emergency fund

Three Essential Steps for a Secure Financial Future

This may sound like something your father would tell you, but there’s truth in the saying, financial security doesn’t happen by accident. Like most things in life, getting to a good place financially takes some planning. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Start by listing your financial goals, and then map out a strategy for achieving them, one at a time. Ultimately, you’ll have to define your own goals,...

“Money Challenges” Make Saving Fun

Think of them as a form of positive peer pressure.  Money challenges are becoming an increasingly common sight online. They dare us to get out of our financial comfort zone, so to speak, to develop a healthy money habit or drop a harmful one. They’re fun, and they even offer built-in support:  When you tackle a money challenge, you often have the comfort of knowing there are others out...

“Real-World” Money Tips for New Grads

Graduation is an exhilarating time – and a frightening one.  So much lies ahead after graduation, and it can be a little overwhelming to think about all of the choices ahead of you. Some of the most important decisions you’ll be making as a new graduate involve your personal finances. What you do — and what you don’t do — in this area can affect your quality of life...

Expecting a Tax Refund? Here are Six Smart Ways to Spend it

What would you do if you had a million dollars?  Or if you won the lottery?  Or if — in a twist of fate straight out of a Dickens novel — you inherited a small fortune courtesy of a wealthy, long-lost relative or anonymous benefactor?   Okay, so the likelihood of a multimillion-dollar inheritance or a winning lottery ticket is pretty slim – but it’s fun to think about. ...

How To Build An Emergency Fund