By Matt Bell Every healthy relationship involves conflict. In fact, psychologist John Gottman, who has spent more than twenty years studying what makes marriages last, believes that “fighting . . . can be one of the healthiest things a couple can do for their relationship.” In his book, “Why Marriages Succeed or Fail,” which I [...]

By Gail Cunningham According to the March Financial Literacy Opinion Index hosted on the homepage of the NFCC website, www.NFCC.org, a strong majority of consumers, 56%, selected “improving my credit score” as the personal finance area in which they needed the most help.   What consumers continually fail to understand is that the credit score is [...]

By Morgan Gee As a working professional and parent, having to choose to return to the workforce after the birth of your child is, to me, an unfair and cruel choice to make. Ask any parent who stayed at home for a mere six weeks to bond with their bundle of joy only to have [...]

By Gail Cunningham In recognition of Financial Literacy Month, the NFCC and the Network Branded Prepaid Card Association (NBPCA) released the results of the 2012 Financial Literacy Survey. In its sixth year, the survey annually provides data and trending around Americans’ attitudes and behaviors related to personal finance. The 2012 survey revealed a disturbing lack of basic financial [...]

By Mary Hunt For the past 20 years I have devoted my life to learning about money and personal finance. At first it was a matter of survival. It took 12 years for me to plunge my family into a pit of financial despair. Trapped. It appeared there was no way out. But appearances are [...]

By Drew Kessler Today, the White House will honor Stella Matadama as one of eleven housing counselors and HUD-approved organizations being recognized as Champions of Change for their hard work, perseverance and dedication to their communities. Stella Matadama has been selected for outstanding commitment and achievement representative of the collective work of thousands of housing counselors [...]

By Gail Cunningham Thanks to Congress extending the payroll tax cut millions of Americans will continue to receive a fatter paycheck.  However, a recent NFCC poll revealed that 66% of workers did not realize that their paychecks were larger, in spite of the 2% payroll tax cut having been in place for over a year. In [...]

By Gail Cunningham It’s always good to have options. It’s even better to choose the right option, particularly when it involves paying your federal income tax obligation. With April 15th fast approaching, many are discovering that they have a tax liability they are not prepared to pay. Consumers who find themselves in this predicament do [...]

By Drew Kessler We all have bad habits. We eat too much fried food, don’t exercise enough, and waste electricity by not turning off the lights when leaving a room. There’s one bad habit that most of us have in common. It doesn’t involve food or exercise, but causes a major drain to our wallets….our love of the ATM machine. [...]

By Gary Silverman, CFP® Instead of discussing “Your Money,” today I want to talk about “Your Wealth.” According to Wikipedia, “Wealth is the abundance of valuable resources or material possessions.” What is your most valuable possession or resource? It’s you! The only thing you possess that you cannot separate from is your Self. Sun or [...]