Education Articles

What to Do About Those Annoying Robocalls

Like any cyber virus out there, robocalls have found a way to evolve. Early on, they were easy to detect and ignore—the calls came from an area code you didn’t recognize. But the scam has become far more sophisticated with the rise of  Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)  dialing and  call “spoofing”  (faking a phone number). It’s become...

How To Pick the Right Student Loan

College isn’t getting any cheaper. And worse, with so much competition for scholarships, funding is far from a sure thing (no matter how qualified you are). Even college-bound students who do receive funding typically discover it’s not enough to cover the cost of a degree. But don’t let this sway your decision whether you attend college. Between...

Your Personal RV Buying Guide

Are you craving the open road? Recreational vehicles, which come in many shapes and sizes, are a popular choice to hit the road. Depending on your tastes and budget, the options range from practical yet stylish to truly luxury-class accommodations. But buying an RV is a big decision—if your largest assets are the house and car, this purchase lan...

Time to Rethink Your Savings Strategy

If you’re like many Americans, chances are in recent years you have put saving on your back burner. The personal savings rate across the nation dipped to 2.4 percent of disposable income earlier this year, the lowest rate since 2005, and that trend is certainly alive and well in Oregon. The low savings rate sounds alarming. In context, though, i...

5 Ways It Pays to Have Your Own Insurance Agent

There are seemingly endless ways today to achieve instant gratification with a few mouse clicks. Shopping has become so streamlined that you hardly need to leave the house anymore. With so many e-commerce stores offering free shipping and next-day delivery, the shopping and buying process has become ridiculously easy. How about insurance? Surely...

A Parent's Guide to In-Game Purchases

You've probably heard the horror stories. A 7-year-old in the United States spent  $6,000 buying virtual dinosaurs , an 8-year-old in the United Kingdom spent  £1,000 on virtual doughnuts , and a 15-year-old in Belgium spent  €37,000 buying virtual money . Many games, especially mobile games, are referred to as  free-to-play . This can be...

Is a Personal Loan Right for Me?

Personal loan . It’s such a general term that can theoretically be interpreted many different ways. For instance, back in the day, people would simply write “IOU” on a piece of scratch paper, a veritable handshake promise that you’ll eventually pay your buddy the 20 bucks you borrowed. A college student living on ramen noodles may get a small...

Wants vs. Needs: Finding the Perfect Balance

The end of the year (or beginning of a new year) is a great time to take a look at your household’s budget and start planning for the new year. Whether you’re creating a new budget from scratch or reviewing previous months’ expenses, it’s helpful to consider if those expenses fall into the category of a  want  or a  need . What’s the difference?...

Tricks to Selling Your Home Quickly

Are you on the fence deciding whether to sell your home? Depending on your station in life, it's still a pretty good time to sell. The market has cooled somewhat for sellers, but housing inventory remains historically low, which in turn has kept prices high. Before diving in, though, make sure your financial home is sound. After you sell your...

Organizing Your Household Finances

Stop for a moment and think about all the bills, receipts, paystubs, account statements, and other essential financial paperwork that comes your way on a monthly basis. It’s enough to make your head spin. Thankfully, an organizing system for your financials that you’re comfortable with can make all the difference. File it all away Whether it’s i...