Top 10 Personal Finance Articles of the Month — August 2017

Financial Basics

Are You Putting Off These 9 Adult Money Moves? — Tim Lemke, Wisebread

As the kids say on Twitter these days, “Adulting is hard.” With this mentality it’s likely that many young adults are delaying the adoption of some positive personal finance habits. From building emergency funds and budgeting to getting insured and investing for retirement, Tim looks at several important money moves that should be done sooner rather than later.

10 Ways You Can Simplify Your Finances Right Now — Edwin C., Cash the Checks

One possible reason that young adults delay certain money moves is that personal finance can be confusing at times. For example maintaining multiple bank accounts, credit card accounts, and side hustles can sometimes be overwhelming for anyone. That’s why, in this piece, Edwin offers 10 ways you can simplify your finances and make your life easier overall.

How to Budget When You’re Broke — Megan Robinson, Better Frugal

Just about everyone knows the importance of budgeting and how monitoring your spending can help prevent you from living paycheck to paycheck. Unfortunately, when you don’t have much money to begin with, finding room in that budget can a challenge. Megan knows the struggle and shares some of her best tips for building a budget even when you’re broke and working toward a better financial life.

Credit Questions and Advice

What Your Credit Score is Trying to Tell You — John Ulzheimer, The Simple Dollar

Thanks to sites like Credit Karma and others, more Americans now have at least an idea of what their credit score looks like, but how many of them actually know what that score means? John takes a closer look at what factors go into generating a credit score and what those scores say about your creditworthiness.

If You Want a Good Credit Score, Read Your Credit Reports — Bev O’Shea, NerdWallet

A common point of confusion revolves around credit scores and credit reports. While far from synonymous, the two do go hand in hand and are both important in understanding how creditors view you. As Bev points out, reading your credit report can also be instrumental in helping you improve your credit scores.

How Long Does Negative Information Stay on Your Credit Report? — Jim Wang, Wallet Hacks

We’ve all made mistakes, but how long do those mistakes follow you around? When it comes to credit, it will depend on the infraction but, on the whole, it can be a long while. In this article, Jim answers a number of credit questions including “how will negative items affect my score?” and “how long will those items stay on my report?”

Retirement Savings

Here’s How Long $1 Million in Retirement Savings Will Last You in All 50 States — Lisa Rowan, The Penny Hoarder

One million dollars may sound like a lot but, it terms of retirement, it might not last as long as you think. Furthermore where you choose to spend your golden years can also have a major impact on how far your retirement nest egg will go. Take a look at the best and worst states to retire in this awesome report from Lisa.

How to Save For Retirement, Even if You’re Starting Late — Daniel Wesley, Credit Loan

Before you can worry about what the best state to retire in would be, you’ll first need to build your savings. While the general rule on retirement savings is “the earlier, the better” it’s ultimately important to do what you can when you can. So, no matter when you’re starting, Daniel has some advice for building up your retirement savings.

Personal Finance Tips

Understanding Student Loans: 7 Things You Need to Know Before Taking Them Out — John Schmool, Frugal Rules

Thanks to rising tuition costs and a number of other factors, more young adults are now saddled with some amount student debt. In fact, student loans have become such common place that some borrowers may not even realize what they’re getting themselves into. For students considering taking out loans for their college education, John shares a few things you should know.

There is No Magic Solution to Your Underwater Car Loan — Tom McParland, Jalopnik

You’ve probably heard it said that cars start to lose their value the second you drive off of a dealership lot. As a result many Americans currently own vehicles that are worth less than what they owe on them — commonly referred to as being “underwater.” Sadly, as Tom notes, there’s no great solution to fixing this problem other than holding onto your current car.

Thanks for checking out my top 10 personal finance articles published last month and congratulations to all of the bloggers who made the list. To find more of these great articles on a daily basis, be sure to follow me on Twitter @jondyer9 and of course visit DyerNews.com.