Prosper is a peer-to-peer lender. That means they match up people who need to borrow money with people willing to loan out their cash. The loans are unsecured. That means the people who borrow money promise to pay back the loans but they aren’t required to provide collateral. It’s a personal loan. Borrowers come to […]
Archives for January 2012
Is It Dumb To Use Credit Repair Companies?
Neal’s Notes: What follows is a guest post and one person’s experience with Lexington Law the credit repair firm. I think Mike has many valid points but I think his positions sometimes miss. Different people face different credit challenges. Mike is a financial expert who already was successful improving his credit score on his own. […]
Sell Your Phased Retirement Idea to Your Boss
Do you almost have enough money to retire and want to scale back from the 40-hours-a-week grind? If so, here’s a way for you to get your employer to agree to your phased retirement. Before you approach your employer, you have to think like her. Her main interest is her business. She wants the best […]
Lifecycle Funds – When to (and not to) Use Them
Lifecycle funds are popular investment options. They are choices in almost every retirement and 529 plan I see these days. And this is to say nothing of the many investors who purchase these funds outside of college and retirement plans. But are lifecycle funds good choices? In most cases, no. In one case, yes. Before […]
Why You Must Check Your Credit Record before Applying for Credit
Many of us don’t think about checking our credit records until after we’ve applied for credit — and possibly been denied. I understand that process of course – but it can be costly. If you go that route you may not get the best credit terms – or you might even get rejected. Of course […]
How to Pay the IRS with a Credit Card for Free
You know that Uncle Sam is expecting your tax payment shortly. And if you want to make that payment by using your credit card, you can actually do so free of charge and avoid IRS trouble. If you’re lucky, you might even be able to scoop up some airline miles for yourself too. Have I […]