Financial Planning Guides

Even though staying on top of your finances can be difficult, there are ways you can save your hard-earned dollars and have more money for unexpected expenses. Things like filing your taxes for free, starting a budget, and performing home repairs yourself are just a few ways you can cut monthly expenses. If you rely on short-term credit like payday loans, consider making sure you understand exactly when your loan is due and be sure to stay on top of your payments. See the payday loan financial guide below to learn more.

Watch Out For Counterfeits!

Though the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) were able to confiscate about $1.26 billion worth of counterfeit items shipped from other countries in 2012, the extreme rise of online shopping has made catching these items before they enter the marketplace nearly impossible. Because the items are shipped directly to the consumer, there's no opportunity for the government to identify and stop these counterfeit transactions.

The Myers-Briggs personality test is one of the most popular personality tests used in business, education, and psychology. Created during the World War II era, the personality test places people into one of 16 different categories, making the results a little more complicated than those of some other common personality tests. Myers-Briggs personality tests profile people based on how they act in certain situations and how social or unsocial they can be.

If your financial situation is similar to that of most Americans, you could use an extra hundred, thousand, or in extreme cases, million dollars to make life a little easier. Federal agencies, states, and other organizations are in possession of over $58 billion in unclaimed, ''lost'' money. With such a large sum of missing money, you can't help but wonder how it all fell through the cracks.

Why You Shouldn't Abandon Your Checking Account

The frequency with which banks increase fees and red tape has almost every account holder fed up with their bank “stealing” their money. At first, people simply chose to switch to another bank advertising fewer charges, but closing fees, minimum balance fees, and other unnecessary charges have made nearly every bank unattractive.

Buying insurance is a complicated process that requires research and time to sort out the details. If you purchase more insurance coverage than necessary, you'll pay the price by having more money taken out of your paycheck each pay period.

Managing your money and finding ways to save is even more important in today's tough economy. Luckily, the Internet has led to the development of websites that can help you on your quest to find savings.

Is your debt healthy or unhealthy? Is your outstanding debt helping or hurting your personal financial profile? These questions might not make sense to some, but there are actually "good" debts that can help you despite the fact that they are accruing interest. No debt is healthy enough that it should be accrued unnecessarily, but if you analyze the types of debt you have, you can identify which ones are healthy and which ones are not.

Nearly every day, a celebrity is in the news for having personal financial issues or filing bankruptcy. With the amount of money these Hollywood actors and star athletes make, it’s hard to believe that they can run into financial difficulties so quickly.

Getting work done at the dentist can be extremely expensive. Dentists recommend scheduling visits twice a year to avoid more serious conditions and higher dental bills. Dental insurance helps consumers pay for routine check-ups and standard exams, but when more extensive procedures are needed, most people are left to pay for them on their own.

Whether it's a holiday bonus, a permanent raise in pay, or a one-time boost to your paycheck for being a great worker, there's nothing better than receiving extra money at work. Employers often reward their employees for their hard work in order to keep morale high and increase productivity.