When the Great Recession hit, it hit hard. Americans experienced job loss, foreclosures, a sharp rise in student loan defaults and high consumer debt. The recession also taught us plenty of important lessons. We asked 8 personal finance experts on their main financial takeaways on the past decade. Here’s what they had to say: Image Credit: Nattakorn …
LendingTree released its survey on how Americans would pay for an emergency expense and how they’ve paid for them in the past. The survey found that more than half of Americans can’t cover a $1,000 emergency with savings. Only 48 percent of Americans say they could handle a $1,000 emergency expense using cash or savings …
Everybody’s heard it: You need to save three to six months’ expenses in an emergency fund. Not as many of us have actually done it. In fact, a 2014 survey indicated that most of us couldn’t cover even a $ 500 calamity. That means we are clearly under-saving — it’s hard to argue that having …
National Debt Relief recently shared in an article published February 19, 2015 the two main types of a reserve fund. The article talks about how an emergency fund and a rainy day fund has the same financial objective but differs in a lot of ways. Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) March 02, 2015 National Debt Relief recently …
Here is a video from Cambridge Credit Counseling that speaks directly about the need to save even when dealing with debt. I can’t stress it enough, how important it is to make saving a priority even before debt repayment. The last place you want to be is broke from spending through your savings but still …
I have $5,800 of credit card debt with a high interest rate. This year I had a medical emergency and have depleted my savings, and have no savings cushion. I usually get an approximately $2,500 tax refund every year. How do I get the most out of my return? Rebuild my emergency fund, or pay …
An emergency fund is crucial because it is an account that will prevent you from going into debt in the future again. Without an emergency fund you’ll turn to credit to pay your unexpected expenses, rather than using your bank account. Building your emergency fund is not easy and it can be harder sometimes to …
Your final payment has been made, and you’ve contacted your credit counseling representative to let them know you will be finished with your plan. Wow! You are officially debt free! It’s so exciting that you can hardly contain yourself. That one payment you had been struggling to make for years is now yours – all …
“Dear Steve, Thanks in advance for answering our questions and having your help available for free! I am thrilled to be able to discuss this with an expert and get a third objective opinion about our finances. My husband and myself were thrilled to find our dream home but it was probably a year to …
“Dear Steve, Okay you asked, I have my five credit cards($850), ($120), ($140), ($870), ($550) an overdraft, gas card, timeshare, 2 car loans and a mortgage. I also have to pay my property taxes for my home($1050) and the time share($883). I want to knock out 2 cards one both under $150, and try to …