Aleksey Kurguzov / Shutterstock.com Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on The Penny Hoarder. Winter storms, rain and snow have pummeled California and parts of the Northeast recently. The storms have brought intense flooding and widespread power outages, and it doesn’t appear that the weather conditions will ease up anytime soon. If there’s a storm … Read more

Nolichuckyjake / Shutterstock.com When the COVID-19 pandemic first reached America, some prognosticators forecast that a steep downturn in the economy would also translate into a housing slowdown. In fact, housing demand — and prices — exploded. Over the past few years, values have soared in cities from coast to coast. In some places, price growth … Read more

larry1235 / Shutterstock.com If you’ve ever been a victim of identity theft or a security breach — basically all of us, at this point — you’ve probably heard recommendations like “monitor your credit reports” or “freeze your credit.” But one much less common piece of advice is “lock up your Social Security number.” Maybe you … Read more

frantic00 / Shutterstock.com If you are in the market for a car, we have some good news: Used car prices are continuing to fall. After climbing throughout most of the COVID-19 pandemic, used car prices were down 8.7% in February year over year, according to automotive website iSeeCars. For a handful of models, the price … Read more

When you apply for a loan, you expect the lender to pull your credit report. After all, you’re borrowing money. It makes sense that your lender wants to see what kind of risk you present. But what about other types of companies? You might be surprised to discover that, even if you’re not borrowing money, … Read more

Every Friday I recap “news you can use” from the week: a handful of quotes from major (and often expensive) news sources, so you can stay up to date on the news that affects your money without spending a dime and in less than a minute. Here’s an overview of what happened this week. Work-From-Home … Read more

Phovoir / Shutterstock.com It’s tax season for everyone — including hardened criminals. Yes, Uncle Sam expects to collect taxes on all kinds of shady dealings. It might seem needlessly thorough and wildly optimistic, but the IRS lists many illegal activities that count as income in Publication 17, its all-purpose guide for individual taxpayers. Following are … Read more

Did you know that Americans check their phones an average of 96 times per day? That’s a lot of swiping and screen time on a device you’ve probably invested quite a bit of money in!  Most people upgrade their smartphones every couple of years. Some people even trade in their old phones from last year … Read more

It’s estimated that about 40 million people have a mistake on their credit reports. These errors could be anything from a misspelled name to an inaccurate report of your payment history that’s negatively affecting your credit score.  Fixing your credit report on your own can take a lot of time and energy. In addition to … Read more

You can open a bank account for your child long before they attend their first school dance or slide behind the wheel of a car for the first time.  And you should because kids learn by doing. A parent-supervised checking account is the ideal tool for teaching your child the value of money and getting … Read more