Free Personal Finance Articles

Researching and knowing your options is the key to making a responsible decision when you decide to refinance your home. You may wonder how to take advantage of offers like no-cost refinancing, or what type of new mortgage is right for your unique situation. Having the right information and asking the right questions is the key to making a decision you will never come to regret. First of all, when you refinance, you should keep your long-term financial goals in mind. Somet...

Having a copy of your credit score can most often mean the difference between going deeper into debt and getting out of it. Because most people do not keep track of their credit score, they often go into deep debt without even realizing it. Every time you are late making payments to a creditor or skip one all together, you are subjected to loosing points on your credit score. Your credit score is used to show creditors and lenders how much they can trust you to pay back your ...

Sometimes you open your bank statement and you get a nasty shock. Not only has the cheque you wrote for the last utility bill bounced, but your bank has charged you for the privilege. And it's not the first time it's happened, so your previously spotless credit rating could be in danger. When cheques bounce it doesn't always mean that someone has acted in bad faith. Instead, a bounced cheque may be caused by the vagaries of the cheque clearing system. How Cheque Clearin...

Many Americans and people in countries where ready credit is available find themselves in greater debt then ever before and this makes you wonder whether you are working for yourself or for your creditors. This ends up being a problem of financial spending & control and if you take a short moment to reconsider your own financial health, you might be able to correct your financial situation today. You will find that many people today are living from paycheck to paycheck and...

Choosing the right bank account can be difficult, with so many seemingly similar options available to you it can just seem easier to pick the first account you come across. Although many accounts do have similarities, if you don't shop around then you won't get the best deal for your needs. If you want to find the best bank account for your needs then follow these simple steps: Number of accounts Many people have a few current accounts as well as one or two savings acco...

We?re a nation of car users ? although not always by choice. Expensive and unreliable public transport systems have forced many of us onto the roads, but having a car certainly isn?t a cheap alternative. The cost of owning a car, even if you don?t use it much, is very expensive. There?s vehicle licence duty, insurance, MOT and the depreciation in value, all of which add up. Combined with the costs of actually driving the car, from petrol and oil to tyres and servicing, it can...

Unfortunately there is a growing trend in the US to blame someone else for our own mistakes or bad decisions. If you build your house on the beach and it gets blown over by a hurricane, FEMA will take care of rebuilding it. If you eat too much, some nice trial lawyer will be happy to sue McDonalds or Ben & Jerry?s for making high fat food that you decided to eat too much of. If you smoke, it was the tobacco makers? fault and there?s billions to be made on those clas...

Most experts on the subject believe that the Social Security system will be bankrupt in about 15 years. However, some new studies have offered a ray of hope. They seem to indicate that the assumption that the boomer generation will retire at 65 or 67 and sit back to collect their social security checks is incorrect. They believe a sufficient percentage ? some estimates are as high as 80% - will continue to work in some capacity or another, relieving much of the pressure o...

When you first plan on staying home with your children, probably the first thing you do is take a look and see if you can afford it. You cut back on cable TV, buy older cars, lose retirement benefits? Whoops! Most moms don't seem to be thinking about what being a stay-at-home mom does for her retirement package. The years spent not working have a huge impact, however, when you decide to retire, so you need to plan now. Let's start by looking at what you're losing for yo...

World cup fever for 2006 is predicted to be more intense than 2002, with the advertising industry tipped to see higher sales than previously, with estimated spending on marketing reaching £300m during the tournament. The Centre for Economics and Business Research has stated that there is likely to be a spending boost of about £1.25 billion which will be pumped into the UK economy as a result of fans purchasing World Cup related memorabilia, replica team kits, sports equipment...

The decision to send your child to a private school is a very personal one. There are parents who make this commitment soon after, or even before, their child arrives in the world. The child?s name may be put down for the parent?s choice of independent school. Quite often the school may be the one which a parent attended or one chosen because they wish the child to be educated according to a particular religious belief. There are also private schools catering for children ...

Government grants are one of the best ways for you to pay your way through school. But what separates government grants from other types of grants? For starters, governments, unlike individual corporations or banks, usually have a wealth of funds available that are dedacated to reinvesting into the education system specifically. Whereas a bank or company might be more inclined to give housing grants or business grants, the government is more into educational grants (although ...

Once you?ve found the right bank and the right account, you may be tempted to rest on your laurels. However, if you want to make the most of your money, you need to give it regular attention. The world of finance is changing continually, with new offers and opportunities cropping up every season. To take advantage of them, you need to keep your finger on the pulse. Not only should you keep a flexible approach, but be prepared to do a bit of research to keep abreast of the...

When you go grocery shopping, do you find yourself coming home with more than you went out for, a receipt a mile long, and the wallet a little lighter? While it?s not necessary to be the Martha Stewart of shopping, there are some things you can do to reduce the time and money you spend at the grocery store. 1) Plan your menu a month ahead. Stick with nutritional meals with lots of grains and vegetables?theses can be found for relatively inexpensive prices. 2) Be specifi...

The typical scenario is that you get your paycheck. After you recover from the shock at how little is left after taxes, you proceed to divvy it up among all your outstanding bills, intending to put whatever is left over into your savings. But there never seems to be anything left over and your savings don?t grow. A better plan would be to pay yourself first. Don?t let the money get into your hands. You might find that you actually begin to grow your savings much quicke...

