Category: Personal Finance and Money

If you are like most people, disability insurance is not very high on your list when it comes to coverage you should have. Most workers take the standard (free or subsidized) disability insurance offered by their employer and if none is available, they simply forgo it. This is strange because…

The average FICO Score in the US just dipped to 714, the second straight year it's fallen. At the same time, a record 48.1% of Americans now carry a score of 750 or higher. Credit is splitting into haves and have-nots, and where you land affects almost every rate you're…

As I get older and my family grows, one question that comes to mind is, “will they manage if something happens to me? Particularly from a financial aspect.” I can’t do much to prevent the emotional impact, but I want to ensure that my family will not suffer financially if…

Here's a worrying byline on many levels: Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC) Chairman Sheila Bair said that the deposit insurance fund used to protect bank account holders could be insolvent this year, unless the agency imposes additional fees on the industry amid a surge in bank failures. The first thought…

Inflation was running around 4.2% year-over-year as of May 2026, the highest reading since 2023. If your budget's numbers are from last year — or longer — they're already stale, and that gap is usually where the "I don't know where my money went" feeling comes from. Budgeting itself doesn't…

In an argument with my wife over our holiday spending on gifts, travel and entertainment, I got accused of being a cheapskate because I refused to put aside money/budget worries during the holiday season. “What’s the point of saving if we cannot spend the money on the ones we love?”…

I received this email (edited for this post) from a reader about a debit card scam that is apparently real and spreading across the country. Just another sign of tough economic times as criminals go to extreme measures to make a buck by taking advantage of the unsuspecting and innocent.…

A recent encounter during a routine car service reinforced my cynicism when it comes to mechanics and the auto repair industry in general. I had forgotten about the challenges of dealing with mechanics and the auto center sales staff, thanks to driving a company car which was covered under a…

Choosing a health plan is now a five-figure decision. The average employer family plan costs $26,993 a year in premiums, with workers paying about $6,850 of that from their paychecks, per the latest KFF employer survey. Pick the wrong plan and you can easily leave a few thousand dollars on…

Crude-oil futures tumbled 6% to below $70 a barrel in New York, despite widespread expectations that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will reduce production at an emergency meeting later this week. Normally a planned cut in the crude oil supply would drive up the price of oil and…

Crazy headline or spot on prediction? Just trying to grab attention you may be thinking. However based on the recent rapid moves in the market, mainly to the downside, this headline may come to pass sooner than you think. I have a reasonable investment and retirement portfolio, so I hope…

The online WSJ recently ran a piece on the rising costs of bankruptcy: Individuals who have filed for bankruptcy protection since Congress overhauled U.S. bankruptcy laws in 2005 have faced a more expensive process as attorneys' fees have risen by roughly half, according to a government report. In a report…

I wrote the first version of this list back in 2008 — which tells you something: the fundamentals of good personal finance don't change much. What changes is the context around them. Interest rates, tax rules, available tools. But the underlying principles? Still the same. A — Avoid paying credit…