Finance Globe

You may have read it over and over again – a budget is a good thing – but that doesn’t make the process of budgeting any easier. Sticking to a budget can be as difficult as sticking to a diet. Dieting is often difficult because you have to retrain yourself to eat healthy and stay away from unhealthy foods. Part of you still wants those unhealthy foods because it’s what you’re used to; it’s what you’re...

Victims who were tricked by an alleged health care scam will be receiving refund checks in the mail thanks to efforts by the Federal Trade Commission.The FTC is sending out $1.1 million worth of checks to over 50,000 consumers, and recipients of the checks have 60 days to cash them. Victims of the purported scam fell were tricked into believing they were buying government-endorsed health insurance, when in fact they were paying for a worthless medical...

The IRS already had delays with tax refunds for millions of consumers. Now, an H&R block tax preparation error leads to delayed refunds for about 660,000 taxpayers. The affected taxpayers were those whose returns included Form 8863 for claiming educational credits. Returns are delayed for those taxpayers for up to six weeks. The error was caused, in part, because of a change to IRS requirements for “no” response boxes. In the past, a blank box constituted...

Most of us have some type of monthly service that we don’t want to have ended abruptly – like water or electricity, for example. So, if your service provider calls you saying that you’ve missed a payment and need to make one immediately to avoid interruption, you may be eager to give up your bank account or credit card number. But, in an attempt to preserve your good account standing, you could be giving your financial...

People say that money isn’t everything, but somehow financial problems can affect your entire life. Financial difficulties can affect your work life, your home life, and your relationships. Money troubles can lead to depression, stress, and other health problems. If you never get to the root of the issue, you may never fix the real problem and financial struggles can continue forever. That’s no way to live. Here are some possible reasons for your financial struggles....

There are plenty of things to do that are far more exciting than watching ourselves spend money. But, if you have lofty financial goals like saving for retirement or paying off debt, paying attention to your money is critical. Even if you’re not trying to reach a good goal, you should watch where your money goes simply because you’ve earned it. Because you work hard for it. Money does not come easily for most of us....

Often our financial goals are so big, that it can take months to see significant progress and years to accomplish them. Staying the course can be hard considering the number of obstacles and distractions you encounter along the way. Your goals are important; otherwise you would never have set them. Here are some tips for sticking to you financial goals, even when you feel like giving up. Make sure you’ve set a realistic goal. Your current...

When consumers have trouble with businesses, the Federal Trade Commission is often the go-to government agency for complaints. Each year, the FTC compiles a report on the complaints it received from the previous year. In 2012, the FTC’s biggest complaint category was identity theft. That makes the 13th year in a row that identity theft has topped the FTC’s list of complaints. Eighteen percent of all the FTC’s complaints were related to identity theft, similar to...

According to the 2013 Identity Fraud Report from Javelin Strategy & Research, 1 in 4 people who received a data breach notification letter in 2012 became a victim of identity fraud. A data breach happens when secure information gets compromised. Sometimes it’s intentional, for example, when a person hacks into a company’s computer files. Other times it may be unintentional, like when a company employee loses their laptop, which contains sensitive information. In either case, the...

When Bankrate.com surveyed consumers about their credit card debt and emergency fund or savings, only 55% of them answered that they have more money saved up than they have in credit card debt. Forty percent (40%) either has more in credit card debt than in savings or no credit card debt or savings at all. The final 5% didn’t know or didn’t answer. Men are faring better: 60% of men said they have more in savings...