In November 2011, CNN reported that students who graduated from college in the past year did so with a record level of student loan debt – $25,250 per graduate. What is most worrisome is that this number is an average – meaning that while some students’ debt stayed below this amount, many carry debt far [...]

How to Pay Off Your Student Loans With Low-Interest Credit Cards is a post from the Money Crashers personal finance blog.

When it comes to your credit, it’s important to know how you stack up. Do you have good credit? Excellent credit? Poor credit? How can you find out? In most cases, the easiest way to determine the health of your credit is to look at your credit score, a numerical value that reflects a mathematical [...]

What Is a Good Credit Score – Understanding Credit Ratings & Ranges is a post from the Money Crashers personal finance blog.

In the world of consumer credit scoring, there’s always something new, more “accurate,” and even more intrusive than the credit reporting that has preceded it. One of the latest attempts to delve into consumer behaviors and reduce them to a single number is the CoreScore from CoreLogic. The CoreScore promises to base its score on [...]

What Is CoreScore – New Credit Report From CoreLogic is a post from the Money Crashers personal finance blog.

The best offense is frequently a good defense. No matter how astute a business person you are, or how skilled you are as an investor, or how lucky you are with your lottery tickets, it does little good if you leave your assets hanging like a slab of meat in the water for trial lawyers [...]

8 Asset Protection Strategies – How to Protect Your Wealth From Lawsuits is a post from the Money Crashers personal finance blog.

While most of us cannot live entirely debt-free, there are major differences between what is considered “good” debt and “bad” debt. Though some debt falls into a bit of a gray area, good debt is simply defined as money borrowed to pay for items you truly need or that appreciate in value, and bad debt is [...]

What Is Good Debt vs. Bad Debt is a post from the Money Crashers personal finance blog.

How would you like to receive 2% or more off of every purchase you make? That is just one example of what is being offered to credit card users in the form of rewards. Those who have come to realize the opportunities of credit card rewards have found that there are dozens of competing products. [...]

How to Compare the Best Credit Card Rewards Programs is a post from the Money Crashers personal finance blog.

If you have debt, you may feel a sense of desperation and a desire to eliminate it as soon as possible. Reducing your monthly expenses and developing an aggressive debt repayment plan is a great start. Depending on the severity of your situation, you may want to stop using credit cards during this time as [...]

Debt Snowflaking – 25 Ways to Find Extra Money and Pay Down Debt is a post from the Money Crashers personal finance blog.

Making millions of dollars or having celebrity status doesn’t do much to deter bankruptcy. Between 2008 and 2009, bankruptcy filings for those with more than $1 million in assets increased by 73%, and “Sports Illustrated” says that 78% of former NFL players go bankrupt within two years of retirement. Even some lottery winners go bankrupt [...]

6 Bankrupt Celebrities Who Went From Rich to Broke is a post from the Money Crashers personal finance blog.

Credit rating agencies have been around for the better part of the 20th century, and have played a key role in the financial world by providing ratings on the creditworthiness of bonds and other debt instruments. These ratings are invaluable tools for investors looking to get a better sense of whether a debt instrument is [...]

History of Credit Rating Agencies and How They Work is a post from the Money Crashers personal finance blog.

Standard and Poor’s (commonly known as S&P) is one of the most prominent financial intelligence companies in the world. S&P is a division of the McGraw-Hill Companies and has more than 150 years of experience providing financial services to investors worldwide. Though the firm provides a number of financial research services, they are most widely known for [...]

What Is S&P? Understanding Standard & Poor’s Credit Ratings is a post from the Money Crashers personal finance blog.

Whether you own a business, work for yourself, or just charge expenses that your company reimburses, you should use a business credit or charge card. You can use business credit cards to separate your personal expenses from those that you claim for your work. In addition, you can earn great rewards for using business credit and [...]

10 Best Small Business Credit Cards & Charge Cards is a post from the Money Crashers personal finance blog.

People have different credit scores, depending on how they manage their money. But did you know that credit ratings vary dramatically from city to city? That is the conclusion reached in a new report from Experian, one of the largest credit agencies. They took a sampling of their VantageScores and issued a report indicating the [...]

What Is Your State of Credit? – Report from Experian is a post from the Money Crashers personal finance blog.

Banks continue to compete against each other in an effort to attract customers with the best credit scores. In fact, credit card companies use sign-up bonuses to entice you to apply for their credit cards. A sign-up bonus consists of points or miles awarded after the first purchase, or awarded after a modest amount of [...]

5 Best Rewards Credit Card Sign-Up Bonus Offers, Deals & Promotions is a post from the Money Crashers personal finance blog.

Running a business is very risky. In fact, an estimated 49% of businesses fail within their first five years and approximately 30% of businesses don’t even make it through the first two years. Some industries are particularly risky and have even higher failure rates. For example, about 61% of independent restaurants don’t make it through [...]

The Real Reasons Why Companies & Business Startups Are Failing is a post from the Money Crashers personal finance blog.

If you look at your monthly mortgage statement and see a line for “PMI,” you’re paying for private mortgage insurance. It probably costs you between $50 and $200 per month, depending on the balance of your loan and your PMI rate. But why are you paying it? Essentially, your lender is requiring you to pay [...]

What Is Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) – How to Avoid Paying It is a post from the Money Crashers personal finance blog.

“Neither a borrower nor a lender be.” These famous words came from Polonius, Shakespeare’s chief counselor to King Claudius in Hamlet. As Polonius gives some fatherly advice to his son Laertes, Shakespeare gives some timeless advice to us: Do not lend money to friends. Why shouldn’t we lend money to friends and family? Polonius answers that in his [...]

10 Reasons Why You Should NOT Lend Money to Friends & Family is a post from the Money Crashers personal finance blog.

Refinancing your mortgage can be a money-saving move, but not in every situation. Since there are costs associated with all refinances, sometimes getting a lower interest rate can actually be more expensive than keeping your current loan. Plus, sifting through all those lender offers can be overwhelming and even misleading. So how do you determine if [...]

When Should I Refinance My Mortgage Loan? is a post from the Money Crashers personal finance blog.

Mortgages come in many different varieties and if your situation is unusual, you may be best served by an unusual type of mortgage. One of these lesser-used mortgage types is known as a balloon mortgage, also referred to as a balloon payment mortgage. In this article, we’ll discuss what it is and how it’s different, [...]

What Is a Balloon Payment Mortgage? is a post from the Money Crashers personal finance blog.

The prospect of free travel is so alluring that an entire industry has sprung up around collecting frequent flyer miles. Hotels, rental car agencies, and of course credit cards all offer enticing programs. While many people enjoy exploiting these programs to their fullest potential, plenty of people become disaffected with mileage programs due to their [...]

How to Get Free Flights and Travel for Free is a post from the Money Crashers personal finance blog.

When you’re preparing to buy a home, it’s important to get your finances in order. Not only will you have to be organized to fill out the loan application, but you want to otherwise streamline your finances to improve your chances of being approved for a loan and qualifying for a lower interest rate and [...]

Should I Save for a Down Payment on a House or Pay Off Debt? is a post from the Money Crashers personal finance blog.