Money Management

If you’ve ever opened your credit card bill and wondered how your balance barely budged... even after a month of honest effort, Then you’re not imagining things. Interest on credit cards is brutal. When your APR sits somewhere between 20% and 30%, it feels like the bank is charging...

Three years ago, I watched a craft brewery owner in Portland pour $180,000 into a second taproom. Cash vanished within nine months. The reason? She ignored variable malt costs spiking 25% during supply chain disruptions. If you've lain awake worrying about making payroll, or stared at accounting software wondering...

Have you ever found yourself staring at your bank account and wondering, "How much should I have saved by 21?" It's a question that can cause both excitement and a wave of anxiety as you stand on the brink of true adulthood. You see your peers, and it feels...

Closing a joint bank account should be simple, but it rarely is. It’s an act tangled up in emotion, trust, and fear. In my nearly 30 years as a financial planner, I’ve seen joint accounts become a major source of conflict during divorces, business breakups, and family disputes. I...

The data from 2025 tells a stark story. According to Bankrate's November 2025 report, 8 in 10 Americans didn't increase their emergency savings all year. By year-end, 1 in 3 Americans had NO emergency savings at all, with the median for those who did sitting at just $500 (down...

Yes, Earnin can work together with Chime. But there are critical catches. If you're reading this, you're probably stressed. Maybe your transmission just blew and you need $800 by Tuesday. Or rent's due Friday and you're $200 short. Or you got slammed with an unexpected ER copay three days...

Let's skip the drama. You're here for a simple reason: you want to close your Chime account and move on. As a Chime account holder myself. And a financial planner with almost 30 years of experience, I've seen seemingly simple tasks like this turn into major headaches. Closing...

You deposited a check and now you’re hitting ‘refresh’ on your banking app every five minutes? That frustrating gap between seeing a check in your ledger balance and having the funds in your available balance is a universal source of financial anxiety. So, how long does it take for a check deposit to clear? As...

The return tracking shows "Delivered," but your bank account is empty. Days stretch into weeks, and frustration turns to anger. It's a maddeningly common problem that can make you feel powerless against a corporate giant. Salt on the wound, you still haven't received your Amazon refund yet. As a consumer advocate...

Did a student loan suddenly vanish from your credit report? Or are you trying to remove one? Before you celebrate or panic, let's be crystal clear: this is one of the most misunderstood topics in personal finance, and the wrong move can damage your credit for years. I've spent almost...