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Debt & Finance Blog

Ending the Cycle of Living Paycheck-to-Paycheck

By Tom Jackson | September 27, 2019

Surviving paycheck-to-paycheck in America is simultaneously commonplace and scary. But this doesn’t mean people just scraping by can’t overcome the debt that threatens to swamp them. All it takes is…

Which Debt to Pay Off First

By Tom Jackson | September 11, 2019

Facing a mound of piling debts each month is an exhausting process. You may be tempted to throw chunks of your paycheck at your auto loan one month and then…

Make Sure Your Family Has a Disaster Plan

By Joey Johnston | August 29, 2019

June 1 marks the beginning of hurricane season. Meanwhile, across much of the Western U.S., major droughts have greatly increased the danger for summer wildfires. And don’t forget last winter’s…

Where (and how) to Sell Your Stuff Online

By Tom Jackson | August 27, 2019

Once upon a proverb, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” was just another way of saying, as 1960s hipsters did, “Diff’rent strokes for diff’rent folks.” Then came the internet…

Should I Pay Credit Cards or Tax Debt?

By Joey Johnston | August 15, 2019

The choice between paying credit card debt and taxes isn’t as simple as calculating money saved on interest. Failing to pay taxes has massive repercussions – just ask Martha Stewart.…

When to Take Social Security Benefits

By Tom Jackson | June 19, 2019

Your golden years should be an era of leisure and adventure, of self-discovery and reinvention. For most, maximizing our retirement experiences means maximizing our retirement income. When and how to…

Father’s Day Gift? Take Some Financial Pressure off Dad

By Tom Jackson | May 30, 2019

Millions of dads won’t admit it, but what they really want for Father’s Day isn’t an Apple watch or a Tom Brady jersey or a hair transplant. What they really…

Finding a New Job After 50

By Joey Johnston | May 14, 2019

Getting laid off is traumatic, but at least I got the bad news in a fitting place. I was in a doctor’s office when my cellphone rang. It was my…

How the “Sandwich Generation” Manages Raising Kids While Caring for Elderly Parents

By George Morris | May 13, 2019

American culture has created names for various age groups based on when they were born. Baby Boomers. Millennials. Generations X and Y. But another demographic has emerged based on what’s…

Merchant Cash Advances

By Guest Author | April 24, 2019

Is your small business having cash flow challenges? Have you seen the tempting ads for merchant cash advances? If your answer to both questions is “yes,” be sure to consider…

Sources:

  1. NA (2019, May) Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2018 — May 2019. Retrieved from https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/2019-economic-well-being-of-us-households-in-2018-executive-summary.htm
  2. Brockman, K. (2019, August 14) Most Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, survey shows. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/08/14/paycheck-to-paycheck-most-americans-struggle-financially-survey-says/39940123/
  3. Leonhardt, M. (2019, May 13) 62% of millennials say they’re living paycheck to paycheck. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/10/62-percent-of-millennials-say-they-are-living-paycheck-to-paycheck.html
  4. NA (2019, May) Modern Wealth Survey. Retrieved from https://content.schwab.com/web/retail/public/about-schwab/Charles-Schwab-2019-Modern-Wealth-Survey-findings-0519-9JBP.pdf
  5. Paquette, D. (2018, December 29) Living paycheck to paycheck is disturbingly common: ‘I see no way out.’ Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/12/28/living-paycheck-paycheck-is-disturbingly-common-i-see-no-way-out/
  6. Milligan, S. (2019, January 11) Stretched Thin: The continuing government shutdown highlights the fact that most Americans have little to no savings. Retrieved from https://www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2019-01-11/stretched-thin-majority-of-americans-live-paycheck-to-paycheck
  7. Irby, L. (2019, February 6) How to Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck. Retrieved from https://www.thebalance.com/stop-living-paycheck-to-paycheck-960033