Finance Globe

Consumer debt has been rising steadily as the economy recovered from the 2008 recession and overall consumer debt reached a record $13.5 trillion in the 4th quarter of 2018, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's report on U.S. household debt and credit. Rising levels of debt may not be good for the economy and especially on consumer wallets. Here are some ways you can tell if you're adding too much debt each month. You...

As the winter season comes to an end, it’s safe to say that you’re looking forward to warmer weather and everything that comes along with it. After a long winter, you may realize that you’ve got more clutter in your home than you would like. Rather than throw out any unwanted items, it makes better sense to organize a garage sale. Not only does this help you remove clutter, but with the right approach you can...

Cable companies are notorious for regularly increasing the cost of your service. Just as you get comfortable with one payment, you receive a bill that you’re not expecting. While you could simply pay the higher bill, you don’t necessarily want to take this approach. It’s better to contact your cable company, ask about the increase, and determine if there’s anything you can do to save. It goes without saying that you can negotiate the overall price...

Trying to pay off multiple credit cards can be complicated. You have to break up your extra money between all your balances, which means you’re not making as much progress as you would if you could just pay one debt. Consolidating your credit card debt makes it much easier to pay since you can make a single payment. The hard part can be figuring out the best way to consolidate. Here are a few options to...

When you apply for a credit card, you do so after comparing a variety of offers in order to find the right one. Over time, the terms and conditions of your credit card could change. If this happens, you shouldn’t hesitate to contact your issuer to discuss your options. Furthermore, if you come across something that no longer works for you, it’s worth asking for assistance. Here are three things you should ask your credit card...

A low credit score (also known as a bad credit score) isn’t the end of the world. Even if you have a low score, it doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t live the life you want in regards to your finances. However, as time goes by, you’ll come to realize that a low score is impacting you in a variety of ways. Here are five issues that could come to light: Loan denial: Lenders look at many...

Spending too much on your credit card can lead to major problems. Big credit card balances put you at risk of going into debt. They can also hurt your credit score, since 30% of your credit score is based on how much of your credit you’re using. Here are some tips for tracking your credit card spending so you’re on top of what you’re charging each month. Use a spreadsheet. If your credit card lets you...

As I mentioned in my 2018 stock market in review article, asset allocation is very important in evaluating your investment portfolio. Many people perform their asset allocation themselves or hire a financial expert to assist with it. If you are looking to start performing your asset allocation yourself or learn more about it, I thought I would provide a high-level overview. Please let me know if you have any follow up questions, and I would be...

Financial scams are extremely common now. They put a lot of people at risk and in many cases you can lose a lot of money. With the advancement in technology, scammers are getting smarter and that makes it much more difficult to identify the scam before it is too late. As we enter into 2019, below are a few scams to keep an eye out on. Crypto Rip-Offs: Cryptocurrencies are so common now due to the...

For those who don’t follow the stock market on a regular basis, I thought I would provide a high level summary and recap. Most investors are relieved that 2018 is over. There were a lot of highs, including the tax-cut optimism, to quite a lot of lows, especially the last few months. From a U.S. stock market perspective, it was the worst performance since 2008 during the financial crises. The S&P 500 fell 6.2% for the...