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Most financial experts will tell you that you need three to six months of expenses saved for emergencies. For the average American household, that's anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 sitting in the bank. If you're living paycheck to paycheck, that number probably makes you want to close this article right now. Don't. Here's the truth that most financial gurus won't tell you: the hardest part about building an emergency fund isn't saving thousands of dollars. It's saving the first...

Debt Management Strategies: How to Get Out of Debt and Stay Debt-Free If you want to keep your personal finances in shape, you have to keep on top of debt. A debt burden can easily overwhelm any plans you might have, financial or otherwise. With the right strategies, however, you can manage debt effectively, put it to work when appropriate, avoid it when you should, and reduce it when you need to. Understanding debt management and consolidation, and approaches like the snowball and...

Money Saving Tips for Back to School Shoppers If you are a parent, the most expensive time of the year is fast approaching. With the summer nearly over and autumn close on its heels, the kids will soon be heading off to school, and that means hundreds of dollars in new back to school clothes, expensive school supplies and other necessary gear. If that were not bad enough, by the time back to school season is over, the holidays will be fast approaching. If you do not manage your back to...

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is warning consumers about a banking scam that begins with a text message regarding a fictitious transfer of funds. In this SMSishing attack, the criminal sends a text that looks like a real fraud alert. The message asks the recipient to confirm that he or she used a banking app to transfer funds from an account. If the recipient responds with a "no," the criminal calls the target posing as a bank rep to discuss reversing the transfer. In reality, the...

What is Spoofing? A unique type of technology now enables fraudsters to fake the number they are calling from by making a false number appear on your caller ID. It’s extremely effective, because the number displayed appears to be your bank’s correct contact number. This scam is called number spoofing, and here’s how it works: criminals clone the actual telephone number of an organization they want to impersonate. Using specialized technology, the number appears on the victim's...

You consider yourself a tech savvy user. You know your way around the computer, you can install your own software with ease and you even know how a virtual private network (VPN) works. Being a smart and savvy tech user is important, of course, but even the well educated and sophisticated can make some critical mistakes. Here are five dangerous cyber security blunders that can trip up even the most advanced user. #1. Locking Your Phone with Your Banking PIN Setting a PIN code may...

At this point, most people know what "phishing" means - the creation of fake "spoofed" emails in order to trick people out of personal and banking details. A variant, however, is becoming more and more common. So-called "spear phishing" is a growing problem affecting more companies every year, and it requires a bit of specific knowledge to deal with. What is "Spear Phishing?" In normal phishing attacks, the hackers spread a wide net. They may even send the fake emails to people who...

Many people struggle with personal finances. They do not keep track of their expenses, they spend more than they should, and they do not have enough money for emergencies -- among other significant problems. While potential fixes are many, one method that will almost certainly help is simplifying your personal finances. Here are six ways to do just that. 1) Keep a Budget A budget is any means of tracking money you make and spend over a month. A budget is a cornerstone of effective,...

Worried about your security when you transact with your bank online? Whether it's transferring funds from one account to another or signing up for a credit card to a new online shopping platform, you are exposing yourself to risk every time you share important banking information online. Laws require our banks and other financial institutions to put safeguards that ensure the privacy and safety of customer data, but this does not mean that your data is 100% safe, especially from phishing...

In this attack, fraudsters are borrowing a tactic from an old tech support scam that eventually allows them to gain access to their victims' devices and bank accounts. They are calling their targets and claiming to be bank security officials who are just trying to help them by stopping some fraudulent or unauthorized activity that has been detected. The fact that these scammers are informing their victims of a possible crime and claiming that they are trying to prevent it from happening...

Building a budget that meets all of your personal finance goals is not an easy task. Whether you're just starting with your savings goals or you've been dutifully depositing part of your paycheck into your 401k, it's essential to make sure your budget includes funds you can use for your enjoyment. While an emergency fund should be used for unexpected expenses, creating a "fun fund" will ensure you get some enjoyment out of life. The fact of the matter is that the future of the economy...

The internet has revolutionized our way of life. Now more than ever, we depend on the internet for everything from shopping to banking. Although the internet has made life easier for us in a lot of ways, it has introduced some additional risks to us such as the risk of having your identity stolen online, which can result in the loss of access to your accounts, new fraudulent accounts opened in your name, and surprise bills. The risk of identity theft cannot be totally removed from your...