Avoiding Hidden Flight, Hotel Fees
By Jason Alderman
The last few years have been tough economically for many people. Unemployment fears combined with plunging home, stock and retirement account values caused many to forgo big vacations – even though stressful times are when we most need to recharge our batteries.
But with the economy turning around, many families are cautiously dipping their [...]
Improving Women’s Financial Literacy, Worldwide
By Jason Alderman
Are the 70 percent of the developing world’s adult population with no formal bank account doomed to a life of economic uncertainty and financial illiteracy? If a woman’s culture dictates that she should always put her family’s financial needs ahead of her own, can she learn to set aside money for her own [...]
Trim Your Wedding Costs
By Jason Alderman
Weddings have always been big business, but I was shocked to see how expensive they’ve become in the 17 years since my wife and I got married. According to the annual Real Weddings Study, the average wedding in the U.S. now costs $28,427, and that doesn’t even count the honeymoon.
Wait, it gets worse.
Among [...]
Are Your Parents Spending Your Inheritance?
By Jason Alderman
Most people who grew up during the Great Depression and World War II learned to scrimp and save as a matter of necessity. Many also gained financial security during subsequent decades when pension plans were more common, homeownership became the norm and government programs like Social Security and Medicare expanded. For a time, [...]
Avoiding Tax Refund Identity Fraud
By Jason Alderman
Many people file their income tax returns as early in the year as possible. Some are eager to claim their tax refund right away, while others are simply following their New Year’s resolution not to procrastinate until midnight, April 15.
Let me add another good reason to file your taxes right away: tax refund [...]
