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If you’re swimming in a sea of debt and you can’t see the shore, now is the time to look for help. In fact, the answer is always “now,” because the sooner you take control of debt, the faster you will take control of it. (more…)

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There have been a few scary stories going round recently about borrowers with excellent credit ratings who have still ended up struggling to pay for their homes or even defaulting on the mortgages. It just goes to show that you have to make sure you’re incredibly well-informed, even if you think you’re financially under control. (more…)

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Headlines regularly scream about job losses and rising unemployment, but at least over at Yahoo Finance they’re trying to do something about it. They’ve just published some tips on how to make sure you keep your job, including: (more…)

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If you’ve paid off debt - or even if you haven’t, but are working towards it - then many financial planners recommend that you also keep both a savings account and some kind of emergency fund. But what happens if your car needs a sudden, expensive repair, and you have to have your car to be able to get to your job? Where should you pay this bill from - your savings account or your emergency funds? (more…)

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Asking yourself if you’re on the route to having enough money to comfortably retire is not only responsible, but necessary. You know how much you have in your 401(k), IRA, and savings account, you know how much Social Security you’ll receive and what your pension will look like, but you need to look at several puzzle pieces determine whether you have enough to retire. (more…)

It’s easier these days than it used to be to get a home loan. Traditionally, banks expected everybody to start with a down payment of 20% of the value of the home, no negotiating. But today you can even find finance with no deposit at all. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good thing: here are three reasons why saving up 20% of the cost of your home will help you out financially: (more…)

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It’s been frustrating lately to have the cost of running your car constantly rising, right? As well as trying to find the cheapest gas, though, there are a bunch of other ways in which you can run your car more cheaply. A recent list of tips at The Street had all kinds of ideas for how to save money on your car expenses. Some of the most useful included: (more…)

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If you’re a seasoned antiques bargain hunter or just looking to score beautiful furniture at a great deal, antique sales are one of the furniture market’s best kept secrets.

Estate sales can be held for any number of reasons, including death, downsizing, or moving, but they always mean great deals. Usually, a liquidation firm purchase the entire estate at a deep discount, and then sells it off piecemeal for more than they paid, but far less than market value of the individual good. (more…)

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Pennies are pinched and budgets have been streamlined, and many Americans are cutting down on the luxuries. For this reason, upscale retailers’ business has been a bit shaky lately, causing prudent business owners to think outside the box. One such woman, Michele Krause, has taken her failing luxury jewelry market and created a unique idea: jewelry rental. (more…)

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Try telling someone in their twenties that they shouldn’t spend money on fashion, cars or eating out, and the advice will very likely fall on deaf ears. When retirement is thirty or forty years away, it’s easy to live for the moment and enjoy the “must haves” of young life. But Ginger of Girls Just Wanna Have Funds had some great advice for cheap alternatives to satisfy these desires. (more…)