You may have been expecting your tax refund and then you find out that your refund got taken.  This is called a tax intercept or a tax offset.  The main reasons your refund may get taken: Student loans Child support Federal or state income taxes Bankruptcy trustee

You can try to do a calculation for child support on your own.  You will need information regarding income, child care costs, and health insurance costs.  Here is the link: http://mycourts.in.gov/csc/parents/

In 2017, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released the results of a survey which showed that more than 40 percent of US adults are struggling to make ends meet.  Those who are struggling are running out of food, cannot afford a place to live, or don’t have money to get medical treatment.  People who are […]

Many credit card companies, as well as some banks and credit unions, will give you your credit score each month.  They can list your credit score each month on your monthly statement.  Or you can log on to your account each month to check your credit score.

CareCredit is a credit card you can use for health-related expenses.  Do you have health care costs that are not covered by your health insurance?  You may be able to use CareCredit to pay for those expenses.  CareCredit is better than a regular credit card because you may be able to pay no interest or […]

You should know what the fair market price of a used car is before you buy the car.  The fair market price is based on several factors, including mileage, options and the condition of the car.  To find out a car’s fair market price, try these websites: www.edmunds.com www.nadaguides.com www.kelleybluebook.com

You can try to dispute items on your credit report.  The dispute process can be time consuming, and you may not get any results even after months of trying.  Sometimes the only way to get rid of debt is to file a bankruptcy.  For many people, filing bankruptcy is the fastest and cheapest way to […]

If you want to buy a condominium or a house, one of the first steps is to look at your credit report and your credit score.  These are two different things.  Your credit report is an actual report that is a few pages long.  Your credit score is a number, usually a 3 digit number.  […]

One of your best chances for getting affordable payments on your federal student loans is to apply for an income based repayment plan.  Your monthly payment could be as low as $0 per month if your income is low enough.  Remember: this only applies to federal student loans, not private student loans.  Go to this […]

Payday loans are usually given in amounts from $100 to $1,000.  You may pay $30 to borrow $100.  With interest rates and finance charges, you may be paying 300% to 750% in annual interest.  The loan will typically be due on your next payday.  If the payday loan is loaded onto a debit card, there […]