Are you out of work, short on cash, and wondering how the heck you are going to feed yourself or your family in the weeks ahead? Don’t panic. Here’s how to develop a sound strategy for managing money while unemployed so you can stop worrying and start looking for work. [...]

Layoffs are everywhere these days. My employer axed 20 more of my coworkers on Friday, and every week I hear about friends losing jobs at various companies nationwide. Layoffs suck, but given the recession we’re in, they aren’t a surprise. And although you can take steps to reduce the chance you will be laid off, you can never guarantee your job security. With that in mind, it’s a good idea to always be prepared for the possibility of being laid off.

Preparing for a layoff is a bit like writing your own will—it’s easier to put it off the task and hope you don’t need it. But find yourself jobless in the near future; you’ll be a lot happier if you’ve done a few simple things. Here are some basic steps to prepare for a potential layoff: [...]

Earlier this week, my fiancee went online to pay her Citibank credit card. She logged in and was about to make a payment when she realized that the bill was due that day. Thing is, her due date had always been more than a week later in the month. Sure enough, the next statement close date was still weeks off. And yet, this month’s due date was today. [...]

I have certainly been guilty of filing my taxes at midnight on April 15th, but as I get older and my taxes get more complicated, I can’t afford to wait until March to start getting my taxes in order. Here are five things I’ve found helpful to start doing in January to ensure filing your taxes are as painless as possible. [...]

Here’s an interesting tidbit about auto insurance many people don’t know: bodily injury liability coverage is the most important type of car insurance to have and, often, the least expensive. How much liability coverage is enough, and how can you tell? [...]

People spend—and overspend—for a lot of reasons. Here are five reasons may people spend more than they have. If you have trouble overspending, uncovering why is an important step in learning to reign in the behavior and get on track to financial stability. [...]

Mutual funds were born in the 20th century, but it is possible mutual funds (or at least many of them) will die in the 21st century as alternatives like hedge funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) lure investors with higher returns, less regulation, and/or lower fees. Regardless of mutual funds’ future, there are a few things every investor needs to know about them. [...]

Imagine a crisp one dollar bill. What does that one dollar mean to you? How would you spend or save it? Now imagine you are homeless and only have $4 to your name. Now what would that dollar mean to you? Finally, imagine you are a billionaire. What would that dollar mean to you then? Your answers can tell you a lot about your chances of becoming rich. [...]

Channel surfing last Friday night, I caught a few minutes of Suze Orman on CNBC. She had on her show not only the worst case of “living above your means” I have ever seen, but the worst case Suze has seen, too! [...]

I was interested to read this Wall Street Journal article describing a boom among pawnbrokers. It’s interesting to see that as credit cards clamp down on credit lines and banks aren’t lending new money, even high net worth Americans and business owners are turning to pawn shops for short-term loans to get through rough spots. Have you used a pawn shop for a short term loan? Would you? [...]