Whose Fault Is Fraud? The Complicated Reality Of Debit Card Transactions

When you use your debit card, you visibly see an actual interaction between three people. You tell a merchant you would like to buy something. That merchant tells your credit union to pay out some of your money. Your credit union asks you to authorize the transaction. If something goes wrong in that process, it…

Skip-a-Payment: Free Cash Flow With A Summertime Break From Your Loan Payment

Q: Summer always puts a big strain on my budget. There are so many extra expenses! I’ve been looking for a way to get through these months without racking up a huge credit card bill, and one option I’m considering is skip-a-payment. What do I need to know about this program? A: Summertime brings loads…

Financial Self Defense: How to Respond to “Can You Hear Me?”

“Can you hear me now?” is the once-popular tagline of Verizon commercials, but it’s also the headline of a new scam. Scammers making robocalls will ask some innocuous question. Once the targeted person says “yes,” a recording is made of the response and it is used to sign up the target for unwanted, expensive services….

Going From New Homeowner To Happy Home: Tips For Recent Homebuyers

Buying your first home is a major milestone. There’s nothing quite like the giddy rush that comes from knowing you could paint a wall fluorescent pink or cover the cabinets in peanut butter and no one could legally stop you. You’ve also got a new and quite big investment you need to maintain. Weighing the…

Time Is Money: Teaching Your Kids To Value Their Time

An alarming Glassdoor survey found that more than half of Americans don’t negotiate their salaries. That means most people will continue working for the same pay, even as their value to the workplace and their experience increases. How can you teach your kids to not be afraid of asking for a raise? Hopefully, your kids…