit card debt due to emergencies, like a medical bill...
Rule #1 of debt management: Honor your obligations
I am all about helping people get out of financial trouble. I am always humbled when someone lays bare their financial struggle and asks for my advice.
Protecting your financial life is now free. Don’t pass up this offer.
One of the best ways to protect yourself from identify thieves is now free of charge. Beginning in late September, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion began offering consumers the ability to place an
This One Move Will Automatically Improve Your Financial Life
This One Move Will Automatically Improve Your Financial Life
2018 is the Worst Year Since 2018 to Carry Credit Card Debt
If you just overdid it on the holiday spending, please do your very best to buckle down and pay off the balance as quickly as possible to avoid rising interest rate charges.
Email Scams are Rising. Do you Know how to Protect Yourself?
I hope that after the news of the Equifax data breach, you’re being extra smart about taking steps to monitor your credit reports. You can always get one free credit report a year from each of the three credit bureaus at annualcreditreports.com.
A Credit Card Strategy for Dealing with Natural Disasters
Digging out from the losses incurred when a natural disaster strikes can take time. Waiting for insurance claims to be processed, or emergency aid to be disbursed can take weeks, or longer. Meanwhile households have bills to pay, and the financial strain of needing to replace so much right now just to get back to functioning.
Financial Do’s and Don'ts After Disaster Strikes
Hurricanes and tropical storms in Florida and throughout the Caribbean, wildfires in the west and the Mexico earthquakes have been devastating for so many. And heart wrenching for all of us.
How to Bounce Back from a Spending Hangover
It’s that scary time of the year: Your December credit card statements start rolling in. I hope that you have everything under control and can pay off every balance in full. But if that’s not doable, I want you to promise me that you will be extra smart in how you take control of your spending hangover.
Why I Hate Guaranteed Acceptance Whole Life Insurance
I was glued to the TV recently watching the news when an advertisement for Guaranteed Acceptance Life Insurance came on. Whoo boy, did my blood pressure rise. I am not a fan of this type of life insurance.
How Seniors Can Save Money In 2017
Well, as you have probably heard, the annual inflation adjustment Social Security recipients will get in 2017 will be 0.3%. That’s about $4 a month for the average retiree.
A Great Credit Card for Paying Down Your Debt
If you are struggling to make a dent in a large credit card balance, and you have a strong FICO score, I want you to look into what could possibly be the ticket to finally being able to pay down your balance. As reported by NextAdvisor, the Citi Simplicity Card offers 21 months of no interest payments on balance transfers or new purchases. That’s nearly two years to make progress paying down your credit card debt.
Teach your Children Well-Part 3: Give Your Kid’s Credit
Young adults are making a big mistake with their finances. Survey after survey reports that most millennials do not have a credit card. I am wholeheartedly on board with preferring a debit card. But everyone needs to also have a credit card and use it responsibly.
Credit Card Industry Set to Rake in an Extra $30 Billion. How to Avoid Paying Your Part.
If you have unpaid credit card balances, your situation could soon progress from very expensive to ridiculously expensive.
A Dental Savings Plan That Will Make You Smile
According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 40% to 45% of adult Americans don’t see a dentist in a given year. Cost is obviously a big reason why so many avoid the dentist. By one estimate nearly 68 million Americans have no dental coverage. That makes going to the dentist extra nerve-wracking, as you need to worry about the pain of a big out-of-pocket expense.
Savings v. Paying Off Credit Card Debt: What’s the Right Move?
One of the hardest challenges managing your financial life is figuring out how best to juggle multiple goals. And one of the most vexing decisions is what to do if you have credit card debt and you have money sitting in your emergency savings fund.
How Grandparents Can Make the Most of a Grandchild’s Summer Job
So often grandparents come up to me and ask how they can best help their grandchildren get a leg up. My favorite move is to gift a grandchild money to open a Roth IRA. Here’s what you need to know:
4 Signs You Should Rent Not Buy
I am a big believer in home ownership, but only if it makes financial sense. If you answer yes to any of these questions you are better off renting:
The Best Moves to Boost Your Credit Score
Having a good credit score isn’t good enough. To land the best loan deals and qualify for the best credit card offers you need to have a seriously great FICO credit score of at least 740. Here’s how to improve your FICO score.
Beware: 2015 Prime Time for Credit Card Rates to Rise
You know how much I hate credit card debt, given the astronomical interest rates you are stuck paying. Though the average is around 14% I know plenty of you pay more than 20% interest. And next year could be even more expensive for anyone carrying credit card debt.
No Student Debt? Great, But You’re Still Being Dragged Down by the Student Debt Crisis.
If one were to ask me what I think is the most dangerous threat to our economy, the answer is very simple: STUDENT LOANS.
Suze Orman: Don’t put your retirement on a credit card
As the economy slowly recovers, Americans are struggling to get out of credit card debt they amassed during tougher financial days...Out of desperation to stay current, or to rid themselves of their debt, people are looking at their retirement accounts as a cash source. But Suze Orman says that's the biggest mistake you could make.
Are Your Kids Spending Too Much
How to teach your teens about money. How do you teach your teens about money—short of lending them your credit card and praying that they don’t hand it back to you maxed out?
How Not To Go Off The Financial Gift Cliff For The Holidays
Whenever you feel fear about spending money that should be a sign that you're spending money you don't have to possibly even impress people you don't even know or like.
Suze Orman’s Money-Saving Advice for Holiday Shopping
I call it the buy-it-now bug: We come down with it every giving season and feel the effects in January when we see our credit card statements.
New Exhibition Explores Our Love and Hate of Money
U.S. financial guru Suze Orman has teamed with the producer of the popular Body Worlds exhibits for a new traveling show to look at how we relate to and understand money.
