By Jason Alderman Valentine’s Day may have just ended, but that shouldn’t stop you from talking about your financial future as a couple to keep your relationship on a healthy footing. In any marriage, major life changes may require you to reassess how you manage the family finances. Unfortunately, many couples don’t make time to [...]

By Gary Silverman, CFP® Are you a saver or a spender? Most of us are a bit of both—being only one is illogical. Many of us would also save more given the chance. At least that’s what you may think. However, several studies, as well as my own personal experience, show otherwise. A recent report [...]

By Jason Alderman Senior Director, Global Financial Education, VISA It’s not uncommon to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of important decisions we need to make concerning retirement accounts, investments, college savings and other complicated financial issues. That’s one reason more and more people – wealthy and middle-class alike – turn to professional financial advisors [...]

Although the federal government and many household budgets have one thing in common, both are in the red, there is one critical difference: consumers cannot raise their debt ceiling in order to continue borrowing. Further, they cannot operate in the negative year after year, or financial doom is a certainty. “Many consumers have been renting [...]

In all the planning and preparation that goes into a wedding, there is one important item that the couple should add to their “to-do’s” before the “I do’s,” and that’s an assessment of their financial compatibility. The fact of the matter is that people bring financial baggage into a relationship, and often don’t deal with [...]

Believe it or not, 2011 is half over. That means it’s time for a mid-year financial checkup. We’re accustomed to physical check-ups which help us stay healthy. We even take our vehicles into the shop for the once-over to improve their performance. It only stands to reason that we should do the same for our [...]

Yesterday over 100,000 Americans went online to watch President Obama answer live questions from Twitter users for the first “Twitter Town Hall.” For an hour, he answered questions from consumers about the economy. According to the White House, most of the questions concerned jobs (23%), the budget (18%) and taxes (11%). It seems that Americans [...]

Financial problems are often cited as the number one cause of divorce in America. This is because love and money can be a highly mercurial combination. Couples should take the time to have a serious conversation surrounding money. The fact of the matter is that people bring financial baggage into a relationship, and often don’t [...]

Although many people know what they should do when they are in financial trouble, realizing when that action is necessary can be trickier to figure out. The NFCC suggests that consumers take the following quiz. The results will reveal whether or not they need to seek professional help to avoid falling into a deeper financial quagmire. If financial assistance [...]

For incoming freshmen, college means one thing: freedom. It also is usually a person’s first experience with credit cards. According to a recent study by Student Monitor, nearly two-thirds of college undergraduates acquire their first credit card before age 19. Eighty-seven percent of those are freshmen. While college is full of exciting and new adventures, [...]