Finance Globe

Much of the U.S. government has been shutdown since the beginning of the October while the nation’s decision makers try to figure out how the government is going to pay its bills. Meanwhile, scammers are taking advantage of the shutdown to trick consumers into giving up personal information that can be used for fraud. Sallie Mae, Student Loan Forgiveness ScamAmid the shutdown, there have been quite a few fake social media accounts created claiming to be...

Most expenses are paid every month and so they’re pretty easy to remember. When you create your budget, you’re not likely to forget things like rent or mortgage, utility payments, credit card payments, etc. But, there are expenses that don’t come so regularly, that you pay only once or twice a year. These oft-forgotten expenses can break your budget during those months, especially if you forget about them. Here are some expenses that you might forget...

Having an “I don’t care” don’t care attitude about anything is dangerous. Being careless about your money is a severe threat to your security and freedom, now and in the future. No matter how much money you have, you can’t afford not to care about your spending. Are you spending carelessly? Here are a few signs. Careless spenders don’t create or adhere to a budget and, subsequently waste a lot of money. Many people avoid budgeting...

Very few banks are offering free accounts these days. So if you want to minimize the amount you pay for using bank accounts, you have to be aware of the fees and know what you can do to avoid them. Some transactions incur small fees that can add up to hundreds in a year if you’re not careful. Mistake: Overspending your account. Perhaps the most expensive bank mistake is to overdraft your checking account. You’re going...

In the days when free checking accounts were widely available, choosing a checking account was fairly simple as long as your checking account needs were basic. Just choose the free account. Now that more banks are charging monthly checking account fees, you have to be more cautious about the type of account you open. Accounts have varying fees and services. Some fees can be waived, but you have to meet certain criteria. First choose your bank....

Once upon a time, before reality television, before the internet, before we had an intimate look into the lives of the rich and the famous (and the aspiring-to-be rich and famous), there was a such thing as “keeping up with Joneses.” The Joneses were the rich nextdoor neighbors who seemed to set the bar for the standard of living. Now, the bar has been raised so much higher because we’re not only trying to keep up...

Growing up, you never really think about bills. You may hear your parents complain about them or warn you that you'll one day have to deal with bills, but other than that, it's like bills were just something adults had to deal with. Then one day, you were the adult getting letters in the mail from companies who expected you to send money by a certain date. They may have trickled in, one bills each month...

One of the best solutions to many money issues, especially those pertaining to cash flow, is to track your spending. If you can’t figure out why ends don’t seem to meet, tracking your spending for a month or two can help. Or, if you’re looking for places to cut back so you can accomplish other goals, watching what you spend can help you identify those areas. If you’ve ever counted calories as part of diet or...

Many of us probably have monthly expenses that seem to drain our financial resources. You probably think of this particular expense (or these expenses) and dream about the way your life would be if you didn’t have this major outlay of cash every month. Oh, the things you could buy, the money you could save if you could just get rid of (name-your-financial-burden). It may be a mortgage, or debt payments, child care expenses, or a...

There’s currently more than $1 trillion in outstanding student loans debt and more than 7 million borrowers are in default on their student loan payments. There are dire consequences to defaulting on a student loan, especially a Federal student loan.First, your tax refund may be withheld and used for repayment for the debt. Any plans you had for that refund are gone out the window. Worse, you can have your wages garnished without a court order,...