One look at a typical cardholder agreement makes clear that credit cards come with plenty of fine print. Even so, a lot of information isn’t readily available to cardholders, especially regarding what they can ask for from their card issuers and how they can manage their accounts more cost-effectively. A recent NerdWallet survey found significant gaps in … Continued
Upon paying off between $12,000 and $15,000 in credit card debt in 2019, Yamiesha Bell, a special education teacher in New York, didn’t break up with her credit cards. With goals to buy a car and a house, Bell hoped to preserve her credit history by keeping her cards open and active. “I needed to … Continued
Among the different ways to trick yourself into saving, money-saving challenges are some of the most engaging. They can help you feel connected to finances by requiring frequent check-ins and debunking feelings of inadequacy when it comes to saving. For Cristina Brown, a self-described savings-challenge designer and founder of the blog Happy Savings Co, money-saving … Continued
With an $82,000 pile of debt, buying a house seemed far in the distance for Ehren Sixon and his wife, Florida residents who embarked on a debt-free journey in 2016. They opted for the debt snowball method, a debt payoff strategy that encourages motivation by quickly attacking the smallest balances first. The couple also tracked every … Continued
Digital wallets, also known as mobile wallets, have grown in popularity over the years. But the freedom to leave all your cards at home isn’t the only benefit users will enjoy. A digital wallet has many benefits outside of condensing physical cards and offering a seamless and secure payment option. The top three digital wallets are Apple … Continued
Since the COVID-19 vaccine started becoming available in the U.S., there have been more opportunities to impulse spend on items and experiences that you didn’t get to enjoy early in the pandemic. With the freedom to do more, consumers are spending more. For the first seven months of 2021, retail sales were up 15.5% compared … Continued
After spending nearly $2,000 in gifts for her daughter’s first Christmas in 2017, Meg Nordmann knew her holiday strategy had to change. “I totally blew it that first Christmas with her,” says the Florida-based author of “Have Yourself a Minimalist Christmas.” “I bought everything this child needed through the first five years of her life.” … Continued
The Great Recession demolished jobs across the U.S., and it eventually came for mine, too. After graduating in 2009, I worked four months as an entry-level executive assistant at a nonprofit before being laid off. I had limited financial knowledge, a short work history and a lot to prove to break into the field of … Continued
After Megan Pearson’s job as a restaurant server was put on hold because of COVID-19-related stay-at-home orders, the single mom had to figure out how to come up with the rent for her apartment in Brooklyn, New York. “I posted my frustration on Facebook with trying to get through to unemployment the first week,” Pearson … Continued
Aja McClanahan, a Chicago-based writer, and her husband were staring down $120,000 in debt — about $20,000 of it credit card balances — and realized they needed to clean house. Literally. They found less expensive housing arrangements, and along the way in those seven years that they carried the debt, they also became meticulous about … Continued