By Jason Alderman Sometimes it’s hard enough just keeping track of your own finances. But, as many of us have learned, life gets even more complicated when your parents come to you for assistance with their money matters – or worse, when they don’t ask for help but really should. Many people, especially those who [...]

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 Gary Silverman, CFP® Hopefully we are coming out of the greatest financial mess since the Great Depression. And as the recovery continues, I hope that you, my dear readers, are coming back financially as well. Maybe you finally got a job again. Maybe your reduced hours have been restored. If you were used to [...]

Parents have any number of reasons for wanting an adult child to marry: They want you to have companionship. They want you to be settled. They want grandchildren. But a new survey suggests there’s also a financial argument for getting married. According to Charles Schwab, the investment management company, married people are more likely to [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Recent college graduates are undoubtedly anxious to get on with their lives and do very grown-up things such as enter the workforce, buy a car and upgrade from dorm life to a nice apartment. The reality is that it’s going to take credit to achieve many of their dreams, and if they’ve not established credit [...]

The stand-off between President Obama and Republican Congressional leaders over whether or not to raise our federal government’s debt ceiling continues to be a center of focus for Washington and the rest of the country. A debt ceiling, simply put, is a cap on how much money the federal government can owe. It is currently set [...]

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 [...]