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By Jamie Wagner, Ph.D. Understanding Debt If you read or hear much about debt it tends to be portrayed in a negative light. We talk about how much debt Americans have or the student loan crisis. I even wrote a post highlighting many negatives about debt here. However,...
By Jamie Wagner, Ph.D. Checking Your Credit Score with a Credit Bureau You’ve probably seen commercials advertising different products that allow you to check your credit score. What you may not know is how to accurately check your credit report from the three major...
Tax Refund Tips When filing your tax return by hand, online or with a tax preparer, make sure you double check your routing and account numbers before signing and submitting your refund. Checking Account If you want your refund directly deposited into your checking...
By Jamie Wagner, Ph.D. Spooky Tales of Debt Every October my husband and I begin our Halloween tradition—scary movie month. Colin loves scary movies, and I think I do except that I’m a huge baby and get scared so easily that I have to watch something “happy” before I...
What is Predatory Lending? Predatory lending is a practice where lenders take advantage of borrowers for their own gain. Lenders often act deceptively through unclear terms and conditions. Borrowers are convinced to carry loans that have high interest rates and...
By Jamie Wagner, Ph.D. What is an Individual Retirement Account (IRA)? Many financial experts will tell you to plan for retirement. But how? An individual retirement account (IRA) is a great option to supplement your company’s 401(k) (or other employer-provided...
By Jamie Wagner, Ph.D. What is a Certificate of Deposit (CD)? I’m not talking about the latest Adele or Imagine Dragons album but a way to increase your wealth through saving in a certificate of deposit (CD) where you can actually earn some interest. Credit unions...
Understanding Identity Theft When someone uses your personal information (name, address, Social Security number, bank account numbers or medical insurance account numbers) without your permission they are committing identity theft. This serious crime is happening more...
Finance Spring Fever Hopefully it's safe to say that spring is finally here. As you clean up the yard and move your winter clothes into the spare bedroom closet and your spring/summer ones into the main closet, it's also a perfect time to spring clean your finances....
Understanding Credit and Credit Cards Credit is borrowed money used to purchase goods and services often with a finance charge attached. The most common forms of credit are installment loans (auto, mortgage, personal or home equity) and credit cards. There are pros...