Are Hotel Savings Card Programs a Good Deal or Not?
If you stay at any of the major hotel chains, such as Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt properties, on a frequent basis, you may have been offered a hotel savings card to save money on future stays. Collecting hotel rewards points is similar to collecting frequent flier miles and may help to offset the costs of […]
Money Tips For Ex-Convicts
Just by talking to her, you wouldn’t know that Vivian Nixon is an ex convict. Confident, articulate, and now pursuing a Master’s Degree in Theology, Nixon seems more likely to have spent time in a church worship hall rather than a prison hall. But it wasn’t always that way. Many years ago, she got into […]
How to Stop Garnishment of Your Wages
If you have a lot of unpaid debts and creditors are threatening wage garnishment, you may have to deal with a court battle in the very near future. Creditors can legally garnish your wages, but only after they obtain a court order. Garnishment is usually a “last resort” effort by creditors to collect on their […]
Advice If a Child’s Social Security Number is Stolen
Even though children don’t have any bank accounts, credit cards or other lines of credit where they have shared their social security number, they are still at risk for having their SSN stolen or abused. Identity thieves often resort to purchasing newly issued social security numbers or seek out numbers that are inactive because these […]
How to Remove A Tax Lien
If you fail to pay your taxes in a certain period of time, the IRS will report the issue to the credit bureaus and it will appear as a tax lien on your credit report. Tax liens can significantly lower your credit score and put you in a poor position to obtain credit in the […]
How to Save Your Car if You File for Bankruptcy
If you’re filing for bankruptcy to get some relief from creditors and get your financial situation back on track, you may have wondered what happens to personal assets like your car during the bankruptcy filing process. Many people fear losing their car to creditors when filing bankruptcy, but the good news is that in most […]
How to Bury a Relative on a Tight Budget
It’s a sad reality that many families and individuals have to deal with, but knowing what to do when you can’t afford to bury a family member can help to relieve some of the stress and heartache of this difficult time. According to the National Funeral Directors Association’s latest data, the median cost of a […]
How to Save Your Home if You File for Bankruptcy
When you have taken the step to file for bankruptcy and are struggling to make ends meet, you may have wondered if your home will soon go into foreclosure. If you’re filing for bankruptcy, it’s likely that you’ve been struggling with finances for several months – even years – and may already have come close […]
Can I Include Back Owed Income Taxes in My Bankruptcy?
Many people who are filing for bankruptcy wonder if they are able to have back owed income taxes discharged during the bankruptcy process. The short answer is: Maybe. The type of bankruptcy you are filing will determine whether you can include back owed income taxes in your bankruptcy, or not. Educating yourself on the different […]
Why Do 866 Numbers Keep Calling Me
Q: Why do 866 numbers keep calling me? Are they scammers? A: Scam calls from the 809 area code and similar numbers like 649, 284, and 866 are more than just annoying—they’re potentially expensive traps. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) warns consumers that these calls often lead to costly international charges or phishing schemes designed […]
Do You Have a Moral Obligation to Pay Your Debt?
If you’ve been paying attention to any conversations about debt in America lately, you’ve no doubt heard phrases like moral hazard or moral obligation thrown around. American individuals and families owe a collective $11 trillion in consumer debt, including car loans, mortgages, credit card bills and more. At the same time, a recent analysis by USA Today […]
6 Ways to Simplify Your Summer Finances
If you’re like me, you’d like to simplify your summer finances. After all, summer is the time to relax a bit more, spend extra time with family and friends, and maybe even indulge in a little getaway if a summer vacation fits into your budget. So chances are, money matters are the last things you […]
6 Things to Do Before You Declare Bankruptcy
If the current economic conditions are still impacting your finances, you may want to declare bankruptcy as a way to get a fresh start. In recent years, bankruptcy filings have been on the rise, with a notable increase of 16.2% in 2024 compared to the previous year, reaching a total of 504,112 filings. This trend is […]
Got Stress? Your Finances Could Suffer
Two new studies suggest that your mental state – specifically being distracted and experiencing stress – can have a serious, negative impact on your finances. Northwestern Mutual recently surveyed 1,000 Americans 25 and older to analyze their financial tenacity and self-discipline. Not surprisingly, the bulk of those polled admitted they were lagging in those areas. […]
Why Independence Day Means Financial Freedom to Me
When my husband, Earl, left his job as a national accounts manager for book publisher John Wiley & Sons, the very last email he sent from his corporate account carried the subject line “Independence Day.” Like many people who leave a job, Earl (shown at right, and above with me) used his parting missive to […]