Personal Finance

Can you believe the national average interest rate for savings accounts is just 0.09%? Yes, you read that right: 0.09% (not 0.9%). Leaving your money in a savings account is a terrible way to get decent returns on your investments when there are so many better (and higher paying) options available. Many of these alternatives also won’t charge you a dime to manage your savings account, something traditional banks still inexplicably do. If you’d like to start reaping the rewards of saving, then here are some alternatives you should ditch your current savings account for better options than simple low interest savings accounts. 7 Alternatives to Low Interest Savings Accounts: Betterment Ally Synchrony High-Yield Savings Discover Bank Chime App StreetShare … Read more

The following is a guest post by Tiffany Wagner about poor financial habits. If you’d like to contribute a guest post to Money Q&A, be sure to check out our guest posting guidelines. Your credit score sets the boundary between getting approved or declined for a loan or credit card. It determines your creditworthiness and interest rates. Lenders use your credit score as one of the critical deciding factors to let you borrow money to purchase a house or car, rent an apartment, or take out a school loan. The scores set by most lending platforms like Credit Ninja may range from 850 (perfect), 760 (excellent), down to 300 (disaster). As such, it’s important to keep your credit score healthy … Read more

If you were suddenly incapacitated or unable to make decisions on your own due to injury or illness, how would you continue managing your finances? This isn’t an easy situation to think or talk about, but it’s absolutely necessary for most adults to consider because you never know if/when it could happen to you and you should be prepared no matter how small the likelihood of it occurring may be. When an adult is incapable of managing their own finances – oftentimes due to dementia, brain injuries significantly impacting the individual’s judgment, etc. – they need a trusted, responsible individual to assume financial management duties for them. This is often referred to as a financial power of attorney. As much … Read more

Searching for gifts for those close to you is a challenge for many people. You may have bought a gift and then seen something else that you know they would really love and bought that too. Before you know it, you have spent more money than you can afford, and it can take a while to clear the debt. You need to work to practice gift giving on a budget. Most financial advisors suggest that you spend no more on a gift that you can pay off in one or two months. Gift giving on a budget does not mean choosing cheap gifts that lack quality or suitability. What it does means is that you choose the best gift for your … Read more

When you’re in college, you have so many opportunities to go and have fun, explore the world, and open your mind. However, most of these things come with a price tag. As a college student, money will be tight for quite some time. Even if you have a job, college is expensive, and unless you received a full scholarship to the school of your choosing, be prepared for hefty bills and not a lot of disposable income. Tips for College Students If you’re smart about your money, though, you can save a little bit, pay your bills, and still enjoy your time. Follow our six money tips for college students to help keep you on track. Watch What Loans You … Read more