Financial stress can take the joy out of the holiday season, but there are some small steps you can take to limit spending during this time of year. Budgeting: Budgeting is one of the simplest ways to save money. Allow yourself a certain amount to spend on various holiday needs and be diligent in staying within your...
At any point in time, a person’s income probably won’t always be enough to cover all of the expenses when there is a time of need. As a result, plan sooner, rather than later, to implement a savings strategy to begin, or increase, personal savings levels as needed so an adequate amount of funds can...
Buying a house can be a life-changing experience. Each step along the home ownership journey requires either a good deal of time or money: The time to select and meet with a mortgage lender and gather the necessary information to determine the borrower’s qualification for a home mortgage; The time to collect, in addition to,...
Credit is an important financial tool. Good credit allows consumers to purchase many different kinds of goods and services including some of the most expensive such as college tuition, new vehicles or even a home, without having to immediately pay cash. Over time, consumers use of credit builds consumers’ credit reputations – summarized in a...
A tax refund marks a great chance to set yourself in a better position for the future. If you’re getting a windfall from the IRS, here are a dozen great ways to make sure your money continues to work for you. 1. Have a little fun! It’s ok to have some fun with your refund....
As access to financial services becomes more technology driven, with improved security features, scammers and fraudsters are evolving just as quickly in order to take advantage of the unwary or uninformed consumer. With an estimated impact of $6 trillion by 2021 (Gemalto.com), cybercrime may not only be financially devastating – it could also devastate a...
Life is full of decisions, some bigger or more impactful than others. This is fairly obvious. What’s not so obvious is that some seemingly small decisions you make as a young person – we’re talking about money decisions – can have life-changing consequences, both good and bad. To focus on the positive, here are three...
Losing a spouse is not an easy journey. Often, grief is set aside to deal with the ongoing practical matters of everyday life and the new reality of handling household finances as an individual rather than as a couple. The good news is there are a number of resources at DuTrac to assist you. Where...
Keep all receipts and create notes to record payments without receipts. Keep an account book by expense categories. This way you will be able to see what areas you tend to overspend. Use envelopes for each category of expenses with an allocated amount of money for a set-time, like a month. Pay bills by check...
