Free, independent guides to banking, investing, loans & credit

EduFinance
The library

All articles

Every guide we have published, newest first. Filter by topic to focus on what you want to learn next.

170 articles

Bankruptcy Basics: Understanding Types and Financial Impact Loans & Financing

Bankruptcy Basics: Understanding Types and Financial Impact

Bankruptcy is a federal legal process designed to address situations in which individuals or businesses cannot meet their financial obligations. Depending on the type of...

Rachel Bernstein Rachel Bernstein
Business Savings Accounts: How Companies Can Manage Cash Reserves Personal Finance

Business Savings Accounts: How Companies Can Manage Cash Reserves

A business checking account is designed to keep daily operations moving. Payroll, supplier invoices, software subscriptions, taxes, and other recurring expenses typically...

Samuel Mensah Samuel Mensah
Bad-Credit Loans: What Borrowers Should Know Before Applying Loans & Financing

Bad-Credit Loans: What Borrowers Should Know Before Applying

Having a lower credit score can make borrowing more difficult, but it does not necessarily eliminate every financing option. Lenders use credit information as one part of...

Rachel Bernstein Rachel Bernstein
Estate Planning Basics: How to Organize Assets and Prepare for the Future Wealth Management

Estate Planning Basics: How to Organize Assets and Prepare for the Future

Building wealth is only one part of long-term financial planning. Protecting assets, documenting financial wishes, and establishing a process for transferring property ca...

Claire O’Donnell Claire O’Donnell
Credit Card Limits and Minimum Payments: Managing Long-Term Costs Credit & Cards

Credit Card Limits and Minimum Payments: Managing Long-Term Costs

A credit card's limit can look deceptively simple: it is the maximum balance the issuer allows you to carry. The minimum payment can seem equally straightforward: it is t...

Rachel Bernstein Rachel Bernstein
Credit Card Debt Consolidation: Strategies and Solutions Credit & Cards

Credit Card Debt Consolidation: Strategies and Solutions

Carrying balances across several credit cards can make debt more difficult to manage. Different interest rates, payment dates, minimum payments, and account terms can mak...

Rachel Bernstein Rachel Bernstein
Mortgage Refinancing: How Replacing an Existing Home Loan Works Loans & Financing

Mortgage Refinancing: How Replacing an Existing Home Loan Works

A mortgage does not necessarily have to remain unchanged until the home is sold. Homeowners can replace an existing mortgage with a new loan through a process known as re...

Lucas Vance Lucas Vance
SEP IRA and Solo 401(k): Retirement Planning for Self-Employed Workers Wealth Management

SEP IRA and Solo 401(k): Retirement Planning for Self-Employed Workers

Retirement planning looks different when there is no employer providing a 401(k), matching contributions, or an automatic payroll system. Freelancers, consultants, indepe...

Samuel Mensah Samuel Mensah
Emergency Loans: What to Consider When an Unexpected Expense Arises Loans & Financing

Emergency Loans: What to Consider When an Unexpected Expense Arises

Unexpected expenses rarely arrive at a convenient time. A vehicle may need an urgent repair, a major appliance can stop working, a medical bill may arrive before the next...

Lucas Vance Lucas Vance
Secured Credit Cards: How They Work and Who May Consider One Credit & Cards

Secured Credit Cards: How They Work and Who May Consider One

Getting approved for a conventional credit card can be difficult when a consumer has little credit history, a damaged credit profile, or a recent financial setback. A sec...

Rachel Bernstein Rachel Bernstein
Gold IRA Explained: How Gold Fits Into Retirement Investing Wealth Management

Gold IRA Explained: How Gold Fits Into Retirement Investing

A Gold IRA is a type of self-directed individual retirement arrangement that can hold certain physical precious metals instead of limiting the account to traditional secu...

Hannah Cohen Hannah Cohen
High-Yield Checking Accounts: What to Compare Personal Finance

High-Yield Checking Accounts: What to Compare

A checking account is typically the operating center of a household's finances. Paychecks arrive through direct deposit, recurring bills are paid, debit cards handle ever...

Sofia Martinez Sofia Martinez