If you’ve been hacked or your identity stolen, you know how vulnerable it can feel and how scary. Trying to make sense of it all and get your account straightened out can months or longer depending on how bad it is.

Even if you haven’t had the misfortune of experiencing identity theft, it can still be scary knowing your information could be out there on the dark web or in the hands of a hacker and you might not even know it.

Before buying an investment property, you want to make sure you’ll make money off it. One way real estate investors evaluate investment profitability is by calculating return on investment, or ROI, which measures cash return expressed as a percentage of total investment cost on an annual basis.

You can calculate ROI yourself using a simple formula, or you can use a real estate investment return calculator.

Smart investors know that investing in real estate is what the cool kids do. If you’re careful about the properties you buy, it can be a venture with a tremendous upside and a comparatively low downside.

First, you should know that real estate is an investment that diversifies portfolios, pays off its own debt, and produces predictable and stable cash returns, even when you’re sound asleep.

And once you generate enough profit, you can use your returns to buy more properties. In other words, your houses can buy you more houses. It’s the snowball effect of snowball effects.

However, to find success as a real estate investor, you’ll need to know how to pick the good apples from the bushel.

Everyone needs an emergency fund to use should they experience the unexpected. Job loss, falling ill, or having other major financial catastrophes can wreak havoc on your finances. When you have an emergency fund set aside, though, you can focus on overcoming the emergency and not stress about how you’ll pay your bills. 

But is there such a thing as having too much money saved for an emergency? 

There could be. Saving too much for the wrong reason can cause you to feel it in other areas. Here’s what you should know.

Everyone, regardless of their income, gets antsy when there's a recession, depression, or even a slight downturn in the market. The uncertainty can cause a lot of anxiety about what's to come. It can make people put life plans on hold, start to look for other employment, or reassess how they're managing their money. Even though no one can predict how long or impactful a recession will be, there are some things you can do to cope and manage during a stressful time.

Recessions affect every part of life. The cost of goods and services goes up, borrowing money gets more expensive, and businesses suffer. During a recession, you may need to adjust your spending habits to stay financially secure. Read on for tips to mindfully manage your finances during periods of economic uncertainty.

If you’re in the market for life insurance, you have many options, but the most common choice is term life insurance. 

It’s often the least expensive policy and it’s the easiest to get. It’s a temporary policy so there’s a lot you must understand about how it works. Here’s what you must know about it. 

Life insurance is vital to protect your loved ones financially when you die. While no one likes to think of the worst happening, planning is essential because life is unpredictable.

Whole life insurance is a form of permanent life insurance that protects your beneficiaries for your entire life. It doesn’t expire.

Here’s what you must consider when deciding if whole life insurance is right for you.

Many people have specific financial goals (e.g., filling a rainy-day fund, buying a house, paying down debt, or starting to invest), and most of these goals involve saving money. If you are struggling to put money away for your financial plans, reducing your spending may be necessary. Consider these tips to help you cut expenses and build your savings to facilitate your future financial plans.

Money can be a big challenge for relationships, especially for couples on a budget with limited income or a lot of debt. Overwhelming debt, lack of communication, and financial secrets can lead to arguments, guilt, finger-pointing, and resentment. Here are the steps to help.

Understanding what a budget is, what it can do, and how to build one together can help couples address problems in a healthy, positive way as they work toward mutual financial goals.

A budget is simply a roadmap for dividing household income into expenses (including mortgage, groceries, and discretionary spending). Building a budget together means agreeing on the roadmap and helping each other stick to it.