The option to request a cash advance can help you pay for expenses you didn’t budget for. At the same time, you should carefully consider your options before choosing a cash advance. There are tradeoffs associated with this type of loan, short-term as it may be. Knowing the terms of what your cash advance entails … Read more

Quick Look A benchmark interest rate is an interest rate that determines the amount of other interest rates. Two important benchmarks are the federal funds rate set by the Federal Reserve and the prime rate set by banks. Higher benchmark rates mean a higher cost of borrowing money.  If at any point in the last … Read more

The tax resolution industry has a reputation for sketchy, even predatory behavior. By the time you’re tens of thousands of dollars in debt to the IRS, you’re willing to believe pie-in-the-sky promises of fast, painless fixes to wipe out most or all of what you owe. I’ve spent the better part of a decade covering … Read more

Cryptocurrencies have taken the world by storm, filling the minds of many investors with an appetite for potentially lucrative alternative investments. Bitcoin is only one of those cryptocurrencies, though it is perhaps the most well-known of them all besides Ethereum, Dogecoin, and Shiba Inu. But did you know that you can get free Bitcoin without … Read more

Most entry-level credit cards are boring and bare-bones. If they earn rewards at all, the rate is usually low, like a flat 1% on all purchases. The Credit One Platinum X5 Visa credit card might be an entry level credit card, but it’s hardly boring. Though designed for applicants with fair credit, it earns a … Read more

Whenever I travel abroad, I carry at least one credit card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees (FTFs) — the surcharges issuers often impose to cover the additional cost of processing international purchases. I haven’t kept a precise tally of how much I’ve saved by using credit cards that waive foreign transaction fees, but it’s definitely … Read more

Life is full of unexpected expenses, no matter how well we prepare. Having access to funds in an emergency can help bring your stress levels way down. That’s where a cash advance comes in. At the same time, most cash advances come with hefty fees and strict repayment terms. If you do have to take … Read more

Quick Look Some loans charge you a penalty to pay off a loan early. Prepayment penalties are only legal on certain types of loans. It’s possible to avoid prepayment penalties. George’s beloved Aunt Azalea just died, leaving him a cash windfall large enough to pay off his house. But his wise friend William warns George … Read more

Americans’ collective credit card debt balance hit $930 billion in Q3 2022. That’s a $43 billion jump from the previous quarter. The average cardholder now has more than $6,000 in credit card debt, closing in on 2019’s all-time high. But our debt burden isn’t equally shared. Most Americans have no credit card debt at all. … Read more

A stop payment order is a request to cancel a check so it can’t be cashed. You might need to stop payment on a check because: You lose a check or your checkbook You suspect a check was stolen You mailed a check to the wrong address You made an error on the check (e.g., … Read more