Insights from Organized Instincts
3 Tips for Avoiding the Squeeze of Medical Debt
In the past, unpaid medical debts put a red mark on your credit score with long-term effects on your access credit. Small or large medical debts were logged, and if eventually paid, the blemish would remain on your report. Thankfully, advances have been made to...
The Judges Don’t Always Agree – Why You Have Two Credit Scores
Flip on an episode of the Great British Baking Show, and you’ll see firsthand how judges impact the outcome. These experts see the exact same performance but rate the outcomes in different ways influenced by the weight they place on the components. The same variation...
The Highs and Lows of Credit Scores
If you have a credit card, a car loan, or a mortgage, you have a credit score. This score, either high or low or somewhere in between, informs lenders of how well you manage current and past credit opportunities. Do you pay card account balances off routinely? Are you...
Max Your Rewards – Up Your Credit Card Game
Credit cards can be a blessing or a curse when it comes to credit scores and debt. According to an article on debt.org, credit cards were first introduced in the late 1950s by Bank of America and are now held by more than 191 million Americans. In fact, the average...
Breaking a Mental Health Stigma – Write a PAD
You’ve heard of an advance directive, which puts into writing your wishes should you become incapacitated or unable to communicate your healthcare treatments of choice, but have you heard of a psychiatric advance directive (PAD)? A PAD is similar and is meant for...
Does Estate Planning Feel Like Jumping Off a Cliff?
Towering many feet up in the air, peering over the edge with her toes curled tightly around the rock a diver nervously looks over the edge. She fears the dive, but jumps first, and splashes down in the water. Now, with palms sweating and knees shaking, it’s your turn...
5 End-of-Life Care Professionals You Need to Know
As an adult caring for aging parents and other beloved ones, there, unfortunately, comes a time when difficult and often contentious decisions need to be made in the form of accepting help. You believe Mom is continuing to slow down with everyday tasks becoming...
#Adulting – Putting on Your Grown-Up Glasses of Reality
No matter your age, every adult, including yourself, needs to think about end-of-life planning. Far too often, men and women are left picking up the pieces after the unexpected death of their spouse in their 40’s and 50’s and are grieving while trying to make funeral...
Hit the Books: Financial Education for College-Bound Seniors
Jacqueline, a bright young woman with a stellar grade point average and an impressive list of extracurricular activities, is graduating soon and plans to attend college. After completing a grueling application process, she received acceptance to many institutions. Her...
Summit the Mountain – Secure Your Financial Footing
When it comes to finding your financial footing, understanding a few key concepts and terms goes a long way to promoting literacy and inspiring confidence in knowing how to handle one’s money. Let’s take Claire’s story for some perspective, and you might identify with...