Articles on Personal Finance

Best Money Tips: 5 More Ways to Screw Your Credit Card Company

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips roundup. In this article, we’ll look at 5 legal ways to get your way with your credit card companies, the 5 grammatical errors that make

How to Make the Most of Your 401K

Most of us have a 401k account with our employer. But there are people who've decided not to participate in their employer's retirement program for a variety of reasons. But imagi

The Best Way to Avoid the Worst Financial Problems

Simple living should be about enjoying the good stuff. So, rather than go into a bunch of things you can do to head off possible problems, I'm going to give you just one tool for a

Living Cheaply for the Long Term

Frugality sites are full of advice for cutting your expenses right away. Living cheaply for the long term is different. Call it "strategic frugality."

I’ve Lived Both Sides of the Healthcare System. This Is What I've Learned.

This debate has been furiously argued on both sides for several months, so I thought I’d throw my hat in the ring. I lived with the British National Health Service (NHS) until I wa

Book Review: Get Financially Naked: How to Talk Money with Your Honey

It has been reported over and over that money is the number one cause of conflict and stress in relationships. This is precisely the reason authors Manisha Thakor and Sharon Kedar

The Joy of Buying a New Car: 9 Car Buying Tips

There are a few key areas and tips that prospective car shoppers must keep in mind when looking to buy a new or used vehicle.

Become a Frequent Flyer Master and Earn a Free Flight Every Year

Ssshh: don’t bother me. I’m busy doing my Christmas shopping and accumulating enough frequent flyer miles to pay for two overseas flights – in business class. I’m doing it with the

My Bank Stole My Grocery Money

My bank charged me almost $100 in overdraft fees, even though my bank statement never went negative. As one of my colleagues here at Wise Bread reported last week, banks use this s

6 Basic Tips for Buying a Bank Owned Home

Currently many homes for sale are owned by banks. These properties are also known as real estate owned or REO and they have gone through the foreclosure process. Some of them are i

Why the Affordable Home Really Isn't

I've taken a look at home affordability calculators that are available from many reputable sites offering personal finance advice. "Affordability" is based on bank lending guidelin

Can Your Spending Patterns Affect Your Credit?

Regardless of how fiscally cautious and responsible you are as a credit card holder, you may still be curious to know just how much credit card companies know about you through you

5 Tips for Easy College Savings

Saving for college isn't always easy when the day-to-day costs of living are taking what income you have. Here is a simple idea to start saving small for your kids higher education

Best Money Tips: Does Your Investment Strategy Need to be on Ritalin?

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips roundup. Today, we look at how to get more focus in your investment plans and what you can do to prepare for those anticipated holiday gu

Best Money Tips: The X-Men Guide to Unlocking Your Financial Mutant Powers

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips roundup. This week, we get all X-Men on your finances with an entertaining look at the financial powers that each character may hold. We'

9 Ways to Save on a Move

Moving is one of life's most stressful events. In addition to all that packing, you also have to fork over big bucks for boxes, movers, a truck, and storage. Follow these 9 tips to

The Fallacy of Homeownership as a Sound Investment

Owning a home has become inextricably linked to the American dream, as much a part of the social fabric as baseball and apple pie. But the reality is that most Americans would be b

Get Out of Debt First, Then Focus on Saving

When you’re in debt, it’s nearly impossible to save money. The money you save while paying off debt is not likely to earn as much interest as the interest you pay towards your debt

Urgent: Check Your Withholdings

Your paycheck has probably been bigger this year because the government stimulus package to cut the amount of tax withheld from people who were expected to get the new "Making Work

Tallying the True Cost of Debt

The financial cost is easy to quantify. But the consequences of debt are never isolated. Our debt problem infects every aspect of our lives; it affects our careers, our family, an