Finance Globe

Much of the U.S. government has been shutdown since the beginning of the October while the nation’s decision makers try to figure out how the government is going to pay its bills. Meanwhile, scammers are taking advantage of the shutdown to trick consumers into giving up personal information that can be used for fraud. Sallie Mae, Student Loan Forgiveness ScamAmid the shutdown, there have been quite a few fake social media accounts created claiming to be...

Americans should be on alert for scammers posing as government workers, the Better Business Bureau advises. The purpose of the scam is to fool you into sharing your personal information, which can then be used to commit identity theft.The scam starts with a phone call from the con artists who claims that you have been selected to receive insurance cards through the Affordable Care Act - also known as “Obamacare.” In order to receive your insurance...

Most expenses are paid every month and so they’re pretty easy to remember. When you create your budget, you’re not likely to forget things like rent or mortgage, utility payments, credit card payments, etc. But, there are expenses that don’t come so regularly, that you pay only once or twice a year. These oft-forgotten expenses can break your budget during those months, especially if you forget about them. Here are some expenses that you might forget...

Having an “I don’t care” don’t care attitude about anything is dangerous. Being careless about your money is a severe threat to your security and freedom, now and in the future. No matter how much money you have, you can’t afford not to care about your spending. Are you spending carelessly? Here are a few signs. Careless spenders don’t create or adhere to a budget and, subsequently waste a lot of money. Many people avoid budgeting...

Very few banks are offering free accounts these days. So if you want to minimize the amount you pay for using bank accounts, you have to be aware of the fees and know what you can do to avoid them. Some transactions incur small fees that can add up to hundreds in a year if you’re not careful. Mistake: Overspending your account. Perhaps the most expensive bank mistake is to overdraft your checking account. You’re going...

In the days when free checking accounts were widely available, choosing a checking account was fairly simple as long as your checking account needs were basic. Just choose the free account. Now that more banks are charging monthly checking account fees, you have to be more cautious about the type of account you open. Accounts have varying fees and services. Some fees can be waived, but you have to meet certain criteria. First choose your bank....

Budgeting is actually pretty simple. Just use the math you learned in elementary school and don’t spend more than you have. Really, it’s not brain surgery. It just feels like it sometimes. Add an uncooperative spouse into the equation and you might feel like volunteering to get a lobotomy. Hello again, budgeting allies! How are you all doing? Got your SMART goals in place? Budgets nailed down? Have you been hanging on the edge of your...

Last week the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service announced that all legal same-sex marriages will be recognized for federal tax purposes. This move invalidated a key provision of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which specifically required that couples must be heterosexual to be recognized as married.The ruling will apply to couples who were married in jurisdictions that recognize their marriage regardless of whether or not the marriage is recognized by the jurisdiction the couple...

Once upon a time, before reality television, before the internet, before we had an intimate look into the lives of the rich and the famous (and the aspiring-to-be rich and famous), there was a such thing as “keeping up with Joneses.” The Joneses were the rich nextdoor neighbors who seemed to set the bar for the standard of living. Now, the bar has been raised so much higher because we’re not only trying to keep up...

Growing up, you never really think about bills. You may hear your parents complain about them or warn you that you'll one day have to deal with bills, but other than that, it's like bills were just something adults had to deal with. Then one day, you were the adult getting letters in the mail from companies who expected you to send money by a certain date. They may have trickled in, one bills each month...