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The DollarVisor Blog

Short guides that answer one money question at a time, across insurance, credit cards, loans and investing.

400 guides (page 11)

Investing Solo 401(k) vs SEP IRA: Which Is Better? On solo 401(k) vs SEP IRA, the solo 401(k) wins for almost every one-person business. Both plans use the exact same employer formula… Read the guide → Investing What Is a SEP IRA? 2026 Limits and Rules A SEP IRA is a retirement account your business funds for you and for every employee who qualifies. In 2026 the cap is the lesser of… Read the guide → Investing Roth Conversions: When Do They Make Sense? A Roth conversion moves money from a traditional IRA into a Roth IRA and adds the whole amount to this year’s taxable income. It pay… Read the guide → Investing Mega Backdoor Roth: Who Can Use It A mega backdoor Roth moves after-tax 401(k) money into a Roth account, up to the $72,000 total plan limit for 2026. It is the larges… Read the guide → Investing Backdoor Roth IRA: Step-by-Step for 2026 A backdoor Roth IRA is a nondeductible traditional IRA contribution that you then convert to a Roth. It is legal, and for 2026 it mo… Read the guide → Investing I Bonds vs EE Bonds: Which to Buy in 2026 Buy I bonds. Bonds issued May through October 2026 pay a 4.26% composite rate, against 2.40% for EE bonds. EE bonds only pull ahead… Read the guide → Investing What Is a Bond Ladder and How to Build One A bond ladder is a set of bonds maturing one after another, usually one a year, so a known amount of cash lands on a known date. On… Read the guide → Investing How to Rebalance Your Portfolio (And When) To rebalance your portfolio, sell a slice of whatever has grown past its target and buy whatever has fallen behind. Check once or tw… Read the guide → Investing What Is Asset Allocation? Models by Age Asset allocation is how you split your money between stocks, bonds and cash. It drives most of your risk. The popular age rules disa… Read the guide → Investing What Is Dollar-Cost Averaging? (When It Wins) Dollar cost averaging means investing a fixed amount on a fixed schedule, whatever the share price is that day. Vanguard found lump… Read the guide → Loans Loan Scams: How to Spot a Fake Lender Almost every fake lender fails the same test: money has to leave your hands before any money reaches it. A licensed lender can charg… Read the guide → Loans Debt Relief Scams: 7 Red Flags to Avoid Most debt relief scams are caught by one question: are you being asked to pay before a single debt has been settled? Since October 2… Read the guide → Loans Wage Garnishment: How It Works and How to Stop It Wage garnishment is a court or agency order telling your employer to send part of your paycheck to someone you owe. For ordinary con… Read the guide → Loans What Is a Judgment for Debt? What Happens Next A debt judgment is a court ruling that you owe a specific amount. It converts a bill your creditor had to ask you to pay into one a… Read the guide → Loans Zombie Debt: When Old Collections Come Back Zombie debt is an old account a buyer picked up for pennies and is working again, often years after you last heard about it. It may… Read the guide → Loans Statute of Limitations on Debt: The State Rules The statute of limitations on debt is the deadline for suing you, and it runs from three years in New York and North Carolina to ten… Read the guide → Loans How to Negotiate With Debt Collectors You can negotiate with debt collectors, and most collection agencies will take a discount. The agency likely bought your account for… Read the guide → Loans What Debt Collectors Can and Can’t Do (FDCPA) Here is what debt collectors can do: call you between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., write to you, sue you, and report the debt to the credit bu… Read the guide → Loans Bankruptcy Alternatives: 5 Options to Try First There are five real bankruptcy alternatives: a creditor hardship plan, a nonprofit debt management plan, refinancing, settling for l… Read the guide → Loans Chapter 7 vs Chapter 13: Which Bankruptcy Fits? Chapter 7 vs Chapter 13 usually comes down to two questions: does your income pass the means test, and do you have something a trust… Read the guide → Loans Can Student Loans Be Discharged in Bankruptcy? Yes, they can. Verdict: student loans bankruptcy is no longer the dead end it was, because the government now tells its own lawyers… Read the guide → Loans Student Loan Default: What Happens and How to Fix A federal student loan defaults after 270 days of missed payments. Verdict: rehabilitation is the only exit that removes the default… Read the guide → Loans Forbearance vs Deferment: Which Should You Ask For Deferment and forbearance both stop your payments. The difference is who pays the interest while they are stopped. Verdict: ask for… Read the guide → Loans Income-Driven Repayment Plans, Explained Income-driven repayment ties your federal student loan payment to what you earn instead of what you owe. Two plans survive long term… Read the guide →