Powered by Max Banner Ads Credit Card Stolen? Here’s What You Do By Jason Alderman Despite high-profile media attention, the odds of having your credit or debit card number stolen by crooks remains at historically low levels. That said, it’s always good to know what to do in case lightening does strike and someone fraudulently uses your card. Left unchecked, they might try to... 

Boosting Your Retirement Plan Contributions By Jason Alderman For the first time since 2009, the IRS has increased the amount people can contribute to their 401(k) and other defined contribution plans. Effective January 1, 2012, the maximum annual contribution grows by $500 to $17,000, thanks to an increase in the Department of Labor’s Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers (CPI-U), a common... 

Easing Student Loan Repayments By Jason Alderman College costs are out of control. Total outstanding student loans hover around $1 trillion, second only to home mortgages. Student loan repayment takes a hefty toll on starting salaries even during good economic times. But with so many recent graduates unable to find a decent job – or any job – repayment can be a nightmare. You can’t walk away... 

Women and Personal Finances By Jason Alderman By many measures, women’s lives have changed substantially in recent decades. According to a comprehensive government report called “Women in America” (www.whitehouse.gov/data-on-women), although certain social and economic situations for women have improved, when it comes to personal finances, many women still face challenging hurdles. Key... 

Beware of Mystery Shopper Scams By Jason Alderman Getting paid to go shopping may sound like a dream job, but buyer beware: For each legitimate mystery or secret shopper opportunity, probably hundreds more are scams. In fact, the National Consumers League (NCL) says complaints regarding fraudulent mystery shopper and work-at-home schemes were up nearly 9 percent during the past six months. Why the... 

Tax Strategies in a Tough Economy By Jason Alderman For most of us, income tax calculations don’t change much from year to year. But thanks to the roller coaster economy of the past few years, many people have undergone major life changes that can have a significant impact – good or bad – on their taxable income and how they should file taxes. Even though April 17 (this year’s tax-filing... 

Take ‘America Saves Week’ to Heart By Jason Alderman After four years of coping with a stagnant economy, probably the last thing you want to hear is how important it is to sock away money for a rainy day – you already know that. But hear me out, just in case. Those who struggle with long-term unemployment or under-employment often simply don’t have spare cash available to save.... 

Financial Intervention for Your Parents? By Jason Alderman Sometimes it’s hard enough just keeping track of your own finances. But, as many of us have learned, life gets even more complicated when your parents come to you for assistance with their money matters – or worse, when they don’t ask for help but really should. Many people are fiercely independent and hate to relinquish control... 

Can Your Family Afford College? By Jason Alderman I’m a firm believer that the more knowledge you acquire, the richer your life will be. But as college tuition and fees continue to skyrocket, students and parents increasingly are asking, “Is a degree really worth the cost?” For many people it certainly is: On average, college graduates earn $550,000 more than high school grads over... 

Empty Homes Need Additional Insurance By Jason Alderman There are many reasons why someone might leave their home unoccupied for months at a time: Maybe you moved to another state and your old house is languishing on the market; or you can no longer afford your mortgage so you’re working out a short sale and couch-surfing at your sister’s house; or you struck it rich and are taking a six-month,...