Bankruptcy offers benefits, but it also carries significant consequences. The decisions you make when facing financial difficulty will affect your life for many years to come, so it is important to approach the issue of personal bankruptcy with care. More Than One Way Out does not provide “right” or “wrong” answers because the solutions to [...]

Managing your money and maintaining a state of financial health can be hard.  It can be harder still these days as we slowly emerge from the recession and tough economic conditions of the past few years.  It can lead to a lot of stress. If you feel financial stress or want to avoid financial stress [...]

For many, owning their own home is the American dream. It also is one of the largest purchases you will make in your lifetime. If homeownership is your dream, it can become a reality with realistic goals, sound advice, careful planning, and a clear understanding of the costs involved. Did you know the average net [...]

Should I open a new card?  Should I close an existing card?  I just don’t know what to do!! Yes, I realize this opening salvo is grammatically incorrect but it is a textual representation of what goes through the minds of consumers every day when they’re trying to decide how/when/if and why to use their [...]

An interesting piece in today’s Washington Post about how states are considering cuts in unemployment benefits to ease budget troubles. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the NFCC offers some useful tips on surviving job loss. However, the article makes a very interesting point that, “The shortfalls can be traced to a [...]

For many of us, the onset of spring and fresh air outside means spring cleaning inside. It’s time to swap winter clothes for spring/summer ones and to get rid of the dust and clutter that’s built up. Spring also is a great time to put your finances in order and save money in the process. [...]

If you are like many American consumers, you are counting on receiving a tax refund next month (maybe you’ve already gotten it), and thinking about how you are going to spend it.  But what you need to know is that what you’re really doing is loaning the government your money and you aren’t even getting paid any interest on [...]

With April 15 right around the corner, it’s crunch time for many of us to get our taxes done.  In fact, the IRS says that it gets 61% of returns after the 15th. About 1/3 of filers will have a tax bill of some size.  And for some, the bill is one they cannot pay.  [...]

In recognition of Women’s History Month, the NFCC is taking a look at the evolution of credit as it relates to women, and encourages women to take advantage of the credit opportunities available to them today to establish credit in their own name. Many young women have never known a time when credit was not available [...]

A couple of weeks ago we addressed the downside to loan modifications.  The other fairly common method for getting out of a bad mortgage is the short sale.  Much like loan modifications, short sales are a relatively new phenomenon brought on by the mortgage crisis.  And, unfortunately, they are the root cause of an enormous [...]