By Charlestien Harris The days of using cash, checks or coins to pay for purchases are disappearing rapidly. Most consumers have converted to using a debit card as a preferred method of payment. Two of the most common reasons for this transition are time and...

By Charlestien Harris The pandemic has caused major issues to happen especially with people’s financial well-being.  Housing is a significant part of most family budgets.  Right now, many people are struggling to keep food on the table and a roof over their...

By Charlestien Harris In all my years of tackling the topic of financial literacy, I’ve found that understanding basic financial skills and concepts is critical for a successful financial future.  Almost everything we do as adults like earning money, budgeting,...

By Charlestien Harris Although all of my children are grown and gone, I do have grandchildren and they all have back-to-school supply lists that need to be filled.  Preparing to send your kids back to school can be stressful if your finances are already tight...

By Charlestien Harris Throughout the pandemic, many clients have asked about the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program and how their student loans will be affected.  The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program was created under the College Cost Reduction and...

By Charlestien Harris The child tax credit is a very popular topic these days so I thought I would provide some details to help explain the tax credit to the general public.  What is the child tax credit is the first question.  According to the IRS’...

By Charlestien Harris I am entering my sixties, so I am looking at financial issues that affect my age group more and more.  One of the most common issues is telephone scams. Telemarketing fraud is a multi-billion dollar business in the United States.  Every...

By Charlestien Harris As an accredited financial counselor, I’m often asked questions like “How long will it take for my credit score to increase when I make a payment on my accounts?” or “When will I see an increase in my score?”.  The answer I most often reply...

By Charlestien Harris There are so many industry terms used in the home buying process that can be unfamiliar to the average consumer. One example commonly used by the mortgage lending industry is the acronym PITI.  PITI is an acronym for a mortgage payment that...

By Charlestien Harris As a new homeowner or a first-time home buyer, one piece of important information that can be overlooked is the filing of the homestead exemption.  Any homeowner can suffer a major loss, like the loss of a spouse or other financial setbacks,...