One very important element in your overall credit worthiness package is your FICO score. But what exactly is that and how does it affect your debt management choices?

The first step to handling any problem, and excessive debt is no exception, is to focus on facts. Here, that means finding out how much you actually owe and what the monthly payments and interest costs.

An IRA (Individual Retirement Account) allows you to set aside money for your later years. That has multiple benefits and a few risks.

It might seem that developing a budget should be an elementary task. But many people are simply not inclined to use spreadsheets, balance checkbooks or lay out a formal budget. Whether by nature, or as a result of a reaction to public school mathematics training, some people just aren’t ‘number people’.