Category: budgeting

How Can I Build Credit?

Financial success is largely determined by your credit score. After all, having good or excellent credit will lower your interest rates, access perks like rewards, and gives you more negotiating power. And, it can also give you more opportunities to build your credit. What if you have poor credit? Well, for the 16 percent of Americans with a…


Still No Answer to the Question: Who Pays for Loan Forgiveness?

It has been more than a week, and there is still no coherent answer out of the Biden administration to the question of who will pay for student loan forgiveness, which may cost Americans anywhere between $300–500 billion by the time it’s all done. For background, the White House announced, on Aug. 24, 2022, that…


Paycheck 101: A College Grad’s Guide for How to Manage a Paycheck

There you are, a college graduate with your newly minted degree in one hand and a new job in the other — or the confidence that you will have one soon. For years you’ve waited for a real job with a real paycheck to get a decent car, apartment and respectable wardrobe. After all, these…


Silver Economic Power: Seniors and Disposable Income

More than 34 percent of the U.S. population is over 50, and the over-65 demographic will increase 65 percent by 2030; seniors are living longer and spending more. Many retirees can expect to live 10 years longer than their parents. And these aren’t frail retirees. These seniors tend to work later and play harder. From going…


Liz Weston: Why Is Money so Confusing?

Managing money is an essential life skill, yet most U.S. adults would fail a financial literacy test. Consider the results of a survey meant to measure financial literacy, called the TIAA Institute-GFLEC Personal Finance Index. On average, U.S. adults correctly answered only 50 percent of its financial literacy questions in 2022. In other words: If…


Bidirectional EV Chargers Do Much More Than Just Recharge Your Car

Even though the cost of running an electric vehicle is less expensive than a gasoline-powered car, there are still some new and unique ways to save money. The talk about bidirectional charging systems for electric vehicles (EVs) has been taking place for some time, and it may be time for you to start thinking about…




Does Your Income Level Put You in the Middle Class?

A question almost everyone will ask at some point in their life is what class is their income level. While few people like to think that they are living below the poverty line, not many are going to be able to become what is considered upper class. Most people, it seems, like to know that…


Why One Teacher Changed Careers and Gave up Loan Forgiveness

During my first class of the day, I asked a question to my students, or rather to their avatars on the screen of our online classroom. I waited for an answer but received silence. As none of my students turned on their cameras, I couldn’t know why I didn’t get a response, but some were…