The number of people filing bankruptcy in the United States continues to increase with every passing year. Regardless of the individual circumstances that led you down that path – you should do everything in your power to avoid bankruptcy. Some people think filing bankruptcy results in “starting over” with a clean slate. The truth is, bankruptcy is very rarely as easy as it sounds and the ramifications of filing bankruptcy stay with you for a very long time. [ READ MORE ] It's amazing to me how many of us go through our working years without too much thought of how we'll live when we retire. Thing is- we want to be able to stop working at some point and enjoy our retirement years, but the only way to do that is to be financially prepared. [ READ MORE ] While debt consolidation almost always helps people get control over excessive, high interest debts, there are actually instances when it doesn't offer much relief. The general idea of debt consolidation is terrific: smash all of your debts into a single account, and somehow pay less per month and pay it off quicker. When you put it that way, it seems a little too good to be true – similar to a “get rich quick” scheme! [ READ MORE ] If you don't have an actual “budget” in place for your household, you may be completely scared whenever you hear someone say they're “making a budget”. Typically, the people who would most benefit from having a budget are the ones who are most afraid of the idea. If you're living paycheck to paycheck, and feel like you never get caught up financially, a budget is probably the perfect solution. [ READ MORE ]