pay down debt

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...

What if the burden of managing your personal finances could be turned into a game? And what if, in the course of playing that game, saving or paying down your debts gave you the chance to win a lottery-sized chunk of change?

While many Americans are hoping the fellows running for president will give them a tax cut, President Obama has already given all of us one that saves the average family about $1,000 extra a year. So how can you put that bonus to the best use?

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.

Imagine how empowering it would feel to spend your working hours doing a job that truly invigorates your mind, body and soul. To get there, you may well need to be willing to fire your boss -- But you can get there.

Every January, we plan to make changes, and we often don't succeed. Let's make this New Year's different: Here are seven fairly simple resolutions recommended by the financial experts for getting you on a firmer fiscal footing in 2012.

People frequently tell me they'd love to pay down debt using the snowball effect or the round robin strategy, but they just don't have the extra funds needed to pay off their cards. If you're having trouble finding the extra cash to pay down credit cards, it's time to do some soul searching and put...