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One money move at a time, short enough to read in two minutes. Pick one and act on it today.
The Earned Income Tax Credit pays low- and moderate-income workers, including those who owe no tax at all, but the IRS sends it only to people who file a return. If your income is too low to require one, file anyway. Check whether you qualify, then file for free.
Call a federal credit union before you borrow from a payday lender, and ask for a payday alternative loan. Interest is capped at 28% a year, and the application fee can’t top $20. You repay it over one to 12 months instead of in one lump sum on payday.
After a fire or break-in, your insurer pays for the belongings you can list and back up, and a list written from memory leaves gaps. Record a room-by-room video of your home this weekend, with drawers and cabinets open, and keep a copy in the cloud, not just on your phone.
If your credit card statement shows a charge for something that never arrived, a purchase billed twice, or the wrong amount, federal law makes your card issuer investigate. Send a written dispute early enough to arrive within 60 days of the first statement showing the charge.
Scammers who break into a title company’s or agent’s email send buyers fake wiring instructions, usually framed as a last-minute change. Before you wire a down payment, call the title company at a number you had before that email arrived, and confirm the account name and number.
Cancer, critical-illness, and accident policies pay only for the diseases or injuries they list. Before you buy one, compare your health plan’s out-of-pocket maximum with your savings. Then put that premium toward cash that covers a year’s maximum and disability insurance that replaces your paycheck, since neither depends on which illness or injury you get.
Your card issuer can close a credit card you stop using, and it doesn’t have to warn you first. Losing that card’s limit can lower your credit score. Keep each idle no-fee card open by moving one small subscription you already pay onto it, with autopay set to the full statement balance so it costs nothing extra.
When you pay off a car loan, student loan, or credit card, keep sending what you were paying on the same date each month, to savings or to a card that still charges you interest. Your budget already works without that money. Set up the transfer the week the last payment clears, before the money drifts into everyday spending.
If you finance a car with little down, gap insurance covers what you’d owe beyond its value if it’s totaled or stolen. Buy it from your auto insurer, where it usually costs less than the dealer’s version and carries no loan interest, though the payout may be capped. Drop it once you owe less than the car is worth.
Credit Karma’s Karma Guarantee, marked by a badge on some card offers, can pay you $25 or $50 if the card’s issuer declines you. It doesn’t promise approval, a credit limit, or an interest rate. Apply only if you’d still want the card at the highest rate the offer lists and a low credit limit.
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