The holidays are supposed to be the most joyous time of the year. Sadly, many people ruin their holidays by creating their own financial stress.

The good news is that there are several ways to reduce your financial stress during the holiday. By following some simple, common-sense steps, you can greatly reduce or even eliminate any financial stress during the holidays.

Let the COVID-19 pandemic, commonly known as the coronavirus, serve as a lesson -- a difficult but important one. After hunkering down at home during this pandemic, COVID-19 has taken more than just a physical toll on the country and each one of us individually; it may have taken a financial toll as well. Let’s look at tools to help recover financially after the coronavirus.

Overspending: it's easy to do if you're living paycheck to paycheck where one extra emergency expense may send your financial situation over the edge. All solid financial plans involve methods for controlling and reducing spending. These less obvious, yet practical ideas may help reduce your monthly expenses.

If you've applied for a loan and it has been turned down, not only can this put a stop to the money you needed, it might also be an indication that your credit score isn’t as good as you thought. This might preclude you from getting a loan now or in the future.

Marriage is an investment in each other. You will make many decisions together throughout your marriage. The toughest decisions typically revolve around money. Are you a saver? A spender? How and where should you spend it? You might be surprised to learn your beloved has very different ideas about money than you. Unfortunately, financial issues are among the top reasons why marriages fail. According to a 2017 survey by Ramsey Solutions, couples who declare they have a “great” marriage are almost twice as likely to talk about money on a regular basis compared to those who say their marriage is only “okay” or “in crisis.”

There are a few things about money and financial goals you and your loved one should discuss to make sure you’re both on the same page before taking the plunge.

As the weather starts getting warmer it’s a reminder that spring is right around the corner.  It’s time to start focusing on spring cleaning around your house and tossing out the old and unused, keeping what’s important and cleaning items you’ve avoided all winter.  It’s also a great time to start thinking about your financial spring cleaning and dusting off your financial documents too. 

You may have seen something called APR listed on your loan documents when you borrow money.  This could be a credit card statement, a mortgage statement, or even a personal loan statement.  You may have often asked yourself, “What does ‘APR’ really mean?”.  You should understand the math behind calculating an APR to help make informed decisions on which type of loan is best for you.

FRAUD WARNING – BE AWARE OF COPYCAT FRAUDSTER WEBSITES POSING AS A LEGITIMATE INSTALLMENT LOAN PROVIDER.

Counterfeit online lending websites claiming to be legitimate installment loan providers will collect your personal information via what seems like a valid application process.

There are many different types of credit available to consumers today. Making sure you are informed about what is available and how different account types can impact your credit rating is crucial to making right decisions.

Tax Season is upon us again and millions of Americans may put off filing until just before the April 15 deadline. Government cutbacks over the past few years have resulted in a number of layoffs of IRS agents, and subsequently, the number of tax audits has been falling, but don’t be fooled into thinking “I’ll never get audited.” Roughly one million Americans will be audited this coming year[¹].  These audits do not include filers whose returns were sent back for mistakes.