Feeling Stuck In Your Car Loan?

Bills are a lot like bad weather. They’re going to come anyway, so you might as well not try to fix them, right? For some bills, that’s the case. For others, though, you can make a big difference in your monthly budget with a little legwork.   One of the bills you can change is […]

The Best Deals On Wheels For College Students

You’ve shopped for weeks and you’ve packed for hours. Now, you’re finally ready to load your trunk and pull out of the family driveway toward your next stage in life. Which set of wheels will accompany you on your rite of passage into the grown-up world? Yes–you’ve chosen your college, your major, and perhaps your […]

How To Use The Money Envelope System

If you’re like many of us, you’ve been trying to stick to a budget for a while, but by the time each month is over, you’ve busted your budget – again. Because of this recurring pattern, you’re probably wondering if there’s a better way. Fortunately, the answer is yes! The money envelope system has been […]

How To Fund An Emergency

Q: Help! I’ve been hit with a financial emergency and I don’t know how to pay for it! What are my options? A: Ideally, you’ll want to have an emergency fund in place for this very reason. If you don’t, or the money you have set aside isn’t enough, you have several options to consider.  We’ve […]

Mother’s Day On A Budget

Along with the blossoming flowers, the blazing sunshine and the tinkling bell of the ice cream truck come ideas and plans for celebrating Mother’s Day. Our moms are always there for us, as a sounding board, a virtual treasure trove of advice and to dote on us when we need a little pampering. Mother’s Day, […]

Rising Interest Rates

If you follow the national business news, you are likely getting mixed messages about the state of the economy. While never very reassuring, pundits’ opinions on the stock market and the country’s economic state are changing as frequently as the Ohio weather.  But there’s one area that’s been constant for some time now: rising interest […]

Return or Loan? Why Tax Refund is a 4 Letter Word.

Retailers across the country expect big sales for the first quarter of the year. They know this is the time of year when 75% of Americans get a big check in the mail courtesy of Uncle Sam. Nobody likes filing their taxes, but everyone likes getting a refund. It’s free money, right? Whoa … hold […]

Choosing an Equity Loan In A Rising Rates Environment

Q:  I’d like to take out a loan against my home’s equity, but I’ve heard that interest rates are expected to climb soon. What are the differences between a home equity line of credit (HELOC) and a typical home equity loan? How does an environment of rising interest rates impact each choice? A: It’s true […]

4 Home Improvement Projects with High Long-Term Return

When you’re making improvements to your home, you’re not just making your life better in the short term. You’re also making an investment in your future. Ideally, the increase in the value of your home will exceed the cost of the improvement. However, it seldom works out like that. The most efficient home improvements don’t […]

With ‘Pokémon Go,’ If You Gotta Catch ’em All, Consider The Price

If you were alive in the 1990s, you might remember a new craze that swept the world in the form of a Nintendo Game Boy game called Pokémon. The premise of the game is incredibly simple. You capture monsters, train them and pit them against the monsters trained by your opponents. What made the game […]