Utilize MY Options

Should You Consider Taking Out a Second Mortgage? Find out why you would consider taking out a second mortgage and learn the reasons why you should and shouldn't opt for another mortgage loan. Erik Neilson Lance Cothern Should You Use a HELOC to Consolidate Debt? If you own a home, there’s a chance you have equity that could be used to... Valencia Patrice Higuera How to Transfer Ownership of Your House to Your Child Learn how to give a house to your child while also considering the tax consequences of a transfer of home ownership. How to Pay for High Emergency Care Expenses Learn about the different options to help pay for emergency care expenses that you didn't anticipate, including payment plans, loans, and more. Valerie Ashton Don't Get a Payday Loan: Consider These Alternatives When you need money fast, a payday loan might seem like the easiest fix. But there are a score of better payday loan alternatives you need to consider. Simon Zhen Simon Zhen Venmo 2023 Review: Should You Use It to Pay People? Venmo is a mobile app (owned by PayPal) that lets people pay other people and... Thomas (TJ) Porter The Best Ways to Gift Money Instead of Presents During the Holiday Season You know that it's time to think about holiday gift shopping. Buying a gift for... Western Union vs. MoneyGram: Which Is Cheaper for Wire Transfers? Compare the cost of money transfers using MoneyGram and Western Union to see which one is the cheaper option to send money, while comparing to alternatives. Kevin Mercadante BankAmeriDeals Rewards Review 2023: Earn More Rewards at Specific Brands As a Bank of America customer, the BankAmeriDeals offers additional opportunities to earn bonus rewards on spending that was going to happen anyway. Valencia Patrice Higuera Simon Zhen How to Bank Without a Branch Using ATM, Online, Mobile Banking Branches are nice, but not necessary. You might already be banking in this... Thomas (TJ) Porter The Best Mobile Apps to Track and Split Group Expenses Going out with friends for a meal or drinks can be fun, but dealing with the bill at... What is a Zero-Based Budget? Learn about zero-based budgeting and how it helps you save money and also pay down debt. See the step-by-step process to building this budget for your finances. Ben Luthi How Your Credit Score is Affected When Rate-Shopping for New Loans Learn how the practice of rate-shopping affects your credit score when you're trying to find the lower interest rate for a new loan. Find out what rules applied particularly for FICO scores, which consider the fact that borrowers need multiple hard inquiries to check loan rates. Thomas (TJ) Porter Krista Baum What You Need to Know When Using Home Equity Loan to Buy Another Home Imagine waking up to the sound of waves crashing on the beach, or looking out the... Thomas (TJ) Porter 5 Best Mobile Apps to Track Expenses with Receipt Scanning Budgeting is difficult, but following your budget can be even harder. Making sure... Is It Better to Have Savings, Checking, and Loans at the Same Bank? Find out whether it is a good idea to keep all your finances - checking account, savings accounts, credit cards, and loans - at a single bank or financial institution. Compare the benefits and drawbacks of consolidating your finances in one place to see if it better matches the way you manage your money. John Csiszar Should You Pay to Extend a Mortgage Rate Lock? Find out whether it makes sense to pay for a mortgage rate-lock extension during the process of buying a new home. Learn how rate locks work and see the tips that you should use to ensure the lowest interest rate on your mortgages, especially during times when interest rates are fluctuating. Valencia Patrice Higuera Thomas (TJ) Porter How to Avoid Having Medical Bills Go to Collections Americans make more than 140 million visits to the emergency room each year, and each... Simon Zhen The Best Mobile Apps for Filing Taxes in 2023 It arrives like clockwork every April: tax time. With how complicated the American... 10 Best Budgeting Apps To Help You Manage Debt Find out which mobile and web applications are the best for people who want to manage and track their debt so that they are on the right path to paying off their balances. Compare their features, pricing, and platforms to see which one can help you become debt-free the fastest. Thomas (TJ) Porter What Are the Benefits of Joining a Credit Union? Learn about the benefits and advantages of becoming a member of a credit union, which can be considered competitors to banks. Thomas (TJ) Porter Thomas (TJ) Porter 7 Best Coupon Clipping Apps for Shopping to Help You Save Money Dosh iPhone AppDosh is a cashback app that you can install on your smartphone. How... Melanie Lockert Can You Refinance Your Student Loans to Lower Interest Rates? In May 2011, I graduated with my Master’s degree from NYU. Getting my master’s... Countabout Finance App 2023 Review Could you manage your money better with Countabout instead of Mint or Quicken? Read our review of the finance app to see if it could be the key to your budget. Rebecca Lake How to Bank Without the Fees Does your money get eaten up month after month by egregious bank fees? Here's how you can bank without the fees and save your hard-earned money. Kara Perez Kayla Albert How to Create a Financial Checklist for Buying a Home Panic struck early one morning when my eyes flew open and my brain immediately... Kayla Albert What Type of Savings Account is Best for You After months of dealing with remodeling filthy and impossible to clean wood... Are Robo-Advisors the Best Way to Invest? If you‘re new to investing, robo-advisors like Betterment can be helpful. Here‘s how you can decide if robo-advisors are the best way for you to invest. Zina Kumok The Ultimate Guide to Understanding All Your Financial Options Student loans, building credit, preparing for retirement. We cover it all here so young professionals can do what they need to understand all their financial options. Kayla Albert