Make it a priority to have at least eight months of living costs set aside in a federally insured bank or credit union account.
Credit card companies are jacking up interest rates, lowering credit limits, and closing accounts - and people who have made timely payments are not exempt. So even if you pay off your balance - and that's tough when interest rates are insanely high - there's a good chance your credit limit will be slashed, and that will hurt your FICO score.
It's easy to underestimate the real cost of home ownership.
If you pay off your mortgage before retirement, you take a huge financial load off your shoulders. You also become eligible to take out a reverse mortgage once you turn 62.
Rather than saying, 'My checking account is a wreck,' change it to 'I will learn how to track my spending and balance my checkbook.'
Don't let what others think or say get in your way; their actions reflect on them, not you.
The chances of a bank going out of business are extremely slim, but it's always a good idea to spread around major sums so every penny is backed by insurance.
So many financial dreams are thwarted by the failure to act upon good intentions.
The last thing family and friends want is for you to spend money on them that you don't have or that you can't really spare.
Like your home's closets, your financial clutter needs an overhaul every now and again, and the payoff will go far beyond the psychic satisfaction of neatening up.
What I've learned is that the audience is constantly rotating. Just because it feels like I've said it, there are millions and millions of people that have still never heard of it.
You should keep a copy of your tax return indefinitely, but you need to save supporting documents for only three years.
Give a portion of your money to others. By releasing an anxious grasp on your money, you will open yourself to receive all that is meant to be yours.
Financial advice needs to change according to what is happening in the economy.
Yes, your kids should go to school. No, you shouldn't bankroll their degree whatever the cost. You've spent your life creating a sound financial plan; don't upend it by suspending your retirement savings or taking out a home equity line of credit to pay for a pricey college.
I want to be clear here: It does not matter what you say in your will or trust; the beneficiary document attached to your IRA accounts and your life insurance policy overrides what you say elsewhere. If you want to change the beneficiary, you must change the beneficiary document.
Sometimes your mind lets you do things with your money that make no sense.
It's not what you make, but how you feel about what you make and what you spend.
You have got to be the masters of your own financial future.
The less you have to think about how to spend every dollar, the more likely you are to spend wisely.
