Budgeting & Saving
The 50/30/20 Budget and How to Adapt It
A simple way to split take-home pay among needs, wants and savings, plus ways to adjust it when your numbers don't fit neatly.
Latest articles
Budgeting & Saving
How to Build a Starter Emergency Fund
How a small cash cushion can keep a surprise bill from becoming debt, plus how to set a first goal, where to keep it and how to build it.
Loans & Borrowing
Personal Loan or Credit Card for a Big Expense?
How personal loans and credit cards differ for a large one-time cost, and the questions that can help you weigh them.
Credit Scores & Cards
How Balance Transfers Work, and When They Don't Help
A balance transfer can cut the interest you pay on card debt, but fees, deadlines and new spending can erase the benefit.
Loans & Borrowing
APR vs. Interest Rate: What's the Difference?
How an interest rate and an APR differ, what each one includes, and how to use APR to compare borrowing offers on equal terms.
Credit Scores & Cards
How Credit Scores Work: The Main Factors, Explained Simply
Where credit scores come from, the general factors that tend to move them, and a few common misunderstandings.