SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

Are you getting checks for the first time? Have you forgotten how to order more? Do you know all the different ways you can deposit a check into your bank account?

Whether you want to order, deposit, cash, or void a personal check, this guide has got you covered. If you're also interested in learning exactly how to fill out a check, check out our other guide too. For now, read on to learn the different ways to order personal checks.

When you look at a loan or credit card offer, you’ll see the term “APR,” or annual percentage rate, popping up all over the place. What is APR, exactly, and why is it important when taking out a loan or choosing a credit card?

This guide will tell you everything you need to know about annual percentage rate and how you can use it to understand the annual costs of a loan or credit line. To start, let’s establish a working definition of APR.

If you’re looking to buy a new home, then you’re likely asking yourself, how much house can I afford? How much mortgage can I afford, and what’s a reasonable monthly payment to take on? You don’t want to get in over your head, but you also don’t want to live in a shoebox in the middle of nowhere. Where does the balance lie?

This guide will help you answer the question, "How much house can I afford?" based both on the numbers and your overall happiness. To begin, let's go over some general guidelines to consider when buying a home.

While everyone in the US pays a federal income tax, not everyone pays a state income tax. There are seven states in the US with no income tax whatsoever, plus two more that don’t tax wages.

While people who live in these states don’t pay income tax, they may pay higher taxes in other ways, like when they go shopping or stop at the gas station. This guide will explore whether or not people in income tax-free states save money overall, along with the pros and cons of moving to one of these states.

First, let’s look at the nine states with few or no taxes on income.

Thomas Stanley and William Danko didn’t expect The Millionaire Next Door, their case study of America’s millionaires, to become a huge bestseller. Both academics at the University of Georgia, they set out to learn about the habits and lifestyles of the nation’s highest earners, not to write a personal finance bible.

Readers were blown away by Stanley and Danko’s findings, though, namely that most millionaires don’t own fancy cars or throw lavish yacht parties. On the contrary, they live by principles of “thrift, low status, discipline, low consumption, risk, and very hard work.” From this book, many readers realized that the dream of amassing over $1 million was not as out of reach as they had thought.

Stanley and Danko’s 1996 bestseller can still teach us a lot about personal finance today, but it also falls short in a few key ways. Read on for a full summary and critique of The Millionaire Next Door.

Between online bill pay and money-transferring apps like Venmo, many of us don’t fill out checks very often. On the occasion that we do need to write one, like to pay rent, take care of a bill, or send a birthday gift to a relative, we might find ourselves feeling uncertain about whether we’re doing it right.

This guide will tell you everything you need to know about how to fill out a check. To start, let’s get up close and personal with this small but mighty piece of paper.

You've invested in a business, started to make profits, and now need to step back and reevaluate: are you getting enough bang for your buck?

This guide will explain what exactly return on investment is, how to calculate ROI, and why it's useful. I'll also discuss some factors that make return on investment a more complicated analysis than it appears at first glance.

Do you have the option of setting up a 401k plan? Does your employer offer a 401k matching benefit? Are you confused about what these words even mean? Don't worry! We'll explain everything you need to know about these accounts, but, first, what is a 401k, exactly?

A 401k is a retirement savings account sponsored by an employer and designed by the government to give you tax benefits on your savings. Your money quietly grows until the time you can withdraw it in your late 50s.

This guide will explain exactly what a 401k does, what you can and can't do with it, how to put money in it, and how it can set you up for a financially secure retirement. For anyone new to the world of 401k plans, let’s start with a quick review of terms.

Trying to choose the right credit card can get overwhelming fast. There are tons of options, and every company claims to offer the best one. How can you sort through the jargon and find the best card for your personal finances?

I believe that to choose the right card, you need to understand yourself as a consumer. How can you get started down the road of financial self-discovery? First, take my personal finance quiz below.

If you’ve ever analyzed your personal finances, you may have come across the term “net worth.” Simply put, your net worth is what you have minus what you owe.

While net worth is a useful way to evaluate your financial situation, it also has some major flaws. Let’s define the concept of net worth, and then look at some key adjustments you can make to assess your finances and plan for the future even better.