First, understand that Credit Karma makes money by giving you a free score in exchange for learning more about you and charging advertisers to put ads in front of you. Because Credit Karma ...

In most respects, defaulting on a student loan has exactly the same consequences as failing to pay off a credit card. However, in one key respect it can be much worse. Most student ...

True credit cards have a set spending limit ($500, $2,500, $25,000, etc.) based on the card holder's credit rating and current income. They enable consumers to carry a balance from month ...

At one time, reverse mortgages had a bad reputation. In addition to being heavily marketed by celebrity spokesmen, abuses and misuse were rampant. As a result, the federal and state authorities stepped in ...

While credit freezes aren’t a foolproof barrier against identity theft, they can help to keep your information out of the wrong hands. You can also strengthen your defenses by checking your credit ...

Social Security retirement benefits can be an important part of any retirement income plan. Knowing the different options available can provide you with a greater chance of maximizing your benefits. There are pros ...

There are only a few instances where Medicare will cover services obtained in a foreign country. There are some exceptions, including some cases where Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) may pay for services ...

Property taxes are a major source of income for city, county and state governments, and other entities such as school districts. Calculating a property owner's tax due starts with determining the market value ...

It is estimated that almost 90% of taxpayers will claim the expanded standard deduction when paying their 2018 taxes. That means that while you might be very generous in your charitable giving during ...

The following changes take effect on January 1, 2019, as announced by the Social Security Administration: Beneficiaries will see a 2.8% increase in payments. Maximum taxable earnings will increase to $132,900. ...

How do your savings compare? The amount needed for retirement is different for everyone. Nevertheless, there are benchmarks you can try to hit at every decade of your life. It's never too early ...

For millennials, it's never too early for estate planning. Very few of us want to contemplate our own demise, and this is especially true if you expect that to be decades in the ...

The millennial experience with the 2008 financial crisis may have given them a perspective towards their financial lives that can be detrimental to achieving any long-term aspirations they might have. This distorted view ...

While we tend to focus on the total value of our retirement assets, once we start to use those assets to fund our retirement an optimal distribution strategy can minimize the impact of ...

While it has no legal standing, and a letter of intent cannot override a will, it can be an invaluable document for your family in any kind of an emergency, not just your ...

Simplified IRS Form 1040SR to be available for 2019 taxes. You must be 65 or older by the end of the tax year for which you will be filing to use this form, ...

Expanded coverage coming for next year. Medicare has always had a problem with its pay-for-service model – it will pay for your expensive surgery, hospital stay and rehab, but not a couple of hundred ...

You may still qualify for the deduction. You may have heard that the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act did away with the deductibility of interest paid on a Home Equity Line of ...

First, when and why you need to give your Social Security number (SSN) to someone: When starting a new job, you'll need to give your SSN to your employer so that they can ...

Authors Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller were at a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island. Vonnegut asked Heller, "Joe, how does it make you feel to know that our host only ...

First, what you should look for when choosing financial software: Customizable budget categories – most people’s spending is unique to their situation, so the app should allow you to go beyond the usual ...

Whether you're buying for an investment or for a place to live, here are the 6 things real estate pros know about buying a home: Study local pricing – check with realtors to find ...

There is one aspect of health care and health care costs that is controllable amid many that are not: whether people are in good health or not. If you maintain your health, you'll ...

An Inspector General's report issued, ironically, on Valentine's Day of this year, accused the Social Security Administration staffers of reducing the benefits of thousands of widows and widowers – to the tune of $132 ...

Qualified Plans are designed to accumulate assets in anticipation of funding retirement needs, and, therefore, withdrawals from such plans are governed by fairly strict IRS rules. There are differences, though, in how withdrawals ...