Series of articles to understand your options for banking. We cover ins and outs of checking and savings accounts, different types of banks, etc.
Are you one of those who has trouble saving money? Or, want to do better at saving more? Well, you’re not alone. Right now, the national savings rate stands at about 5%. This is pretty weak considering other countries. France has a savings rate of almost 16% and Spain, nearly 14%. So what’s this all
Have you ever considered when might be a good time to pay with credit vs with a debit card? While not big proponents of using credit cards – especially when you are just starting out or have poor money management skills – there are times when it makes sense to use credit vs paying with
It’s all about the overdraft Student debt has a funny way of grounding most university graduates before they even get to fly. After all, it’s quite a daunting prospect having to leap from the nest of tertiary education into the wide open world of financial self-sufficiency with a $30,000 debt shackled to your newly fledged
Last year when I talked about about how to stop living paycheck to paycheck – passive income, I started putting into practice one of the key concepts by splitting up my fixed and variable expenses. By doing so I was able to differentiate my re-occurring bills from every other expense. My wife has even said, and
In 2008, when my dad went into bankruptcy I quickly had to pull together a LLC corporation, and take on 520 acres of farming. Over night I had to develop a budget, obtain a line of credit, sign land leases, obtain insurance, and take a loan out on $90,000 worth of farming equipment that use to be
In the modern age, it’s easy to be bombarded with frightening advice on what you should or shouldn’t do if you want to protect your identity and your cash. Technology is evolving, and with it, new ways for hackers and scammers to get at your hard-earned cash. But that’s no reason to live in fear.
Earlier this year I wrote about how to stop living paycheck to paycheck with passive income streams and the importance of having your family assets diversified in more than one bank. Well I happy to report back that I’m actively taking my own advice. About a month ago we opened up a second bank account to
The new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is off and running after the appointment of Richard Cordray as its Director. Consumer advocates are ecstatic, as it is the first government agency to have the power to establish rules and enforce laws designed to protect borrowers. Yet, there is also a growing bubble of apprehension over the
Shortly after my wife and I were married, I decided it was a good idea to lay off my anal-retentive checkbook balancing that had gone on for many years as I dug myself out of debt. In fact (and I’m ashamed to admit this) I almost entirely stopped tracking our expenses altogether. I figured we
If you are an iPhone user, you can now deposit checks simply by taking a picture of them! Using PayPal’s free iPhone app, a user simply snaps a photo of the front and back side of the check. Once deposited into your account, the funds can be spent or moved to a checking or savings
