Five Steps to Finding $1,000for Holiday Spending
By Gail Cunningham The 2014 holiday season is a short five months away, yet many are financially unprepared to begin shopping. In recent years, Americans spent an average of $800 on holiday-related...
View ArticleIt’s Time to Get Our HeadsOut of the Sand
By Kris Gamm-Smith It’s time to get our heads out of the sand approach-avoidance with your money is a sure way to experience financial stress at its best! As a credit counselor, more than half of the...
View ArticlePopular Money Advice You Shouldn’t Take
By Mary Hunt Money advice—it’s available everywhere. But that doesn’t mean you should take it. The wise person knows how to separate the good from the bad. Here are a few timely examples: Bad advice:...
View ArticleUrban Institute Study Raises the QuestionWhy People are not Reaching Out for...
By Gail Cunningham The recent study released by the Urban Institute reveals that 35% of Americans have accounts in collections. So what keeps consumers from reaching out for help? NFCC member agencies...
View ArticleSmart Savings Advice For College Students
By Lauralynn Schueckler College students have a lot to worry about these days like classes, tests, schedules, roommates, partying, etc. That could be why so many college students put budgeting and...
View ArticleLook at the Big Picture
By Mark Foster Impulse spending can land us in hot water. Buying a TV or digital camera because it’s on sale and we want it now can create problems for us if we don’t first look to see if we can afford...
View ArticleFinancial Essentials Checklistfor the College-Bound
By Gail Cunningham Many young adults are leaving home for the first time, yet remain ill-prepared to independently manage their personal finances. This is predictable considering that less than...
View ArticleRead Contracts Carefully Before Signing
By Jason Alderman If you always stop to read the fine print before signing anything, congratulations – your parents trained you well. If you don’t, beware: Your signature could commit you to a...
View ArticlePoll Respondents Admit Personal FinancesKeep Them Awake at Night
By Gail Cunningham Close to four in five respondents (79%) to the NFCC’s July poll admitted that their personal finances keep them awake at night. The second highest number of responses came in a...
View ArticleLeave Behind the Paycheck to PaycheckStruggle and Build up Your Savings
By Mark Foster People who are living paycheck to paycheck are basically living in financial survival mode which is a stressful, exhausting, and a dangerous way to live. Fifty-nine percent of adults age...
View ArticleComplete a Financial Check-upBefore Beginning Holiday Spending
By Gail Cunningham The NFCC encourages consumers to be aware of their current financial situation before beginning holiday spending, and provides the 2014 Holiday Financial Reality Check-up to evaluate...
View ArticleWhat is a Credit Score Hard Pull?
By Melinda Opperman When your credit report is pulled for any reason, it is counted as an “inquiry”. There are two kinds of inquiries; hard and soft. A hard inquiry is when your credit report is pulled...
View ArticleDivorcing? Protect Your Finances,Personal Data
By Jason Alderman No doubt you’ve seen many warnings against sharing personal or financial information with strangers, but what about your spouse – or ex-spouse? A recent study by McAfee revealed some...
View Article6th Annual Jump$tart Educator ConferenceNow Open for Registration
By Drew Kessler Calling all teachers! Registration is now open for the 6th Annual Jump$tart National Educator Conference, devoted to classroom educators who teach personal finance or want to...
View ArticleNFCC Announces Housing Client of the Year
By Mark Foster Working for a nonprofit is a very rewarding experience; making a difference in people’s lives every day. Nonprofit Credit Counseling of Arkansas (CCOA), a member of the NFCC, made a...
View ArticleBefore Cosigning a Loan, Know the Risks
By Jason Alderman Shakespeare probably said it best: “Neither a borrower, nor a lender be, for loan oft loses both itself and friend.” Four hundred years later, people still wrestle with whether or not...
View ArticleGreenPath Debt Solutions Names Client of the Year
By Drew Kessler Tanya LaPrad’s story of dealing with about $20,000 in credit card debt has all the makings of a CNBC show like “Til Debt Do Us Part” or a Suze Orman segment of “Can I Afford It?” where...
View ArticleThe Key to Surviving Student Loan Debt
By Jesse Campbell A recent report released by the Department of Education shows that student loan default rates have fallen slightly for the first time in seven years, but still remain uncomfortably...
View ArticleConsumers Say Financial Fears Spook Them
By Gail Cunningham Scary costumes and haunted houses can be fun one night of the year, but dealing with real-life financial fears on a daily basis is no treat. However, the NFCC’s Financial Literacy...
View ArticleSix Strategies for Educating Younger Children About Finances and Money
By George Warren How much do your younger kids know about finances and money? It’s unlikely they’ll ever take a class devoted to money management during school, and considering the plight of most...
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