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Get Financially Fit! | Tips for New Grads

New grads often times are offered many tips and tricks for making it out in the "real world." It can be
a little overwhelming. Geoff Williams, contributor to U.S. News & World Report, shares with us just 5 Must-Know Money Tips for New Grads.

If you have a son or daughter graduating from college this spring, or if you're the son or daughter in question reading this, it may have occurred to you that figuring out how to pay for college was the easy part. Your real financial education is about to start: that is, how to best manage the money you're going to make.

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Get Financially Fit! | Money Moves in Your 20s

Establishing healthy savings and spending habits early on in life can help you steer clear of many financial woes and better prepare for financial success. Sabah Karimi, contributor to U.S. News & World Report, shares with us The 6 Best Money Moves to Make in Your 20s.

Whether you're just wrapping things up at college or are pushing forward with your career, you'll need a smart money strategy to count on during some of your biggest life changes.

Your 20s are the perfect time to adopt good money habits that will help you steer clear of credit card debt, help you build a savings account and make financial decisions that give you a high return on your investment.

Behold, the six best money moves you can make in your 20s.

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Get Financially Fit! | Credit Card Debt

According to Creditcards.com, about 40 percent of Americans carry credit card debt from month to month without paying it off. The website also says the average interest rate on those credit cards is more than 13 percent. GreenPath University has put together tips to get out of credit card debt.

1. Stop using your credit cards until you pay them off.

Interest rates of 15, 20, or even 25 percent or more can cause credit card balances to grow rapidly. People often find themselves on a debt treadmill, struggling to make the minimum payments and watching their principal balances grow.

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Give Your Student a Higher Education in Credit Cards

Give Your Student a Higher Education in Credit Cards

by Center for Personal Finance editors

Your student might be vulnerable to financial trouble if you don't talk to him or her about credit cards. Without any knowledge of how credit works, your student could easily sign up for a bad deal just to get a free T-shirt.

Make these messages loud and clear to students before letting them fly the nest:

GOBankingRates | 5 Signs You Have a Spending Problem

5 Signs You Have a Spending Problem

By Cameron Huddleston

July 31, 2015

One in five Americans spent more than what they earned in the last 12 months, according to a Federal Reserve Board survey released in May. Some might be relying on credit or dipping into savings to cover their spending because they are having trouble making ends meet. And, some might be simply living beyond their means.

Regardless of the reason your spending exceeds your income, “overspending is harmful because it could be a sign you’re out of control with your finances,” said Leslie H. Tayne, an attorney who concentrates in debt resolution solutions and author of “Life & Debt.” Your overspending might be making it hard to pay bills, have money for emergencies and save for the future. It could also lead to serious consequences, such as bankruptcy.

Here are five warning signs that indicate you are spending too much, how your overspending can hurt you and how to get your spending under control:

Back-to-School Savings for Your Household Budget

Back-to-School Savings for Your Household Budget

Students aren’t the only ones who’ll need to pull out the pens, paper, and calculators for the back-to-school season. Parents who want to keep back-to-school spending under control should consider doing the same.

Backpacks, paper, books, pens, pencils, calculators, computers, clothes and shoes are basic necessities that can add up quickly and become significant expenses for any household. Developing and sticking to a solid spending plan is the key to avoiding overspending. If you are in charge of back-to-school shopping, here are tips to help keep your budget on track:

Retirement - Getting On Track At Any Age

Retirement - Getting On Track At Any Age
Written by James Lander 

Source: America Saves

With the average life expectancy 30 years longer today than it was 100 years ago, saving adequate funds to live comfortably through a long retirement has become more challenging.

The path to retirement is filled with unexpected detours, but with persistence, planning, and a pledge to help motivate you to save towards your goals; you can go a long way toward building financial security. It’s never too late to start saving towards retirement.

By setting some realistic goals, creating a plan, and establishing an automatic payroll allotment, you can build a nice little nest egg that can help you live a more comfortable retirement. Regardless of when you start, certain strategies can increase your odds that you'll achieve your retirement goal:

Credit Scoring

Source: Greenpath University

Understanding Credit Scores 
Can you tell me how your credit score is calculated? A credit score is based on the information provided in your credit report and it indicates how likely you are to pay your bills. The score typically ranges from 350-850. The higher the score, the better. That’s it you say? Why yes it is. Then why is it so hard to figure out what your score is at any given time? Part of the problem is that there are multiple types of credit scores. There’s the FICO Score, Vantage Score and even scores geared toward specific purchases such as an automobile scoring model. But for the most part, scores all look at the basic same things. Let’s break down the FICO Scoring Model as that seems to be one of the most popular:

Using Credit Wisely

Source: Greenpath University

Using Credit Wisely
When I was a freshman in college, a sorority was pushing credit card applications for JC Penney. I applied and voila, a few weeks later I had a silver card in my hand that allowed me to spend $500 on whatever JC Penney sold. I had power in my hand! I marched right off to the store and used my card to buy a new outfit. (I wanted to look good for a party after all!)

"When the bill came, I did the unthinkable. I paid my bill in full."

Six Slam-Dunk Ways to Trash Your Credit Score

Six Slam-Dunk Ways to Trash Your Credit Score

by Susan Tiffany, CCUFC

It's a fact of financial life that if you want to borrow money, your lender will look at information about your credit habits before deciding how to price the loan.

If you're a good risk, you won't have to pay as much interest for the privilege of borrowing. If you've been a credit screw-up, expect a lender to charge you more. That's only fair, not only to the lender but to other borrowers the lender serves. It wouldn't be right to expect responsible borrowers to subsidize careless borrowers.

This is where your credit score comes in. It's a three-digit grade for your credit behavior to date. It changes all the time, based on your improving or deteriorating credit habits.

Some of the ways you can damage your credit score are pretty clear, while others might surprise you.