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The Simple Dollar

Simple, applicable personal finance advice for the modern world.

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Latest Posts from The Simple Dollar (page 25)

How to Handle the Financial Advantages of Others Without Feeling Hopeless

Published Tuesday, March 19, 2019 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

Over the last few days, several people asked me for my thoughts on the recent college admissions cheating scandal, where a number of people were charged with various forms of fraud as a result of paying large amounts of money to secure their children’s admission to prestigious universities often through fraudulent means. […]

Why Your Credit Needs an Emergency Fund

Published Tuesday, March 19, 2019 - 07:00 by The Simple Dollar

Believe it or not, neither the amount of money you earn nor how much you have in the bank or in your wallet has an impact on your credit scores. Credit scoring models, like FICO and VantageScore, don’t consider your income or other wealth related metrics. […]

Questions About Rewarding Children, Tents, Store Brands, Hidden Spending, and More!

Published Monday, March 18, 2019 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

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. 1. Handling income bump 2. Partner hides bad spending habits 3. Urgent purchases 4. Personal finance books to avoid 5. Rewarding children for good grades 6. Bullet journaling and “notebook method” 7. […]

Fighting Debt With Debt: America’s Penchant for Personal Loans

Published Sunday, March 17, 2019 - 08:00 by The Simple Dollar

Taking out a personal loan to consolidate or pay off mounting debts is not exactly a new development. However, according to a recent Lending Tree study, it has grown to be the overwhelming reason Americans access personal loans these days. In fact, the study revealed that managing existing debt represented 61% of personal loan requests in 2018. […]

Exploring the Connections Between Your Marital Life and Your Financial Life

Published Saturday, March 16, 2019 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

This is the fourth entry in an eight part series exploring the connections between your finances and other areas of your life. A few weeks ago, I started a series exploring the connections between personal finance and the other “spheres” of my life. […]

Feeling Good About Yourself (the Frugal Way): Find Your Flow

Published Friday, March 15, 2019 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

Amanda writes in with one of those good mailbag questions that ends up being its own post because it deserves a longer answer: How do you handle those days when you just feel bad about yourself and just need a perk or a treat? Like your boss yells at you a bunch and you feel stressed out and burned out and you just go do something that makes you feel good for a little bit? […]

FreedomPlus Personal Loans Review

Published Thursday, March 14, 2019 - 11:43 by The Simple Dollar

is an online lender that focuses on offering affordable personal loans to consumers with less than stellar credit. Personal loans offered through this lender are arranged by Freedom Financial Asset Management, an asset management firm for accredited institutional accounts. […]

Payoff Personal Loans Review

Published Thursday, March 14, 2019 - 11:42 by The Simple Dollar

is an online loan marketplace that connects borrowers to fixed-rate personal loan offers that can be tailored to meet their needs. […]

Upgrade Personal Loans Review

Published Thursday, March 14, 2019 - 11:41 by The Simple Dollar

Upgrade is a direct lender that was founded in 2016 with the goal of reducing the cost of credit and helping consumers understand the importance of responsible credit decisions. Through their online platform, Upgrade offers personal loans and lines of credit that can help consumers borrow money at affordable rates. […]

Marcus by Goldman Sachs Personal Loans Review

Published Thursday, March 14, 2019 - 11:37 by The Simple Dollar

There are many roads to responsible personal finance, and Marcus by Goldman Sachs offers several financial products that can help you find yours. […]