Credit Card Debt

Rachel Jonat spent most of her young adult life dreaming of Olympic medals and crossing finish lines. But the games came and went, and she began a new chapter as a wife and mother -- facing $82,000 in debt.

Getting your finances under control on a tight budget is hard, But as Dana Burgess shows, it can be done. Here's how she racked up $63,000 in credit card debt, how she's digging her way out, and how she learned to enjoy living on less.

When he left the priesthood in 2001, he was deep in credit card debt. He dug himself out eventually, but looking back he marvels at how easy it was to get into such a desperate situation.

It's hard to save, especially when times are tough. But when you get a tax refund check, you've essentially set up an IRS-sponsored savings plan. By overpaying your taxes a little bit every month, you build up a slush fund that you collect on every April. So since you've already saved it, why not...

By Kimberly Lankford, Kiplinger If you have a refund check coming your way, consider using it to bolster your personal balance sheet. The average refund has been around $3,000 for the past two years. (Most people receive their refund within three weeks of filing their returns.) That's a nice...

It's not just politics that defines the differences between Republican-leaning "red states" and Democrat-leaning "blue states" -- and some of those differences may surprise you. For example, when it comes to credit scores, blue states are where the smart money is.

Most people understand that a bankruptcy or foreclosure will tank their credit score, but there are plenty of small mistakes you can make that will turn a good score into a mediocre one. Here are seven of the more common errors, plus tips on how to avoid them.

If you're burdened by credit card debt, lenders want to help you -- by adding more plastic to your arsenal in the form of a balance transfer card, which offers generous up-front terms for moving your debt. And some of those offers are much more generous than others.

There are many roads to financial security, but whatever path you follow, there are some mandatory steps everyone ought to take along the way. Alexa von Tobel, founder of LearnVest.com, cuts through the thicket of advice to give us her essential keys to sound money management.

The holiday season was a heck of a party for retailers, but consumers are nursing a shopping hangover that'll keep them out of stores for a few months. "Now that those credit card bills are hitting mailboxes, shoppers will cut back in a very significant way," said Britt Beemer of America's Research Group.