Does money trickle out of your wallet like a lazy river, a babbling brook, or rushing white water rapids? Government figures show that many households with a total income of $50,000 or less are spending more than they bring in thanks to the liberal availability of credit. This doesn’t make you an automatic candidate for bankruptcy, but it’s definitely a sign you need to make some serious spending cuts. A budget is the only practical way to get a grip on your spending. Creating a budget requires that you: Identify how your money is spent today. Evaluate your spending. Set goals that take into account your financial objective. Track your ongoing spending to make sure it stays within your established guidelines. Here’s how to put a dam on your uncontrolled cash flow: Watch out for cash leakage. If withdrawals from the ATM evaporate from your pocket without apparent explanation, keep…

Guest Blogger: Brentt Taylor The rental industry has become more lucrative than ever. Not only are fewer people buying homes, but more people are actively seeking to rent than ever before. Vacancies in rental properties are down by about three percent over three years, while the average rental fee has risen by almost the same amount. The change has not come due to rentals becoming more attractive, though – instead, it has relied mostly on the meltdown of traditional home ownership. See a visual here: http://www.appfolio.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/appfolio_mortgag… End of an Era Owning a home was once the American dream. Like all dreams, though, it seems that this one has come to an end. The recent credit crisis and bursting of the real estate bubble has not only left fewer individuals owning homes, but has left fewer individuals willing to take the leap to home ownership. While the story has always gone…

As of Sunday, January 27, 2013, retailers are officially allowed to add a surcharge of up to 4.00% onto your bill if you opt to pay with a credit card. The good news, though, is that it can be avoided. Interchange fees have been charged for years, but until recently, most people were unaware of what this meant. An interchange fee is the fee, typically about 2.00%, that a store pays us or your local bank or credit union when you use a credit card at check out. For low-margin businesses like supermarkets as well as mom-and-pop stores that don’t have the influence of their larger competitors to bargain lower rates, these fees greatly cut into profits. Because of this new law, businesses are now allowed to pass the fee onto you, the customer. Here’s the good news! By using an Aspire FCU debit card at checkout, the surcharge cannot…