Housing

Top 10 Mortgage Misconceptions

Top 10 Mortgage Misconceptions :: Mint.com

Mortgages are tricky and often hard to understand. Because most people only purchase a home every five to seven years, prospective home buyers understandably don’t spend a lot of time in the interim educating themselves about mortgages and the mortgage process. With the real estate market picking up and mortgage rates prime for refinancing, Zillow...  Read more

Trends

How Much Do Americans Spend on Unhealthy Living?

Unhealthy Living

How much do Americans spend each year on unhealthy living? From alcohol, to cigarettes, to junk food, there’s a high price to pay for indulging in certain unhealthy habits. Click on “Launch Infographic” for an expanded view. 

Saving

Does Having Multiple Bank Accounts Encourage Overspending?

Does Having Multiple Bank Accounts Encourage Overspending?

Last week I read an academic journal article that gave me the willies. It wasn’t a scary medical article. It was about personal finance. The article, which had the catchy title “Influence of Motivated Reasoning on Saving and Spending Decisions,” described four experiments with a consistent result: subjects with multiple bank accounts spent more and...  Read more

Planning

6 Summer Job Ideas for College Students

6 Summer Job Ideas for College Students

As a college student, this time of year was bittersweet. On one hand, the semester was winding down and summer vacation was just a few sleepless nights spent cramming for exams away. On the other hand, the end of the semester also meant it was time for a summer job. A good summer job can...  Read more

Consumer IQ

Say Yes to Paying Less for a Wedding Dress

Say Yes to Paying Less for a Wedding Dress :: Mint.com

First comes love, then comes marriage. Then comes the mountain of wedding debt you’ll now have to pay. Last year, couples spent an average of $28,427 on weddings and nuptial-related events, according to TheKnot.com. While the venues, the engagement ring and even the entertainment can cost thousands of dollars, the wardrobe isn’t far down the list. The average...  Read more

Credit

How Fast Should You Pay Off Your Debt?

erase debt

Unfortunately, there is no quick fix to eliminate debt. Not only does it take patience, time and diligence, but also a clear understanding of why we get ourselves into debt in the first place. Was it that our wants were greater than our means? Was it thinking we could pay down our debt, only to...  Read more

Housing

9 Things Your Homeowner’s Insurance Might Not Cover

homeowner tax

BrightNest is a free site that provides tools and tips to homeowners to help them save money, get organized and keep their homes in great shape. Sign up for a free BrightNest account today! With homeowners insurance (or any insurance for that matter), you’re really paying for peace of mind – comfort in knowing that life’s curveballs won’t...  Read more

How To

How Much Can You Really Save Making Your Own Bread?

Domestic kitchen during bread preparation

I loathe bread makers. I’ve never come across one that turns out edible bread. Each loaf, no matter how I manipulate the settings, is hard as a dog biscuit–clunk. A brown hunk of broken promises. But handmade bread, that is the way into my heart. Which is why, with anything I’m tempted to fall in...  Read more