Managing Your Money

Just as having a good credit score is important to your personal financial picture, having a good business credit score is critical to running a successful business. An excellent business credit score makes it easier to obtain credit for the purpose of growing your business, financing the purchase of equipment, and managing daily operations. In

Many financial institutions check your credit history as a part of the account opening process. This can be problematic if you have bad credit. Depending on how severe your credit challenges are, you may be declined for a bank account. Thankfully, there is a growing number of banks that not only don’t check your credit

The best budgeting apps can help you craft an ideal budget and track other financial metrics such as your net worth, savings rate, and spending patterns. One such app, Lunch Money, offers many features to help make budgeting easier with automatic account syncing, adding manual accounts, and customizing the data. Lunch Money offers several perks

We all know that scams and digital fraud are on the rise. But did you know that certain area codes can indicate potential phone scams? Answering calls or calling unknown people from these area codes – even if they called you first – may cost you money and time and even ruin your credit score. 

Near the end of 2023, Mint announced that they were closing up shop by March of 2024. For years, I’d used Mint in my early to mid-twenties to help me manage spending. Budgeting is a key component of responsible money management and Mint made it super easy. Over the years, I focused more on investing

Sending and receiving money via peer-to-peer money transfer apps is becoming increasingly popular. And as more people use P2P sending apps, more scammers appear to swindle innocent people out of their money.  In this article, we explore some of the most common scams experienced by users of Cash App. Get to know these swindling scams

Charge-offs on your credit report can sink your credit score and affect your ability to get a loan, credit card, or mortgage. It can also make it more difficult to get a job or rent an apartment. Most of the time, legitimate charge-offs on a credit report must be paid, but there are instances in

ACH and wire transfers are two of the most common ways to send money from your bank account electronically. There are several differences between each delivery method, including delivery speed, cost, and transaction limits.  For example, you may need to send a final loan payoff by wire instead of ACH so the lender can receive

Cash App is a popular mobile payment service that allows users to send and receive money, buy and sell Bitcoin, and trade stocks. But as is the case with many fintech companies, many people want to know if Cash App is a bank and, if not, how can they provide similar services to banks. After

Losing a loved one is one of the most difficult things a person can experience. In fact, it can trigger a mental and emotional fog that lasts for days or weeks, impeding the ability to make decisions concerning the deceased’s final affairs. It would be ideal to have a plan in place in advance of

Dave is a fintech app that is FDIC-insured through a partnership with Evolve Bank and Trust. The app is designed to help people manage their money with a unique cash advance product called ExtraCash. ExtraCash can provide you with access to up to $500 in cash without any interest charges. However, there are several cash advance

Your credit score is used for more than just a credit card or loan approval. Companies use it to set home and auto insurance rates, determine whether or not you’ll be hired for a job, and approve apartment leases. Unfortunately, many people believe the only way to build credit is by using a credit card,

One of the fun parts about sharing bank bonuses is that you meet folks who are really into bank bonuses. Like a dozen accounts a year and tracking it all with complicated spreadsheets. It’s amazing and I love it. The banks, however, don’t love it. Obviously, they prefer it if you open an account and

Applying for Social Security disability insurance (SSDI) benefits may seem easy when it appears you have a clear-cut situation that prevents you from working. But the application process is time-consuming, often involving twists and turns that can delay approval or result in a rejected application to prevent fraud. Hiring an experienced disability lawyer can help

If you’ve been denied credit recently or are in the process of repairing your credit, you may have come across the option to send a 609 letter to credit reporting agencies.  But what is a 609 letter? And can it really help you to clean up your credit or to get a higher credit score? 

Over the years, I’ve seen my fair share of personal finance apps. The ones that are free tend to be fairly useful but loaded with advertisements or other “features” designed to sell you more stuff. Nothing wrong with that, since the tool is free, but they can be cumbersome. The ones that are paid tend