Remember last year when the Equifax data breach exposed the personal information of almost 148 million Americans? Thanks to that hack, Congress passed a new federal law in May to help prevent identity theft. Starting today September 21, 2018, that new legislation goes into effect and you’ll now be able to freeze your credit report for free at all three of the major credit reporting agencies.
Read about the new changes and how you can freeze your credit today.
When I say “will”, I’m not talking about Will Smith even though he has protected Earth from being destroyed by aliens multiple times. I’m talking about the kind of will that protects our assets.
Estate planning and wills are one topic not many of us think about in personal finance. After all, no one expects to suddenly pass away if we are young and perfectly healthy. We’ve got tons of other things on our minds such as paying off student loans or saving money. But everyone should think about getting a will made.
Thinking about buying a gas station or convenience store? In the last year alone, three new gas stations have popped up in my part of town. This would seem like a good business to get into considering there are estimated to be over 263 million cars on the road in the United States and almost every single one of them needs to buy gas.
Before you plunk down your life savings to become a gas station owner, here are some things you should consider first.
It has been said there is a fine line between being frugal and being cheap. Frugalness is perceived as an admirable quality. Cheapness is not. Tell your friends you saved a bunch of money on car insurance by switching to Geico and they’ll all be patting you on your back. Tell your friends you are saving a bunch of money on car insurance because you decided to cancel your policy and everyone will consider you a cheap-ass. Don’t be a cheap-ass.
What is the difference between frugal and cheap and how do you toe the thin line between the two without crossing over to the cheap side?
You can rent just about anything these days from the rent-to-own businesses: sofas, dining room sets, mattresses, refrigerators, televisions, laptops, stoves, washer and dryer sets, and more for the low monthly fee with no credit checks, down payments, or even bank accounts needed.
Does it sound too good to be true? You betcha.
Are you thinking of starting your own blog? Whether you are looking to start a blog as a hobby or to maybe to earn some extra money, you should consider self-hosting your blog.
Here’s why a self-hosted blog is the only option you should consider.
When companies compete, customers win. This is no different in the financial services industry. Last month Vanguard fired their shot with an announcement that in August they will be offering nearly 1,800 ETFs commission-free for all online trades on their platform. Now Fidelity has responded with one of their own and it’s a doozy. This is a huge win for investors.
First of all, if your father is Warren Buffett then you can disregard everything I say in this blog post. For the rest of us, giving your parents all your money to invest for you is a bad idea. It’s not bad because I’m saying your parents are going to steal your money or go invest it all on pumpkins. Our parents have our best interests at heart, but they are actually making it worst for their children.
No one really plans for it when they buy a new motorcycle, but with only two wheels to keep it upright, gravity is a motorcycle’s worst enemy. When a simple tip-over can cost hundreds to thousands to repair, many of us think about adding frame sliders to our motorcycles for protection.
But are they worth it? Will frame sliders save your bike when gravity wins or will it cost more harm in a crash?
An exchange-trade fund or ETF is a basket of securities that tracks a particular index, bonds, commodity, or asset class. First created in 1993, ETFs have grown to over 2,100 funds available today just in the U.S., and over 6,000 funds worldwide containing over $4.5 trillion in assets.
ETFs have become very popular since they’ve become available. They are attractive to many investors because of their low costs, diversification, tax efficiency, and ability to be traded just like stocks. Read more to see if ETFs are a suitable investment for you.