When you're out to dinner with a group and it's time to split the tab, the odds keep getting better that someone is going to say "Let me Venmo you" instead of pulling out their wallet. But while settling a tab between friends is a quick, easy and sensible use of a payment app, there are times … [Read more...] about When mobile payment apps can cost you
Banking
How to create a retirement plan when you’re self-employed
Whether permanently or temporarily, by choice or by circumstance, many of us are self-employed these days. We're in this gig economy, where so many of us are making our own livings with our own small businesses. That's great. Except for one thing: People who are self-employed have to provide their … [Read more...] about How to create a retirement plan when you’re self-employed
Where should you keep your emergency fund?
When you start paying attention to your finances, one of the first things you'll want to do is start an emergency fund. The idea behind the emergency fund — which should eventually be enough to pay for three to six months of living expenses — is that you should be able to use it … [Read more...] about Where should you keep your emergency fund?
How to avoid pesky bank fees
If you think bank fees are getting higher and more numerous, you're right. A study by WalletHub of 35 large banks found that the average consumer checking account has 25 different fees, and the average customer pays about $470 in fees every year."Bank fees are getting more expensive, and they're … [Read more...] about How to avoid pesky bank fees
Don’t let mutual fund fees eat up your savings
Now that taxes are out of the way, it’s time to think about paying yourself. Whether you are saving for retirement, a college education or just some random future item, you may well be using mutual funds.Mutual funds are investments that pool money from many individuals. A professional portfolio … [Read more...] about Don’t let mutual fund fees eat up your savings
Managing retirement plan rollovers
Retirement plans are supposed to be simple, but they are more complex than we'd like. That sometimes makes them seem so impossibly complicated that the best thing is just to do nothing. Doing nothing is precisely the wrong thing to do; the complexity isn't nearly as complicated as it is sometimes … [Read more...] about Managing retirement plan rollovers
How to handle money when traveling the world
I love to travel, and I’m fortunate that I’ve been able to do a lot of it. Over the years, I’ve learned a lot of things about how to handle money abroad. If your summer plans include travel to another country or two, these tips may help your trip be a little smoother – and a little less … [Read more...] about How to handle money when traveling the world
Where’s the best place to save your money?
You're "saving" money, but what does that mean? If your frugal living is a means to generating money for retirement, a college fund or a down payment, you need to figure out how to get those savings out of your wallet and into some sort of account.It's a strangely mechanical problem, isn't … [Read more...] about Where’s the best place to save your money?
How to open a bank account for your kid
Banks can be fun, or at least one of those tolerable errands, when you're a child. There's all that money everywhere, of course. The nice people behind the counter tend to give you a lollipop. Sometimes you might find a welcoming plate of chocolate-chip cookies in the lobby. You might even score … [Read more...] about How to open a bank account for your kid
3 ways to find truly free checking accounts
A few years ago, a bigger bank took over the bank where my husband and I had kept our checking accounts for more than a decade. Suddenly our free checking had a fee. Not surprisingly we took this change — of ownership and fees — as a reason to find ourselves a new bank.At first, I thought it … [Read more...] about 3 ways to find truly free checking accounts
