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Staff Writer
Tom Jackson
Tom Jackson focuses on writing about debt solutions for consumers struggling to make ends meet. His background includes time as a columnist for newspapers in Washington D.C., Tampa and Sacramento, Calif., where he reported and commented on everything from city and state budgets to the marketing of local businesses and how the business of professional sports impacts a city. Along the way, he has racked up state and national awards for writing, editing and design. Tom’s blogging on the 2016 election won a pair of top honors from the Florida Press Club. A University of Florida alumnus, St. Louis Cardinals fan and eager-if-haphazard golfer, Tom splits time between Tampa and Cashiers, N.C., with his wife of 40 years, college-age son, and Spencer, a yappy Shetland sheepdog.
How to Pay Off Credit Card Debt Without a Loan
Americans are drowning in debt. If you want to know why, return to 1812. “We have met the enemy, and ...
What Is the Easiest Way to Get Out of Debt?
Let’s be honest. The easiest way to get out of debt is to win the lottery or marry an Arab ...
How to Negotiate a Lower Minimum Payment on a Credit Card
When it comes to paying credit card bills, millions of Americans are just scraping by. They make only the minimum ...
How Long Does it Take to Recover From Bankruptcy?
Anyone enduring, or anticipating, the financial squeeze of personal bankruptcy may rightly wonder whether there is life on the other ...
How Many Credit Cards Should I Have?
Credit cards are wonderful inventions. They make purchasing anything convenient and nearly fraud-proof. They’re portable and online-friendly. Many offer rewards ...
Should You Pay Collections?
If a debt collection agency is harassing you to pay a long-overdue bill, a slightly edited version of Shakespeare’s “To ...
Financial Planning Process
When it comes to money, there’s no better person to listen to for advice than the man whose face is ...
InCharge Peers Celebrate Marline Davis-Iwuji
It is not an exaggeration to say that InCharge co-workers are FOND of Marline Davis-Iwuji. FOND is the employee peer-to-peer ...
Army & InCharge Veteran Wants You to Budget
A 2023 nationwide survey said that 73% of Americans don’t have a budget they regularly follow. Teri Logan, the Care ...
InCharge Celebrates Carolyn Green: Most Tenured Credit Counselor
If you bump into Carolyn Green at a company function, don’t ask her what she does at InCharge Debt Solutions. ...
Congratulations Edwidge Bissainthe: Senior Accountant
Back when everyone worked from the office, for most InCharge employees, there was one face everyone could name if someone ...
Mirian Naccaratto: Putting the Human Touch into Human Resources
It’s funny how sometimes people pick a career … and sometimes a career picks the person. Mirian Naccaratto was the ...
Introducing InCharge’s new President and CEO: Loretta Roney – a Force for Good
After a nationwide search, there’s a new CEO in town, and her name is Loretta Roney. She brings a rich ...
What You Need to Know This Tax Season (2022-23 Guide)
If it’s that moment on the calendar when prognosticating becomes a daily ritual in America, it must be tax filing ...
10 Tips for Back-to-School Shopping on a Budget
Long before COVID, another pandemic would hit America every August – the Back-To-School Blues. After a blissful summer, countless kids ...
Are Subscription Monitoring Apps Worth It?
The world has gone subscription crazy. You can sign up for almost every service known to man, and probably a ...
19 Side Jobs to Make More Money
Money is tight – we get it. But thanks to the internet and technology, it’s easier than ever to make ...
What Is Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL)?
Buy now and pay later is taking the market by storm, but will you be taken to the cleaners if ...
Beware of Debt Parking
Dealing with debt collectors already is an unpleasant encounter, but some collectors have found a way to sour the experience ...
Beware of Forbearance and Deferred Payments
If there’s an upside to the economic trauma brought about by the coronavirus pandemic — stipulated: we’re straining for a ...
How to Manage Debt While on Furlough
Remember the good old days? Just a few long months ago, the economy was roaring and nobody outside Wuhan had ...
What to Do When You Get Laid Off
Job layoffs are an all-too common experience of American work life. Some 20.2 million people looked for work after being ...
How To Manage Debt For Active Duty Military, Veterans, & Their Families
Joining the military means sacrifice. It shouldn't mean you give up financial security and end up in debt. Unfortunately, service ...
Dormant Bank Account Rules & Escheated Funds
There’s an estimated $58 billion in unclaimed money out there waiting to find a home and it’s probably worth the ...
