We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy! Most people know the typical credit no-nos: Don't make a late payment. Don't allow an account to go into collections. Avoid tax liens, bankruptcies and foreclosures. And of course, paying off credit card debt should be one of your top financial priorities. (To find out your other top financial priorities, use this simple Read more

To err is human; to make budgeting mistakes, totally human as well. Most people are not aware of the little budget traps we get caught in, because life is so busy that it's hard to keep track of the smaller money details. But being careless can rack up higher bills. Pretty soon, you might be wondering where your money is going — you don't spend that much every month but your bank seems to be Read more

My work phone number must have had an illustrious history before being assigned to me, because I've gotten several calls from debt collectors and tons of texts from spam marketers since the day I got it. Recently, I realized that the frequency of "how to become a secret shopper" and "ways to get a car loan" texts meant that it was time to find a way to block spam texts. Most of you have also Read more

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy! It’s not that insurance companies are sexist. Or that they expect all of their female customers to go barefaced and disheveled. But if you use your commute as makeup application time, you’re a crash risk. In fact, applying makeup is actually more dangerous than dialing a cell phone–it’s the fifth likeliest task to Read more

US regulations enacted in 1996 (and then further in 2003) made it mandatory for cell phone providers to allow customers to hold onto their phone numbers when moving from carrier to carrier. Thankfully, the process is relatively easy and painless, but during a recent (my first) number-porting experience I learned a very important lesson: plan ahead. Find out why after the break. Read more

We live in a consumer nation, where it has long been the case that many of us are encouraged to spend and to pay it off with money we don't have, which then racks up our debt. This mentality has shifted little during the recession; people are gradually spending less and saving more. However, there are still a lot of things we're paying for that we don't need. Here are nine things you should be Read more

We're thrilled to present this smart Kiplinger story here on Savvy! After about a year and a half of marriage, my husband and I have finally unpacked the boxes of his stuff and our wedding gifts that had piled up in every corner of our apartment. In doing so, we organized the whole place — finding a home within our home for all our "new" things while purging the old. Through the whole Read more

We're thrilled to present this smart Kiplinger story here on Savvy! Someone stole my stinking wallet while I was pushing a cart at the supermarket. And, to add insult to injury, the wallet was snatched during National Protect Your Identity Week. I learned a few valuable lessons from the experience, which I would like to share. Here’s what I did wrong, what I did right and how I will be more Read more

We're thrilled to present this smart Kiplinger story here on Savvy! It's easy to overlook fees when they're just a couple of bucks. But even the small ones quickly add up. However, most of the time you can avoid being nickle and dimed. With the help of BillShrink.com — a free cost-savings site — we created a list of ten fees you can escape. Be sure to tell us which fees annoy you most in the Read more