By Mitchell D. Weiss

If insanity is defined as repeatedly doing the same thing and expecting a different result, the student loan interest rate throwdown that's about to be reprised in Washington, D.C., warrants an intervention.

You may recall that at this time in 2012, Congress was in a lather...

By Deanna Templeton

We recently received a question from a reader who is looking for help with a past due movie rental that went to collections:

Today I received a letter in the mail from a collection agency stating that a DVD I rented from Family Video...

By Mitchell D. Weiss

My daughter works for a nonprofit organization. The pay's not great but she loves what she does. So much so that she's now ready to take the next step in her personal career development plan -- graduate school. As it turns out, though, there's only one...

By Barry Paperno

Have you ever wondered how they come up with a three-digit number that can predict whether you're a good or bad credit risk?

Back in the 1980s, a group of credit grantors, Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) and one of the three national credit bureaus got together to...

By Jason Steele

When Discover introduced their latest product, the Discover it card, the company highlighted the fact that there was no late fee for cardholders' first late payment. But savvy cardholders were already aware that most banks will waive an occasional late fee when asked....

Will you be sticking with your credit card longer than your spouse? For some Americans, the answer will be "yes." Overall, we are are pretty faithful to our plastic. According to Experian, the average time a credit card account remains open is approximately 129 months -- or 10.75...

By Mitchell D. Weiss

There are lots of cash-strapped consumers out there who, for all practical purposes, are closed out of many traditional credit product offerings because of the high default risk they're presumed to represent. But that doesn't mean the financial services industry hasn't figured out ways to profit...

By Gerri Detweiler

You've set your goal to get out of debt. Now you have to figure out how to achieve that goal. But with so many different experts touting different solutions, how do you pick the one that will work for you? Here are five options:

DIY...

By Gerri Detweiler

Your brand new credit card arrives in the mail all shiny, just waiting for you to take it shopping. Before you break it in, though, watch out for these five mistakes new cardholders often make:

Loading up on extras: Before you use your card for the first...

By Kali Geldis

With holiday spending expected to soar this year and some consumers using their favorite piece of plasticto front the cash, credit card balances are on the top of everyone's mind.

Since a higher credit utilization ratio (total balances to total credit limits) can...

By Gerri Detweiler

It's bad enough to owe medical debt you can't pay. But what if you're young and being hounded by collectors for medical bills that were incurred when you were just a kid? Our series...

By Gerri Detweiler

You've heard the standard advice: check your credit reports for free once a year at AnnualCreditReport.com. You may have even heard the suggestion that you stagger your requests at that site so you'll get a report from one of the three major credit reporting agencies...

By Mitchell D. Weiss

If you're one of the 28% of U.S. homeowners with a mortgage that's higher than your house is currently worth, is it time to toss the keys to your lender and walk away?

According to Zillow's third quarter Negative Equity Report, some 14 million...

Is giving on your mind this time of year? Not only are many of us shopping for holiday gifts, but we may also be considering year-end donations to causes we care about. Before you pull out the plastic or your checkbook, though, make sure you understand how to make your...

Although it may not feel like a very personal gift, you probably can't go wrong giving a gift card as a holiday present. Gift cards/certificates and cash are the top two gifts consumers want to receive this holiday season, according to the Deloitte annual holiday survey.And prepaid cards continue...

By Mitchell D. Weiss

I'm a visual learner---I don't get it unless I can see it or read it.  Perhaps this is why I find politics and punditry so frustrating. Facts and figures in sound bite format without the benefit of context or analysis are more confusing for someone like...

By Mitchell D. Weiss

The cost of financing higher education has long been a sticking point among lawmakers. In fact, the unnecessary fight over the continuation of the government's subsidized Stafford Loan program rates spilled onto the campaign trail this summer, culminating in pledges of support from both candidates and...

By Mark Rukavina

It's no secret that medical bills in collection can ruin your credit. In fact, it may lower a score by "100 points or more" for someone with a spotless credit history, according to FICO. As tens of millions of Americans are paying off medical bills...

By Eric Bell

Recently, I graduated with an MBA from Georgetown University and $130,000 in student loan debt. It's a lot of money, I know. But my education is a worthwhile investment from my perspective, and to get a good education these days costs a good chunk of change. The...

By Shannon McNay

We all love budgeting, right? No? How about budgeting as a couple? Yikes. I know, relationships can be complicated enough without adding the stress of personal finance into the mix. However, if you and your partner keep the lines of communication open and constant, then you may...