Confession. Six Years ago Mrs. Smart Family Finance and I exchanged vows and officially added the word Family between Smart and Finance. Ever since then, life has been amazing. We started careers, we bought a house and have two amazing…
Tag: Credit card
A Lesson in Common Bank Charges: Child Owes Nearly $230 after Depositing $4.85 into His Savings Account
I know these days savings accounts don’t pay a lot in interest, but Daniel Ganziano found himself losing hundreds for holding $4.85 in his bank account. It’s not some new negative rate of interest. By the time his bank (TCF…
Increasing Bank Fees and How Consumers are Losing Big in the Debit Card Fee War
Most who are outraged at increasing bank fees are directing their anger at banks, but isn’t it really all Home Depot’s fault? I know that you aren’t following yet, but soon you will. Two months ago, banks began…
Average Family Debt: The Average Family has Over $100,000 in Loans
According to recent information released by the Fed, the average family has roughly $100,000 of debt. I decided to write this post when the Fed released their quarterly results on household indebtedness. Frugal Toad had an interesting take on the…
Paying Off Family Debt: How to Decide Which Method to Use
Paying off all the debt a family can accumulate in the early years is never an easy task. It requires time, patience and often, a little extra income. If you plan on paying off your family debt by making…
Is Your Budget Easy to Beat? You are Probably Budgeting Wrong!
If you are constantly beating your budget, you need to set more challenging goals. The Smart Family Finance family budget is getting a tweak. For the last two months our family has managed to come in far under budget. It…
Why are Banks Charging Fees for Debit Cards?
50 years from now, we may all be sitting around the porch reminiscing how back in the old days, you could use a debit card for free. Bank of America has announced a $5 monthly fee for using your debit…
