Hot Today

Wise Bread articles that are hot today.

9 Ways to Reverse Lifestyle Creep

More money in your paycheck can mean more spending on stuff you don't need. Time to get things back under control.

5 Things Your Real Estate Agent Wishes You Knew

If only you knew! Real estate agents everywhere want you clued in to these basic home-buying and selling facts.

Keys Locked in the Trunk? Here's What to Do

A moment of absent-mindedness, and now your keys are locked in the trunk. Don't panic! Follow this guide to get back on the road.

5 Savings Tricks You Haven't Tried Yet

If saving was easy, we'd all be saving more. Try one or more of these savings strategies and see if the habit doesn't finally stick.

How I Successfully Gambled in Las Vegas Without Losing My Shirt

I came. I saw. I conquered Las Vegas without losing my shirt. Success.

Stop Believing These 5 Myths About IRAs

Don't let these myths prevent you from getting an IRA — the most important savings account you may ever have.

Cheat Sheet: Retail Markup on Common Items

Stores make money by price markups. Learn the rationale behind retail pricing and what the product you're buying actually costs.

Not free to be poor

Nobody wants to be poor. It's a dangerous and constrained position to be in. But there are people out there (me, for instance) who are relatively happy to live at a fairly low st

5 Retirement Accounts You Don't Need a Ton of Money to Open

Don't let high minimums dissuade your retirement savings goals. These Roth IRAs can get you started, no minimum investment required.

8 Myths About Health Savings Accounts — Debunked!

An HSA can be a great way to pay for health care, earn investment income and cut your taxes. Cut through the confusion before you jump in.

Ask The Readers: Do You Pay For A Gym Membership?

Tell us if you pay for a gym membership and we'll enter you in a drawing to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card!

Ask the Readers: How Do You Care For Your Pet Affordably?

We've been talking about pets quite a bit here on Wise Bread: what to feed them, how to treat them affordably, their health and their well-being. We all love our pets, and sometim

Personal Finance Lessons from Online Adventure Game (RuneScape)

A friend shared with me some strategies he's learned for playing RuneScape. Can these strategies be applied to personal finance? Let's see.

Root cause of the financial crisis

Several times recently, Treasury Secretary Paulson (and many others) have claimed that the "root cause" of the current financial crisis is "the housing correction." This is comple

6 Pitfalls of Down Payment Assistance Programs

Before you apply for a down payment assistance program to help pay for a house, make sure you understand all the potential downsides.

5 Steps to Successful Budgeting

Ready to build your best budget? All it takes is five steps to clear financial control.

Rethinking The Early Mortgage Payoff

The borrow-at-a-low-interest-rate-and-invest-to-get-greater-returns mentality was so embedded in our belief system that there almost seemed to be a stigma attached to not carrying

I Checked My Credit Score in 11 Places — Here's What I Learned

Why pay $15 for a credit score when you can get one for free? Turns out not all credit scores are the same.

Watch Out for These 5 Last Minute Home Buying Costs

First time homebuyers can be left scrambling to cover these last-minute costs. Don't get blindsided on your way to your new home!

The Google Way: A Book Review (And a Chance to Win!)

I don’t know why I’ve put off reading and reviewing this book. It’s one that was on my “must-read” list for some time. With its common-sense but unique approach to business manage