Personal Finance and Financial Planning Articles

Personal Finance is the basic skill of managing your own personal assets and debt and growing your wealth. It is in effect, your own personal balance sheet. There are countless ways of earning money (income) and spending money, and therefore, as you can imagine, there are as many ways of your finances going wrong. So how do you manage and improve your financial picture? We have collected ideas, tips and tricks for financial planning, debt management, improving your credit, saving money and frugal habits and more that you can use. Be sure to also check our resource list on investing and taxes.

Financial Planning

• Budgeting – Ideas on how to create and use a budget
• Emergency Fund – We all know we need an emergency fund. Should it be just a pile of cash under the mattress or is there a way to structure it for better returns and liquidity?
• Cash Flow Management – Managing personal cash flow – how to figure it out and how to optimize it
• Cash Flow, Passive Income – Creating passive income streams to improve your cash flow
• Financial Checklists by Month – We break down the financial activities you should pay attention to every month as a general guide (your specific situation may require additional activities as well)
  • February’s Financial Checklist
  • Financial Checklist for April
  • Financial Activities for June
  • July’s Financial To Do list
  • Monthly Personal Financial Checklist for August
  • September Financial Checklist
• Financial Checkup – What do you need to review during your personal financial reviews
• Retirement Planning – We often neglect these 3 aspects of preparing for retirement
• Wealth Management Infrastructure – Why it matters and how can you set up the right support team
• Choosing a Financial Planner – How to pick a financial planner that works for you
• How to Calculate Net Worth – Keeping score is the best way to know if you are reaching your financial goals
• Financial Resolutions – Maybe you made one for the new year. How do you make sure you keep them
• Manage Your Finances – There are many resources online that can help you manage your finances for free
• Money Management Software – If you prefer to manage your money with a personal software, you have a few options
• How Long to Keep Records – You accumulate a variety of financial documents, records, bills, etc every month. How long should you keep them and when is it okay to shred?
• Cost of Raising a Child – The total financial cost of raising a child from birth to adulthood is getting higher and higher and exceeds $200 thousand now. There are still ways to keep some of the costs down
• Your Wealth Potential – There are ways you can reach it and then, there are these ways that will make it so much harder for you to reach it. Know what hinders you from achieving the wealth that you can.

Insurance

• Save Money on Auto Insurance – Auto Insurance can be expensive and most of us buy it once and forget it. You may be paying more than you need to.
• Understanding Vehicle Insurance Ratings – Vehicle insurance ratings are a major component of your total insurance bill. Understanding what these are will help you choose the right vehicle that costs less in insurance premiums
• Save Money on Health Insurance – 7 tips to help you save money on health insurance
• State Insurance Exchanges – These are a big provision in the recently passed health care reform. How will these insurance exchanges work and how can you use them?

Saving Money

• Spend or Save – Forget what the pundits say about spending to save the economy. The best way to strengthen national economy is to first make sure your own personal economy is strong
• Save Money During Holidays – Holidays are meant for entertaining and gifts. But surely you do not have to splurge to have great holiday experience
• Frugal Dates – You can have a great date without spending too much
• Save Money Going Green – A green lifestyle does not have to be expensive. You can make small and incremental changes that not only are eco friendly but will also save you money in the process
• Back to School Shopping – Key to efficient and least expensive back to school shopping is planning

Personal Credit and Credit Cards

• Bad Credit Credit Cards – How can you get a credit car with bad credit?
• Raise Your Credit Score – How do you bump your credit score and keep it high
• Premium Credit Cards – They offer many conveniences that can pay for itself
• Premium Credit Card Benefits Getting Diluted – As so many new credit card companies are now chasing the premium clientele
• Credit Card Act of 2009 – How does it affect you?
• Banks Response to Card Act – How are the banks responding to the provisions of the credit card act and what it means for the consumers?
• Despite Credit Card Law Changes, Be Careful – There are still many ways you can get nailed

Managing Your Debt

• Pay Off Debt or Save Money – The age old question: What is better?
• How to Save and Pay Off Debt – You can do both at the same time if you can find a balance
• Credit Card Debt – How to get it under control?
• Student Loans – Comparing secured and non secured loan options
• How to Qualify for a Home Loan – Now that the economic environment has changed drastically
• Home Buyer Tax Credit – Extended and Expanded (It is now expired but might still get extended depending on the economic conditions)
• FHA Loans, Then and Now – How the program has changed over the years
• How to Pay Off Mortgage Early – Or should you invest instead? What if you could do both!
• Paid Off Home Mortgage – What should you do next?

More Reading

• Classic Personal Finance Articles – This is a hand picked collection of the best personal finance articles from around the web