Lifestyle and Budget

You’ll have to repay the loan and probably the interest and some of the late charges. But $16,000 in fees is a bunch of crap.

More than half of respondents in a new survey saved zero for retirement last year.

Sometimes we see some unusual situations that led to debt, which I call “doozies.” Here are some doozies that top the list.

The CFPB found that 15 million consumers have only medical collections on their reports. Half of these consumers with only medical collections otherwise have clean credit, meaning they have no serious delinquencies and show no other signs of financial distress.

You need money to pay a lawyer when filing bankruptcy, but there may be ways around it.

You’ll want to be sure your credit is in the best shape possible before you apply for a car loan, home loan or personal loan. But how do you get ready for a credit check?

Government-guaranteed consumer debts—whether they take the form of residential mortgages or education loans—make for very appealing investments to yield-hungry but risk-averse investors.

The national student loan default rate declined this year, but that’s not saying much, considering 13.7% of borrowers defaulted on their loans within three years of entering repayment.

Debt collectors have been known to use dirty tricks to get consumers to pay, but those collecting student loans have an especially powerful tool on their side.

After having your identity stolen, one of the biggest problems you’re likely to face is having trouble getting new loans or credit cards, because the thief has damaged your credit score.

Tight on cash and worried about how you'll make your credit card payment this month? Or are you trying to use your credit card to pay for as much as possible so you can earn reward points or cash back? 

The Department of Education doesn’t believe that cohort-default rates (CDR) are a useful way to measure a college’s effectiveness after all—the same metric they just tweaked a few weeks ago. In fact, the agency is chucking the metric altogether — a move that should concern students and taxpayers.

Dad needs to get real busy, real fast or else his daughter will be drowning in debt when she graduates.

Tackling a hefty new monthly expense can be daunting, particularly for recent grads who haven't found steady work.

In most cases, collection agencies have no right to your account numbers or electronic access.

If you’re looking for a way to make your student loan payments more affordable, chances are you’ve looked into or heard of student loan refinancing options.

Keeping an eye on all your debts is actually a great way to save money – and get out of debt.

The interest rate pendulum has swung in favor of homeowners again.

While student loan debt owed by seniors is a “small fraction” of the total, it is growing rapidly, according to a recent government report.

Graduating from college debt-free feels really good. When Ja’Net Adams got her degree from South Carolina State in 2003, she was one of those fortunate students who started her adult life without debt, and things went along really well for her.