Savings account is account deposited that is only intended to stay in the bank for a relatively shorter time span. This account usually offers much lower interest rates than most bank accounts. But still, like many other accounts, it accumulates interests. The rate of which is largely dependent on the conditions provided by the bank. Savings accounts are normally maintained by commercial banks, credit unions, loans and savings associations, and some mutual savings bank th...

Making a success of your business depends on planning and judgement. ?The bottom line? is all about managing your finances wisely, whether that means sourcing the funding you need to start up or keeping on top of your accounts. Setting up or running a business calls for a separate account. Not only will this make your accounting a lot simpler, but also business accounts are tailored specifically to the needs of business clients. Many have a specialised team to deal with bu...

Banks are often considered to be the best treasurers. Selecting a bank is a crucial decision and it should not be influenced or impulsive. There are a number of financial institutions offering multifarious fringe benefits to customers. Sometimes choosing the right bank becomes an overwhelming task. It does not matter what account you intend to open, you need to conduct a proper research on the options available, before deciding on a particular bank. Your primary concern sh...

It?s now unlikely that the state pension will be enough to keep you living comfortably when you retire. It provides only basic support, and the government itself is keen to encourage people to save as much as they can to supplement their state pension and give themselves a comfortable income in retirement. Combined with better health in the general population ? meaning longer life expectancies ? and dwindling stock market returns over the last decade or so, the so-called ?pen...

You may be wondering if there is much to a desktop calculator. Obviously, we have all used a desktop calculator at some point, and they might all seem the same. In one respect they are all the same. They, more or less, all do basic math with an added bell or whistle here and there. However, if you have to work with long sets of intricate math problems, you will be able to understand the importance of a well designed desktop calculator. The first major difference in a good ...

Budgeting your money can be difficult. With so many expenses and random, unexpected purchases, trying to accurately track your finances can make your head spin. In this article, we'll give you a basic format for tracking your budget so that you can save money. The first step to creating a budget is to determine a baseline for your income and your expenses. Document everything that you know you normally spend throughout a month, as well as what you can expect to receive mon...

In the past we had to rely to a large extent on the services of a travel agent when planning and booking a holiday. This was particularly true if planning a trip abroad. However with internet sites and easy communication via email, it is possible to research and organise your holiday plans online using separate providers for accommodation, travel, insurance and so on. This freedom to shop around takes time but will save you money. Accommodation The greatest expense on h...

There are plenty fancy ideas out there for personal budget planners. You can use them on your computer or on handheld devices. They sound like awesome little gadgets except it gives you the idea that owning one will mean you?ll somehow have tons of extra money. Excel has one of those programs that let?s you graph everything out or plot your progress on pie charts. While they seem fancy and look cool, you can?t make a silk purse out of a sow?s ear, as my grandmother used to sa...

There?s a wide range of government benefits to support you as you bring up your family if you?re on a low income and need assistance. This is a brief guide to some of the key benefits that you may be eligible to receive. Child benefit ? almost everyone who has a child under 16 (or under 19 and still in full-time secondary education) qualifies to receive child benefit as it?s not means-tested. You?ll be given a form from the hospital when your child is born, or you can make...

* How much should I invest in an annuity? The amount of money that you invest in an annuity will depend largely on your capability to pay the premiums offered by the assurance company. Things to consider when putting money to an annuity include: - Your probable financial needs - Type of investment portfolio - Alternatives available The most important thing to consider is your financial needs, especially at times when you really need cash to finance something li...

Finding the right bank for your needs can be a tough decision, but it is important that you choose the right establishment to handle your money. Choosing the wrong bank can cost you time and money, and although choosing your nearest bank might seem convenient, you could be missing out on the best deals. Different types of banks Although there might seem like there is a limited choice, if you are looking for a simple bank account then there are a large number of institut...

If you apply for any form of credit then the success of your application is likely to depend on your credit rating. Whether you want to take out a store card or a mortgage, credit reference agencies will be used to provide the lender with information about your credit history. Details will include data from the electoral roll, county court judgements, defaults on repaying debts, outstanding credit and any loan applications. Anything from bankruptcy to finance on a washing ...

The government provides a range of benefits and allowances for those who are unable to support themselves financially, whether they are unemployed and looking for work, on a low income, ill, injured or disabled, bringing up a family, caring for someone or retired. The financial and practical support that you receive from the government will depend on your personal circumstances ? there are various different options. This series of guides provides concise and practical informa...

Many people are determined to go to an internationally recognized university but lack the money to do so. Finding a scholarship can often make the difference between being able to attend and having to work for another year - or two - before you can afford to. Scholarships may be classified into three primary groups. Merit-based - financial aid for which financial need is not used to determine the recipient. The recipient may be determined by students? athletic, academic...

Unless you were lucky enough to inherit a fortune, you probably work for a living. You might think that everyone feels they don?t make enough money, but in the case of many of my clients it was true. Why weren?t they being paid well enough for what they do, or why can?t they find a job that pays well enough for their skill set? Surprisingly, many of them were unconsciously sabotaging themselves. Many of these self-sabotage patterns created irrational shame or fear that caused...