Saving up for something big—or just working to pay down a debt—can feel like an overwhelming task, especially at the outset. As with most big goals, standing on the bottom of the proverbial mountain and looking up past the clouds is just about the worst way to go about psyching yourself up to get there. […]
Tips for Navigating This New Financial Terrain A lot has changed about marriage in America in the past few decades: millennials are marrying later in life, children are increasingly born to unwed parents and the rate of marriage itself is steadily declining. That doesn’t mean Americans are shunning committed relationships, however. Instead, more and more […]
As one of the top real estate agents in her area, Wisconsin realtor Ann Raschein volunteers her time in home ownership education. Serving on the board of both Habitat for Humanity of Dane County and the Homebuyers Roundtable of Dane County, she is committed to giving all families the opportunity to join a community as […]
Decluttering is a curious concept. First, it assumes you have an abundance of something (piles of shoes by the front door, cast-off toys, dusty knickknacks or old countertop appliances) getting in your way. Second, decluttering is based on an ever-moving, rather than fixed, goal. After all, if anyone actually dares to live in those serene, […]
Say you’ve resolved to curtail your wardrobe spending or set $100 aside each month into a rainy day account. Financial resolutions, like diets or work out plans, start out strong as our enthusiasm gives us a top-of-the-mind kind of commitment. But then… life gets in the way. We experience an unexpected disruption (or two). We […]
Often when you think about compound interest, it is in the context of debt, say, a credit card’s annual percentage yield (APY) and the real cost of that loan over time. But compounding is not something that only financial institutions benefit from. In fact, when it comes to your savings strategy, compound interest (essentially lending your money to a financial institution for a period […]
According to a new Bankrate survey, 24% of Americans say they don’t have the money to take a summer vacation this year and nearly half of those surveyed say they won’t be taking vacation at all. That’s too bad. After all, there are good reasons to take vacations. Time off from work and routine can […]
Lots of Americans own pets—more than half of us, in fact. When it comes to dogs and cats alone, 36.5% percent of Americans owned dogs in 2012 and 30.4% owned cats—and for good reason. Beyond being Facebook-worthy adorableness, pets bring indisputable health benefits to their owners, including stress reduction and heart disease prevention. We pay […]
Originally Published in the Quad-City Times on May 3, 2018 By the end of August, The Bon-Ton’s liquidation bankruptcy will mean the closing of 15 Younkers stores in Iowa, as well as one Herbergers location. Around the United States, these will be among 12,000 retail store closings expected in 2018 — up 33 percent from […]
If you’ve come across extra funds thanks to hard-earned savings, a tax refund, an end-of-year bonus, or a particularly generous gift, spending your money on experiences instead of objects is one of the best choices you can make—assuming, of course, you are out of debt and on schedule with your emergency savings and other financial […]
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