Personal Finance and Lifestyle Guide
Tiffany Raiford is a lifelong Floridian, wife to my high school sweetheart and mother of four littles (two girls and boy/girl twins...no, they are not identical and yes, I'm sure). My kids love to whine, so I love to wine. My loves include nap time, bed time, date night, travel and evenings and weekends when my husband is home because he handles all diaper changes.
When I bought my first car at 19, I was given a 60-month term on my loan. It always seemed like the ‘normal’ length of time to finance a car, and the first time someone mentioned to me that they’d financed their car for 72 or even 84 months, I was shocked. I never keep […] More
We say all the time that your credit score is the most important number in your life, but your Social Security Number is actually more important. This is the number that identifies who you are, and it is tied to your finances in every way possible. When you don’t protect this number, your entire life […] More
One of the biggest questions that many people have about their credit is what it means to have good credit, fair credit, bad credit, or excellent credit. How do you know that your credit score is excellent? There are any people who believe that a score of over 650 is a great score, but it’s […] More
Does anyone really consider the act of spring cleaning an expensive one? My husband does, and he always has. It’s because there is something about spring that not only inspires us to get even more organized (it’s hard not to be organized married to me) but also that makes me shop and shop and shop […] More
Credit cards for students are often considered a bad idea. In fact, it’s many college students who are given credit cards they don’t know how to use that end up in the most financial trouble in the future. It happens, and there’s nothing you can do about it after the fact that learn from your […] More
As a business owner, you might wonder whether or not the concept of accepting credit card payments is worth it to you. There is some debate about this among business owners, particularly those who have small businesses. Here’s the deal; most people use credit and/or debit cards to make their purchases. There are people in […] More
Debt is not something you want to have. You hear it your entire life, and yet so many people still have it. Sure, some people are just unwise when it comes to their finances, living above their means for various reasons. Others are put in a situation in which they feel they have no choice; […] More
You can’t tell the difference between a prepaid credit card and a real credit card, but there is a difference. Nearly 80 million people in America choose not to deal with banking institutions for some personal reason, and more than that have questionable credit scores. For these two reasons alone, millions of Americans choose to […] More
If you’re going to carry a credit card – and everyone should for emergency purposes – you should consider carrying one that has the lowest possible rate if you don’t plan on paying off the balance in full each month (and if you don’t or you worry that you won’t have the discipline, try applying […] More
When my husband and I were in the process of having plans drawn up for our new home, we stumbled upon our dream home in the midst of the latest real estate news. We know that sellers take property marketing very seriously, and even work with companies that assist them with this aspect. And if […] More
The option to take out a second mortgage on your home for financial purposes important to you is always there provided you have good enough credit and the equity to take on a second mortgage. However, there is some debate as to whether or not this is a good idea. It’s not something everyone does […] More
You can buy a home for very little money down, but we don’t recommend it. Why would you want to do that and pay hundreds of additional dollars every single month to someone for Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) until your loan value is less than 80%? Really, you don’t want to pay that. It is […] More