One common financial question I hear is, “should I pay off my debt first, or start my emergency fund?” An emergency fund should have between three to six months’ worth of expenses. So if it costs you $3000 a month to run your household, ... READ MORE
Category: Money Matters, Work & Life
Until recently, the three major credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian & TransUnion- tracked and treated medical debt collection very similar to other types of collections. If a consumer does not pay a debt, the creditor can sell the unpaid ... READ MORE
Category: Money Matters
Recent economic indicators are not positive. Our financial forecasters are seeing storm clouds of inflation and higher interest rates forming. While it all may not be doom and gloom, we might be smart to start preparing to weather a financial ... READ MORE
Category: Money Matters
Now that we are squarely into 2022, we can start to look forward to all that the new year will bring us. What we won't look forward to are all the credit card bills the post office will bring us. To help alleviate that holiday debt, let's ... READ MORE
Category: , Money Matters, Work & LifeFor a lot of us, we don’t intend to leave a debt unpaid. Often, it is a tough decision that has to be made between buying groceries and medicine or paying the credit card payment. At some time or another, many of us end up with an outstanding ... READ MORE
Category: Money Matters, UF/IFAS Extension
You might be feeling like you won a jackpot between the third stimulus check and your tax refund coming around the same time. For many families, excess money like this is very rare and they aren’t sure if they will see this much extra again. ... READ MORE
Category: Money Matters, Work & LifeMonday, February 22nd, starts America Saves Week. This past year has hit a lot of families hard financially, emphasizing the fact that having a healthy amount of money saved is crucial to getting through an emergency. How much should you have ... READ MORE
Category: Money Matters, Work & LifeThe median household income in 2019 was $68,703, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Let’s say you were put in charge of $68,703 for a year at your job for a special project. You would be responsible with it, transparent, aware of your ... READ MORE
Category: Money Matters, Work & LifeIt is tempting to use your emergency savings towards your holiday spending. You know the money is there, and you can always build up your emergency fund after the holidays, right? This is the equivalent of having junk food in the house (despite ... READ MORE
Category: Money Matters, Work & LifeUF/IFAS St. Lucie County Extension and St. Lucie County Community Services staff want to help Treasure Coast residents improve their credit scores. Why Does A Credit Score Matter? A credit score is a number that lenders use to determine credit ... READ MORE
Category: Money Matters, Work & Life