- Personal Finance Blog
- FIT AcademyPower of Pay Check Planning Instructor: Michelle Mealey Learn time-tested strategies to budget, manage and prioritize your paycheck. Take the Course Identity Theft Prevention Instructor: Lori Lamb Tips to protect you from identity thieves and restore your name if you’re a victim. Take the Course Understanding Your Credit Report Instructor: Sheri Stuart A comprehensive breakdown of the credit report and score system. Take the Course Tips for Borrowing Money Produced by: Common Craft This video teaches you the risks and benefits of borrowing money from banks. View the Video Tips for Saving Money Produced by: Common Craftt This video teaches you how to earn and save money from compound interest. View the Video Tips for Investing Money Produced by: Common Craft This video breakdowns the process of investing money and it’s risk factors. View the Video
- DownloadsFree Guides and Materials: Road Map to Financial Freedom This workshop helps you take the first steps on your journey to financial freedom with Springboard through the use of a Debt Management Plan to consolidate and pay back unsecured debt. Download the Road Map to Financial Freedom guide or view it online. The Wise Use of Credit You have credit or need to establish credit —now what? Managing your credit responsibly helps build a solid foundation for your financial future. Download the Wise Use of Credit guide or view it online. Preserving Homeownership and Foreclosure Prevention Information and resources so you will know what action steps to take and what options are available if your mortgage becomes delinquent, you are facing foreclosure, or you are facing a mortgage interest reset which you can no longer afford once adjusted. Download the Preserving Homeownership and Foreclosure Prevention guide or view it online. Couples and Money This seminar helps couples communicate about money matters, offers money and budget saving tips, and helps couples develop a spending plan for their future goals. Download the Couples and Money guide or view it online. Raising a Money Smart Child A parent’s guide to providing children with…
- CalculatorsCalculators for all your personal finance needs Explore your own financial information in greater detail by using these powerful tools for forecasting and assessing your financial choices. During the process, you might discover expenses you can eliminate or more effective ways to manage your money.Allowance Comparison Auto Loan Payment Back-to-School Budgeting Budgeting for a Baby Building an Education Fund Cost of Credit Emergency Fund Entertainment Planner How Much Car Can You Afford? How Much House Can You Afford?How Much Will College Cost? How Much Will My Bonus Net After Taxes? How Much Will My Loan Cost? How Will My Savings Grow? Inflation Impact on Retirement Mortgage Payment Mortgage Refinancing My Bonus After Taxes Needs-Based Allowance Pay Down Debt or Invest?Repaying Student Loans Retirement Fund Rework Your Budget Salary Conversion Save a Million Saving for a Goal Travel Budgeting Your Holiday BudgetCalculators by CategoryAuto Determine how much you’re willing and able to spend on a car and how much your payments will be before heading to the dealership. Auto Loan Payment How Much Car Can You Afford?Budgets and Goals Knowing where your money…
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Posts by ‘Sheri Stuart’
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Using Layaway for Holiday Purchases
Layaway is back after credit cards nearly wiped out the practice in recent decades. For readers under 30 who didn’t grow up with layaway, it typically means you pick out goods 8-12 weeks before you need them and make regular payments toward their purchase price. …
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Identity Theft Prevention Guide, Part Five
Uncovering Identity Theft Our focus in this series is preventing ID theft, not recovering after the fact (that’s a topic for our next series). However, sometimes ID theft prevention means preventing more damage after a thief has struck. Of course, you’ll have to know that …
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Identity Theft Prevention Guide, Part One
Protecting your personal data Identity Theft is a broad category, including all kinds of crime that involve a thief using your personal data in a deceptive way. This can include using your credit card, your checking account, or even providing your identity for non-monetary reasons. …
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October 16th through the 22nd is National Protect Your Identity Week
Americans go to great lengths to protect against being robbed. We lock our doors, install alarm systems in our homes and cars, and insure our valuables. Many, however, do not pay an equal amount of attention to the crime that impacted more than eight million …
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Use Your Cell Phone Camera to Protect Against ID Theft
Traditionally, we advise that people photocopy the contents of their wallets and/or purses. If you have a copy of everything you carry around, you will be able to react quickly if your wallet or purse is stolen or lost. The photocopies will give you access …
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Guide to Homeownership: 4- Shopping For a Home
Many people start the home-buying process with this step. As we’ve shown you in this series, there are several things you need to do first. If you haven’t gotten your finances in order and created a budget that enables you to afford the costs of …
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Guide to Homeownership: 2- Your Credit History
The most thorough credit check most people will undergo is the one that precedes a home purchase. Your mortgage lender will check all three of your major credit reports, all of your FICO™ scores, and look at 2 years worth of tax returns as well …
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Guide to Homeownership: 1- Preparing for Homeownership
Getting ready for homeownership means getting your finances in order. If you don’t currently have a budget you stick to every month, you must create one now. Come up with a spending plan you can live with that leaves you enough money for the various …
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Be Aware Of The Dangers When Using Credit Cards
You have to be cautious. Overspending can be an addiction, like alcoholism, drug abuse or compulsive gambling. Even though you feel that you’re in control with your finances, there’s a lot of temptation.
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Tips for College Students to Avoid Credit Card Debt
A lot of students pile up a lot of debt just to have a good time. The vast majority of the time we meet students who have high credit card debt, their statements reflect a habit of putting meals, drinks and event tickets on their charge card.





