It’s possible to make a big paper gain. But lose money in reality. How? Because raw return figures can be deceiving unless you understand how … Read More

It starts innocently enough: the credit card statement comes in, showing what the minimum payment is. Oh yeah,” you think, “I’ll make the minimum.” But … Read More

Last week you signed your name to those loan papers, and the lender gave you an estimated rate of 6.5 percent (the note rate). You … Read More

When a mortgage application slows down, it’s rarely due to the home itself. Rather, there’s some negative-looking number sitting in that underwriter’s file. That number … Read More

There are two price tags in front of you, one offering 20% off; another offering an additional 10%, provided you enter a discount code. Math … Read More

Future value is a measure of your capital’s growth through time. You can think of it like leaving a dollar on the table for thirty … Read More

If you have ever bought a car or taken out a personal loan, then you know how it works: you get a contract from the … Read More

When most folks look at a savings rate, they move on. Five percent? I can do that, they say to themselves. That’s my money. It … Read More

Sometimes I’m offered a job that pays me $50,000 per year, and I have another that pays me $25/hour.” It’s hard to know which is … Read More

A tall building is no indicator of its strength; you’d need to see the foundations for that. Similarly, investors can not assess a bank’s balance … Read More