Free From Broke

A Personal Finance Blog for Regular Folks

Miranda

Is It a Good Idea for the Credit Market to Ease?

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For the last couple of years, we’ve heard about the tight credit market. It’s been more difficult to qualify for credit.  Even credit card issuers reduced the amount of money they were providing.  However, mailboxes are starting to see an influx of credit card offers, and things are getting a little bit easier (although we are still far from the heady days of easy money seen in the years leading up to the financial crisis).  It might be a little easier to get approved for a loan or credit card now than it was last year, but that mean it’s a good thing?

Do We Really Want More Credit Available?

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Fighting Fair: How to Disagree About Money in Marriage

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Marriage can be hard enough some days. Throw money into the mix, and things can get downright ugly.  However, just as disagreements in other aspects of your married life don’t have to result in permanent rifts, disagreements over money don’t have to ruin your relationship.  As with all things in marriage, money issues need to be worked through. Here are some ideas for overcoming disagreements about money in marriage:

Know Thyself

One of the best things you can do is understand your relationship with money.  In order to articulate your position on money to your partner, you need to be able understand.  Think about why you spend (or save) money the way you do.  You should also come to grips with why you don’t like the way your spouse handles money, and determine whether or not your own preferences and money prejudices are coloring the situations.
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Do You Know How You Will Pay for College?

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Many parents fully expect to pay for (or at least help pay for) their children to attend college. This, however, is becoming an increasingly daunting task.  The cost of a college education continues to rise, becoming almost prohibitive.  One of the first things to realize as you prepare to pay for your child’s education, or prepare to have your child get ready to pay for his or her own education, is that it is highly unlikely that you will be able to rely on one source of funding to meet your needs.
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Do You Need to Adjust Your Tax Withholding?

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With yet another tax season under way, it is time to evaluate your tax withholding and determine whether or not you should adjust it. There are a number of reasons to consider changing your tax withholding:

Life Changes

Major life changes might mean a necessary change in your withholding.  Marriage, divorce, death of a dependent, and the birth of a child are all life changes that can result in a need to change the number of exemptions that you claim on your W-4.  This change will mean a difference in your withholdings.

You Ended Up with a Big Refund

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