Four weeks before Christmas, Mitch and Jenn had a string of bad luck. Mitch broke his leg in a skiing accident. Jenn’s car broke down, requiring major repairs. And the aged roof of their home decided to fail right in the midst of a major storm. The financial and emotional toll these events took on…

A quarter of U.S. citizens would resort to using credit cards when faced with a $1,000 emergency expense, even as credit card interest rates are elevated amid decades-high inflation. When asked how they would pay for a $1,000 emergency, 25 percent of respondents to a Feb. 23 survey by Bankrate replied they would finance the…

Dear Dave, I’m single, and I make $35,000 a year. Next year, my salary and bonuses should be around $50,000. I have a little over $30,000 in debt right now, including student loans, and I’m not sure how I’ll be able to keep up with bills and everything else right now if I have to…

With the first anniversary of The Marshall Fire* on our minds, it’s a good time to reevaluate our own individual readiness for the unexpected. Are you ready? Could you find your documents and your kids and be out of your home on short notice? Or if you were sequestered in your home for an extended…

Sooner or later, you will want to retire. When you do, you will want to ensure that you are both comfortable and healthy during that time so you can enjoy it. The Department of Labor (DOL) says the average length of retirement for Americans is 20 years. This much time requires that you do some…

By Sarah Foster From Bankrate.com Building up a stable cushion of cash you can rely on in emergencies seems daunting even in normal economic times. Add the steepest loss of Americans’ purchasing power in more than 40 years into the mix, and the task can seem next to impossible. Prices have climbed on almost every…

People move overseas for various reasons. Maybe you landed a dream job with an international corporation or want to study for your doctorate without drowning in student loan debt for a lifetime. Many Americans choose the emigration option if they have chronic health conditions and an in-demand career or spouse with such a role—they can…

Years ago, while driving home from college, my car broke down at a toll booth. I naturally panicked. Not so much from the embarrassment—but the dread of how much this was going to cost me to tow and repair. Most of us don’t like to spend money on such matters. It’s even worse, though, when…

By Rivan V. Stinson From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance It’s a cliché, but it’s also true: Every cloud really does have a silver lining. That was hammered home for me after I was recently rear-ended in a car accident. I wasn’t hurt, but it was a frightening experience, and the amount of paperwork required in its aftermath…

Saving money sounds straightforward—set cash aside for a future purpose—but in reality, people often face competing savings priorities. We want it all: the travel, the house, the flush savings account. So how do we figure out which savings goals to put first, especially when we’re working toward so many things at once? “You’re also still…