If you’re listening to this, you probably either have student loan debt or you’re about to incur student loan debt and you're looking for ways to minimize your student loans.

With student loan debt balances on the rise, your best bet is to pay off your student loan debt as quickly as possible, or better yet, stop the debt from piling up by taking the preventative measures.

Many graduates have to put their life on hold because of common student loan mistakes. Avoid making these mistakes and get rid of your student loans in 3 easy steps!

According to USA Today, up to 68% of college graduates enter the workforce with student loan debt. Our study found that the average student loan debt at graduation is roughly $30,000.

To minimize the impact, follow these 3 simple steps to avoid unnecessary debt from accumulating.

Understanding the difference between a 401k and 403b.

Student loan consolidation is a specific federal government program for your student loans. The word "consolidation" is different than the English meaning of many to one. So separate that in your mind as we discuss student loan consolidation.

Getting rid of student debt is high on the radars of everyone who has it. Especially so when you have your loans scattered between different student loan servicers. That's where many people think student loan consolidation comes into play.

It's not unheard of for graduates to end up with 5-6 different student loans, sometimes at different loan companies. If you take out a different loan each year of college, maybe a couple summer sessions - you could have a variety of loans at different places. Plus, consolidation could make sense in certain specific circumstances - like having old FFEL loans.

In such instances, it may be worth it to consider a student loan debt consolidation loan (a mouthful isn’t it?)

It seems like a roundabout way to go about paying your debt: I mean, you are taking out a new loan to pay off another loan. Where is the sense in that?

The reality is that, if you are currently having trouble keeping up with payments or digging yourself out of debt quicker, a debt consolidation loan may be just the solution for you. Furthermore, there are other potential benefits to taking out a consolidation loan as well (such as being able to take advantage of student loan forgiveness programs). But it's not without problems.

Let's learn more here.

FreeTaxUSA is one of the best tax software options to file your tax return. In fact, we think it’s so good for the price that we’re naming it the best overall tax software for 2026, for the second year in a row.

Are you a bargain hunter looking to save money while filing taxes? If so, FreeTaxUSA features one of the lowest-cost DIY tax software products available today. It offers free federal tax filing and low-cost state filing, no matter how complex your filing situation, and state filing costs $15.99. The Deluxe support plan, for $7.99 extra, includes access to live chat with tax experts, which is far less than you’d pay for similar help elsewhere.

FreeTaxUSA isn't the easiest tax filing app to use. Nonetheless, it may be a good choice for the average tax filer looking to get the best value when filing their tax return. Due to the manual form entry process, it’s not our favorite choice for active stock or crypto traders or those with many 1099 forms. However, for typical households with a W-2 or two, bank account interest, and passive investments, it’s our top pick for the 2026 tax season (for tax year 2025).

Here’s a closer look at the most important features and drawbacks of FreeTaxUSA, updated for the 2026 tax filing season, to help you decide. See how FreeTaxUSA compares to the best tax filing apps for 2026 and how this tax prep option ranks in our FreeTaxUSA review below.

Like most people in the US, you probably feel like you pay tons of taxes without ever seeing a refund. Especially if you live in one of those "high tax" states - like California or New York.

Do you ever wonder how your state stacks up against other states? Did you know that if you make under $50,000 per year, you're probably paying more taxes in Alabama than in California...

Taxes matter, but most people get the argument around state income taxes wrong. And with everything going on in the country today, we decided to look at what income taxes look like in all 50 states.

If you're considering moving to pay lower taxes, or relocating to another state for career opportunities, you need to know what differences you can expect to pay nationwide.

Are you tired of waiting in long lines, and dealing with too many fees and minimum requirements? Opening a checking account with an online bank could be your solution.

Today, almost every bank offers online banking options, but did you know that there are banks that solely operate online, with no actual branch locations? These banks offer most of the products you find at traditional banks- checking, savings, CDs and money market accounts. A few even offer mortgage products!

Without the overhead of physical locations, online banks can pass the savings to their customers, who will enjoy lower fees and added benefits, including protection from bank fraud. The annual percentage yield (APY) will also be higher than traditional banks.

We break down our list of the best online banks - these are banks that typically deliver value in multiple areas, and no fees, and really easy to use products.

Our parents used to say “money doesn't grow on trees” and “there is nothing that is free”.

But is this entirely true? NO!

In fact, there are several ways that you can get free money online or free money from the government!

The first is looking for unclaimed money that might be rightfully yours, and the second is to find companies that are giving away free money as incentives.

If this sounds unbelievable - it's not. If you spend 10 minutes and go through these companies and websites, you'll find yourself amassing a nice amount of free money before you know it!

Let’s break it down, and we'll start with finding unclaimed money that might rightfully be yours.

Life insurance is a necessity for any young family. Have you ever wondered what would happen to your family if you weren’t there to provide an income? Their life would change completely. The current style of living they know would vanish in an instant.

You might be thinking that life insurance is another expense you can’t afford. However, you’ll be surprised at the cost of life insurance offered by Ethos Life (hint: it's a great deal).

In this article, we’re going to review Ethos Life. They’re what’s called an insurtech (not to be confused with fintechs). This means Ethos makes heavy use of technology to process life insurance applications and keep costs down. Their close competitor, Bestow, also plays in this space.

See how they compare to the other online life insurance companies.