The Financial Order of Operations: What to Do With Your Next Dollar
Most money questions are really ordering questions. Get the order right and the individual products matter far less.
Mid-career
Cutting Fixed Costs: Where the Real Savings Are
Fixed costs are decided once and paid every month. That is what makes them worth attacking.
Avalanche vs Snowball: Which Debt Payoff Method Wins
One method is mathematically better. The other is the one more people finish.
Credit Scores Explained: What Moves Them and What Does Not
Two factors account for roughly two-thirds of the score. Most of the anxiety attaches to the other third.
Tracking Net Worth: The One Number Worth Watching
Income tells you what came in. Net worth tells you what you kept.
Getting Out of Credit Card Debt
At 23% APR the minimum payment is a repayment schedule designed to last decades.
Balance Transfer Cards: Doing the Arithmetic First
A balance transfer is a deadline, not a solution.
Freezing Your Credit: Free Protection Most People Skip
The most effective anti-fraud step available costs nothing and takes one evening.
Buying a Car Without Overpaying
Dealers negotiate the monthly payment. You should negotiate the price.
Negotiating Salary: The Highest-Return Hour of Your Year
No other single conversation moves your lifetime earnings as much.