Lifestyle and Budget

It all started because of a growing concern on the part of university officials: an increasing number of graduates were walking away with a diploma and a significant amount of student loan debt.

Don't call it a comeback.

A just-published report by researchers at the New York Federal Reserve Bank confirms what many have suspected: the driving force behind sky-rocketing college tuition is the increased availability of federal student aid.

When you’re looking to apply for a loan, lenders place a major emphasis on your credit report. Your credit history includes your amount of debt and payment history, as well as other factors, and lenders look to your past credit behavior to see whether you’ll be a good credit risk going forward.

It's no longer a matter of if, but when.

It seldom makes sense to tap retirement accounts to pay off loans. Here's why.

Kevin Flores has more than six years to pay off the loan on his new Nissan Frontier pickup.

Taking more than one IRA distribution doesn't solve the problem of repaying the loan.

If you never got a bill, how could it get sent to collections? And can you be reported as late for a bill you never received? We asked experts.

A Kansas City woman recently won a huge damage award after being mistakenly sued for a credit card bill. Learn what steps to take if deby collectors are looking for you.

Don't let outstanding debts and high interest rates cause anxiety over your future. Follow these steps to get out of debt and enjoy your retirement.

A new report shows that student debit cards can be just as costly as a non-student debit card. In some cases, they're more expensive

How long student loan problems can affect your credit isn't always clear, because they don't all work the same way.

Housing market trends bode well for sellers this spring, but some may encounter hurdles even after they land a buyer.

Outdated debt collection laws leave some debt collectors wary of email communications. Here's what to do if you want to deal with a debt collector by email.

The new Student Aid Bill of Rights aims to help federal student loan debtors... will it also make it easier for them to discharge their debt in bankruptcy?

Mortgage interest rates have hovered near historic lows in recent years, but change may be on the horizon.

Bankruptcy definitely carries a stigma, but a new report by the Federal Reserve Bank shows that maybe bankruptcy isn't the end of the world for a consumer.

A reader recently wrote in, concerned about how to deal with an old student loan debt and what effect it could have on their credit.

The trick to surviving your student loan debt is to take on as little as possible in the first place.