The holiday season can be a stressful time for many people.  For others it can be a time of excess.  Either way, don’t let that stress and excess give you a financial hangover.  Plus, the holiday shopping season seems to start earlier every year, making that stress longer as well.  According to a 2017 survey by RetailMeNot, 54 percent of consumers plan to begin holiday shopping before Black Friday.

Christmas will be here before you know it. Have you given thought about the gifts you will purchase for friends and family?  While it’s important to realize Christmas is not always about gifts and money, it is an opportunity to be generous.  Even if you’re normally frugal, Christmas may be a time to spend a little more than you ordinarily would on those you love. Splurging a little during this time of year doesn’t have to wreck your finances. Here are a few key suggestions to help establish budget for gift spending.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are potentially great days to be able to shop and save money.  However, these days can also be overwhelming and chaotic, forcing even the savviest shoppers to make quick decisions, impulse purchases and potentially overpay. Here are some steps to help get the deals you want, stay on budget and not lose your cool.

If you have ever had a personal loan application denied by any traditional lending institution, it can leave you with limited options. There are many reasons a bank or traditional lender might deny a loan. Because banks have very stringent underwriting guidelines to determine who is credit worthy they may deny applicants who do not have the best credit histories.  

Halloween is notorious for being an expensive holiday. Planning ahead and creating a budget before you shop can help keep you organized, save you money and put you on track for a successful holiday season.

Achieving and maintaining financial fitness starts with having the right information. It is important to understand the key components of a healthy financial outlook and how to optimize them to your advantage.

Saving money can be a challenge for most people, but it's not impossible. Yet, if you were suddenly hit with an unexpected bill or emergency, would you have the cash to cover it? According to a recent report by CNN Money, nearly 40% of Americans don't have enough savings to cover a $400 unplanned expense. Living paycheck to paycheck can be stressful, but there are ways to set something aside each month for savings and retirement. Here are six strategies to start saving more money, even when funds are limited.

It can happen to anyone at any time - you’re navigating along through life just fine when, without warning, an unexpected expense comes out of nowhere. You may not have enough funds saved to cover the cost, so now you need money and you need it fast. The question you ask yourself is, "where do I turn to get money for my financial emergency?"

Around August 1st every year the newspapers and television are filled with Back to School ads.  It’s a reminder that summer is almost over, and the kids will be going back to school soon. Back to School shopping can turn into a money pit for parents who are not mindful of all the items that need to be purchased for school.

A 2018 Identity Fraud Reportⁱ produced by Javelin Strategy & Research, shows the number of identity theft victims increased to 16.7 million in the U.S. This is an 8% increase from the previous year. Despite industry efforts to prevent identity fraud, the study shows that identity thieves stole from 1.3 million more victims in 2018 and the amount stolen increased to $16.8 billion. The types of identity fraud continued to move online and away from physical stores due to embedded chip cards. It was reported that fraud is getting more complicated, meaning identity fraud criminals are opening more new accounts to compromise accounts consumers already have.