An emergency fund is an essential part of your personal finances. Its importance is stressed in almost every personal finance book and budgeting blog, and yet 26% of Americans currently have no emergency fund in place. Of those who do have an emergency fund, up to two-thirds do not have the often-recommended six months’ worth…
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When it comes to buying a new car, you have three options: purchasing it with cash, purchasing it through a loan (also known as financing) or leasing it. For most shoppers, the decision comes down to buying or leasing. To Lease or To Finance: That is the Question! On the surface, the differences between…
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There are many benefits to buying a used car, however, there are also some things you should consider before making any vehicle purchase. When buying a used car, you may not be able to choose the exact features like you can when buying a new car, but you do get the benefit of it already…
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You’ve likely heard about credit scores before (thanks to all those commercials with terrible jingles), but what do you actually know about them? How long have they been around? And what’s the deal with checking them? A credit score is a number (usually between 300 and 850) that represents your creditworthiness. It’s a standardized measurement…
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Your checking account is a transactional account – meaning funds go in and out regularly. While the name checking account stems from the checks that one would receive when opening an account, nowadays many consumers choose to use a debit card instead of and/or in addition to a checkbook. Are Checks Obsolete? Checks hold…
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