Lifestyle and Budget

Dave says lending money to friends is usually a bad idea. If you can help a friend in need, give the money as a gift.

Federal prosecutors say a California man has pleaded guilty to mail and wire fraud involving more than $5 million his company collected from consumers with pending loans by impersonating law enforcement in threatening phone calls.

Buyer beware when going this route. Not all consolidation loans are created equal which is why reading the fine print matters a lot.

The realms of home loans and home ownership have undergone many challenges during the past several years. Here are 10 states where homeowners are still struggling.

A magical thing happens when you pay down a house and sell it somewhere down the road. The money comes back.

About six months ago, graduation season began. College seniors and graduate students went through several rites of passage, like getting their caps and gowns, handing in their theses and going to the financial aid office to undergo student loan exit counseling. Students partaking in the latter activity were told that on graduation day, they would not only receive diplomas but also a ticking time bomb: Their student loan grace period would expire in several months, and they’d need to start repaying their debt.

Dave Ramsey tells a couple to pay off their existing mountain of debt before digging a deeper hole by going back to school.

Credit card debt has generally declined across the U.S., but Alaskans continue to carry much higher credit card balances than cardholders elsewhere.

Paying the minimum amount could leave you in debt forever. Here's the way to pay it off feasibly.

It'll take a while for unpaid collections accounts to stop affecting your credit score.

Have credit issues in your past? You still might qualify for a home loan.

When you suffer a serious illness or injury, the bills can start stacking up fast.

When a customer disputes a charge directly with the card issuer, the merchant gets hit with a charge-back fee. Technically, you may be able to pass that on to the customer but it's probably not good business practice.

Rising home values and low interest rates are a powerful combination for homeowners looking for more financial breathing room.

Credit checks for mortgages go deep and collection efforts may restart, so even on a debt 13 years old, potential damage can linger.

With a computer or a smartphone, you can review a claim, set up a monthly repayment plan or even cut a debt settlement deal with an algorithm.

It's a new myth that closing a credit card account always hurts your score.

Paying the minimum amount could leave you in debt forever. Here's the way to pay it off feasibly.

Financial missteps can linger on your credit report for years. Here's how to fix them.

Saddled with expensive debt? Instead of looking for new creditors, figure out why you're in debt in the first place and what you can do to lower it.