While most personal finance gurus suggest cutting back on your spending to make your paycheck go farther, you may reach a point where your paycheck just won’t stretch any more. That doesn’t mean that you’ve reached a personal finance dead end, though. It just meants that it’s time for a new strategy. Rather than trying [...]

With the recent collapse of Indymac Bank, the second largest bank failure in U.S. history, people are starting to pay more attention to the FDIC and what it does. Find out how to protect your money if your bank fails.

It’s always nice to get a little cash. Maybe you got a bonus at work, maybe Grandma sent you a birthday present or maybe you won the lottery. Once you’ve got the money in your hands, though, you have to decide just what you’ll do with your windfall. I’d suggest sending it my way, but [...]

Keeping an eye on your credit score is crucial for making sure you can get the credit you need. It can also be an early warning system in cases of identity theft. But the three main credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax and TransUnion — are only required to give you a free credit report once [...]

In some ways, credit unions are virtually identical to banks. They provide a whole list of financial services and generally help people protect their money. But there are quite a few ways in which credit unions differ from banks. And while credit unions aren’t the best choice for everyone, some of those differences can improve [...]

People in the Midwest have been facing torrential downpours for days. Many have been forced to evacuate, leaving their homes and most of their possessions behind. Many have also opted to stick it out — to fight off Mother Nature with sandbags and pumps. Making decisions in this sort of situation is hard: you have [...]