New Year’s Resolution: How to Get Out of Debt in 2020
Surveys show most Americans will make a resolution to get out of debt in 2020. Surveys also show most Americans ...
How to Avoid Debt This Holiday Season
The holiday season may be “the most wonderful time of the year,” but that can change fast if you end ...
Mutual Funds vs. Stocks
Some debates have no set answer, like which band was better - The Beatles vs. The Rolling Stones? Stocks vs. ...
Debt Was Part of Thanksgiving the Day the Pilgrims Arrived
Everybody is familiar with Thanksgiving traditions like eating turkey, watching football and trying to avoid annoying relatives at the dinner ...
How Long Does It Take to Raise Your Credit Score by 100 Points?
Credit scores range from 300 (terrible) to 850 (terrific), but two magic numbers in between are 650 and 750. Someone ...
Ending the Cycle of Living Paycheck-to-Paycheck
Surviving paycheck-to-paycheck in America is simultaneously commonplace and scary. But this doesn’t mean people just scraping by can’t overcome the ...
Which Debt to Pay Off First
Facing a mound of piling debts each month is an exhausting process. You may be tempted to throw chunks of ...
Where (and how) to Sell Your Stuff Online
Once upon a proverb, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” was just another way of saying, as 1960s hipsters ...
When to Take Social Security Benefits
Your golden years should be an era of leisure and adventure, of self-discovery and reinvention. For most, maximizing our retirement ...
Father’s Day Gift? Take Some Financial Pressure off Dad
Millions of dads won’t admit it, but what they really want for Father’s Day isn’t an Apple watch or a ...
Military Saves: What Is it and How to Participate
The stress of dealing with financial problems is a huge concern in the military and one of the reasons it ...
5 Ways to Reduce Financial Stress
Feeling the squeeze from financial worry? Saying you’re not alone isn’t useful. Saying there’s professional help for your condition just ...
DIY Debt Consolidation: How to Consolidate Debt on Your Own
Americans who carry balances month over month should be alarmed by the interest they’re paying: As the Federal Reserve persists ...
Destination Weddings Don’t Have to Break the Bank
These days, for the launching of a lifetime together, the only thing better than a properly organized wedding is a ...
Being Frugal Is for Everyone: How the Frugalwoods Can Inspire You
You don’t have to be a fan of extreme frugality to have heard of Elizabeth and Nate Thames and probably ...
How to Be Successful in a DMP
So, you’ve finally taken the big step and enrolled in a debt relief program. Now what? If you’re going to ...
How to Improve Your Debt-to-Income Ratio with Higher Income
Borrower beware! If you are hoping to score a car or home loan and don’t know your debt-to-income ratio, you ...
Debt Consolidation vs Home Equity Loans
There can be benefits to using a home equity loan to pay off credit card debt, including lower and fixed ...
Rising Credit Card Use in America
With the rise of online shopping, there is no doubt that Americans are using credit cards more than ever. There’s ...
Sources:
- N.A. (2024, June 24). 2024 Pulse of the American Retiree Survey: Midlife Retirement ‘Crisis’ or a 10-Year Opportunity? Retrieved from https://news.prudential.com/latest-news/prudential-news/prudential-news-details/2024/2024-Pulse-of-the-American-Retiree-Survey/default.aspx
- Pinkerton, J. (2024, April 15). How to Find a Financial Advisor if You’re Not Rich. Retrieved from https://money.usnews.com/investing/articles/how-to-find-a-financial-advisor-if-youre-not-rich
- Martin, S. (2024, May 2). Majority of Americans over 50 worry they won’t have enough money for retirement: Study. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/05/02/affording-retirement-costs-americans-survey-aarp/73530103007/
- N.A. (2024, August 8). Anticipating Future Fed Interest Rate Cuts, Consumers Continue to Use Existing Credit, Gain Access to New Line. Retrieved from https://newsroom.transunion.com/q2-2024-ciir/
- Hanson, M. (2022, January 9). Average Cost of Yearly College. Retrieved from https://educationdata.org/average-cost-of-college-by-year
- N.A. (2024, August 8). Anticipating Future Fed Interest Rate Cuts, Consumers Continue to Use Existing Credit, Gain Access to New Line. Retrieved from https://newsroom.transunion.com/q2-2024-ciir/