How to Build Credit
When people ask how to build credit, the “chicken or the egg” conundrum often comes up. Having a solid credit history and credit score are important parts of your financial future. Here’s the problem:...
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Looking for Travel Insurance? Check Your Wallet First
Airplanes and blizzards don’t mix. But some credit cards will reimburse you for expenses if you get stranded by a canceled flight. Photo: Dan Just last winter, my husband and I took a much-anticipated...
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Light Bulb Showdown: LED vs. CFL vs. Incandescent
Efficient LED light bulbs used to cost upwards of $100 apiece. With prices now down in the single digits, it’s much easier to make the switch. Photo: Cree via Facebook Just a couple decades ago, light...
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10 Booming, Mostly Blood-Free Healthcare Jobs for the Squeamish
If the thought of blood makes you squirm, consider one of these fast-growing, high-paying, and mostly blood-free healthcare careers. Close your eyes and imagine yourself in a rewarding career in...
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10 Best Entry-Level Jobs With Long-Term Potential
An entry-level job as a graphic designer or marketing assistant may not pay much at all, but it can put you on track toward a lucrative, six-figure position such as art director or marketing manager....
View ArticleBest Hotel Rewards Programs
The best hotel rewards programs ease the burden of high-cost travel, which is a good thing since traveling with a family can be prohibitively expensive. After all, airfare and lodging for four people...
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Protecting Against Credit Card Fraud
Credit card fraud is all too commonplace, and identity thieves’ methods can range from high-tech data breaches and Internet scams to old-fashioned stolen mail. Photo: Rob Stinnett With credit cards...
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When to Use an SEP IRA
For freelancers, small business owners, and other self-employed workers, an SEP IRA is often the best way to save for retirement. Just a few decades ago, opening a simplified employee pension —...
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How to Create a Budget With a Credit Card
Pairing a credit card with online budgeting tools can help you stay on top of your spending and find your weaknesses. In the world of personal finance, it’s not very often that you hear “credit card”...
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Using the HARP Program to Refinance an Underwater Mortgage
The real estate market has been recovering, but if your mortgage is still underwater, you might benefit from the HARP program. Photo: Kai Schreiber Just a few weeks ago, reader Sarah wrote in for...
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The True Cost of Student Loans
Choose an expensive college or borrow more than you need, and you might still be writing student loan checks when you’re 50. When you’re 18 years old and preparing to leave the nest, it’s easy to think...
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10 Smart Graduation Gifts for College-Bound Seniors
Need a graduation gift for a high-school senior who’s headed to college? You can’t go wrong with school-branded gear like hats and sweatshirts for their freshman year. Photo: John Martinez Pavliga...
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Financial Advice That Needs to Die
Should you spend a whopping two months’ salary on an engagement ring? That depends on whether you listen to your own instincts, or a global jewelry company’s marketing department. Photo: Mary...
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How We Decided an Expensive Child Care Center Wasn’t Worth It
We all want the best for our children, but when the cost of child care averages more than $10,000 a year, you have to draw the line somewhere. And what matters most is that your son or daughter is...
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Eight Tips to Make Credit Cards Work for You, Not Against You
Stay in control of your credit cards — don’t let them control you. A credit card can be a valuable tool if you know how to use it properly. Likewise, using credit cards irresponsibly can lead to a...
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Pay for Your Honeymoon With Credit Card Rewards
Taking advantage of lucrative credit card sign-up bonuses and putting some of your wedding expenses on those rewards cards can help you earn travel rewards for a dream honeymoon. Photo: Westin Dawn...
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The High Price of Free Games
‘Freemium’ games — addicting apps that start out free but entice you to make small, ongoing purchases — aren’t just targeted at kids. Photo: Lars Plougmann Last Christmas, I got my six-year old...
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Money Management 101: Why You Should Track Your Spending
Are you literally eating through your income? Nearly half of Americans who live paycheck-to-paycheck cite dining and entertainment as the root of their financial problems. Track your spending to face...
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The Cost of Raising a Child (and the Baby Checklist You Really Need)
Worried about the cost of raising a child? You don’t need half of the so-called ‘essentials’ in Babies ‘R’ Us. What you do need is good health insurance, a feasible childcare plan, essentials like a...
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The State of American Credit Card Debt in 2015
The average American household owes $7,281 in credit card debt — and that average includes families with no debt at all. Photo: Frankie Leon Americans continue to dig a deeper hole when it comes to...
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