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Surrogacy Financing: A Guide to Affording the Cost of Family-Building
This article was created for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek guidance from a qualified health professional for medical conditions and before making any health changes.
Research shows that out of every 100 couples, 12 to 13 have difficulty becoming pregnant. Whether you’re struggling to grow your family, can’t conceive naturally or have chosen not to, there are several family-building options to bring a baby into the family.
Sallie Mae Student Loans Review
Sallie Mae Student Loans
Our #1 pick for the best personal loans in 2020.
Questions About Cheap Gas, Insurance Deductibles, Baking Sheets, Financial Books and More
What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to summaries of five or fewer words. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question.
Is It Safe to Share Bank Account Information?
We’ve talked before about scams that target your banking information and how the best way to combat these scams is to avoid sharing your information in the first place, but can you be scammed or hacked after providing your bank account information for a legitimate reason, like for employee direct deposit? We dig into some instances where you might find yourself having to share bank account information, things to consider beforehand and how to decide whether or not to share.
When would someone ask for your bank account information?
There are a number of instances where someone would ask for your bank account information. These include enrolling in direct deposit through your employer, sharing the information digitally (via email, text message or to sign up for an online payment service like PayPal or Venmo), writing a check or filing your taxes to get your refund deposited into your account, among others.
What to Do if Your Balance Transfer Credit Card Limit Isn’t High Enough
Whether you’re juggling balances on multiple credit cards that are all earning high interest or you’re carrying a balance on one high-interest credit card, a balance transfer is likely the perfect tool for you. Completing a balance transfer is a lot easier than you think, as you can usually submit the request via your credit card application, but things may not always go as planned. That’s because you aren’t guaranteed to be approved for any amount, and you won’t know that amount until you actually apply and get approved. So what happens if you’re approved for the card, but your transfer amount isn’t as high as you were expecting? We detail everything you need to know.
Is It Safe to Share Bank Account Information?
We’ve talked before about scams that target your banking information and how the best way to combat these scams is to avoid sharing your information in the first place, but can you be scammed or hacked after providing your bank account information for a legitimate reason, like for employee direct deposit? We dig into some instances where you might find yourself having to share bank account information, things to consider beforehand and how to decide whether or not to share.
When would someone ask for your bank account information?
There are a number of instances where someone would ask for your bank account information. These include enrolling in direct deposit through your employer, sharing the information digitally (via email, text message or to sign up for an online payment service like PayPal or Venmo), writing a check or filing your taxes to get your refund deposited into your account, among others.
How Long Should You Wait Before Applying for Another Credit Card?
There are so many credit cards with competitive rewards available right now, to the point that it’s difficult to settle on a single card. Just look through our credit card reviews and you’ll see cards that are great for dining out, fueling up your car or transferring your balances. However, what if you just opened a new credit card? If you see a different offer that you like, should you just go ahead and apply for another credit card? Unfortunately, sending out too many card applications in too short a period of time can lower your chances of getting approved, and may hurt your credit scores as well. For a rundown of why you should spread your credit card applications out, and guidelines on how long you should wait between them, keep reading.
How Do Credit Card Billing Cycles Work?
Billing cycles are essential to the functionality of credit cards. That’s why understanding billing cycles is important for financial planning. While the language surrounding credit card billing cycles can be confusing, it doesn’t have to be. Keep reading as we go into detail about why billing cycles are so important and how they work.
What is a billing cycle?
While billing cycles seem specific to credit cards, they are likely something you encounter all the time, as they’re fairly common for utility services, subscription services and, of course, financial accounts, including loans, mortgages and more. A billing cycle is a period during which the charges for a recurring service have taken place. The charges for an account are reflected on a billing statement which is sent to you after your billing cycle ends. When it comes to credit cards, a billing statement generally tells you:
How Contactless Cards Work
Just five short years ago, a nationwide shift occurred in the way people made purchases with their debit and credit cards. Financial institutions started replacing magnetic stripe cards with EMV chip technology. While the new “chip-and-pin” cards provided a more secure way to make purchases, it slowed down payment processing at checkout.
Now, there’s a new shift coming to the U.S. with contactless payment cards. There’s no swiping or sticking your card into anything. You just hold the card close to the checkout terminal until it beeps a payment confirmation, and you’re done.
This improved way to pay promises to get you on your way faster than chip cards ever did. But before you start using this new technology, we’ll explain how contactless cards work, and what the pros and cons are of using them.
Credit Cards for Kids: How to Teach Credit Literacy
As a young adult, having a good credit history is important, not only for buying things on credit but also for living necessities. Employers, lenders, insurers, landlords and utility companies will check credit scores to evaluate how you can manage financial responsibility. A low credit score could land you higher fees and insurance rates or even prevent you from getting a loan or being able to rent an apartment.
This is why some parents are getting a head start at teaching their children credit literacy and the proper ways to manage credit cards for kids.
Can a child get a credit card?
Typically, your child has to be 18 years old with a stable income to get a credit card on their own. But, depending on age, credit card issuers will allow parents to add children onto their cards as authorized users so they can build a credit history.
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