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We Can Be Heroes: DriveTime Blood Drive

When you think of the term “blood thirsty,” you probably imagine vampires, zombies or any number of creepy things; but did you ever imagine it describing a place? United Blood Services would use it to describe the Phoenix valley, which at the moment is literally dying of thirst.

It’s estimated that the Phoenix valley alone needs 500 pints of blood a day to treat hospital patients, and United Blood Services are busy all day, every day, collecting blood to meet that daily deadline. Without their dedicated efforts, Phoenix hospitals wouldn’t be able to treat their surgery patients, conduct chemo therapy session or save accident victims. Continue reading…

Transportation Calculation: Adding Up the Cost of Auto Expenses

There are a lot of factors that go into how much you’ll pay over time for your car. Between gas, insurance, repairs and the cost of the car itself, your auto-related expenses will add up.

In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, transportation costs totaled an average of $9,503 in 2015, the second-largest expense for the typical American after the cost of housing. Between 2014 and 2015, the average cost of transportation increased nearly 5 percent, with the cost of vehicles increasing 21.1 percent. Continue reading…

You Graduated, Now What?: Budgeting Tips for Recent Grads

Graduating college and entering the workforce marks an important milestone in many people’s lives. Instead of registering for classes and organizing campus housing, you’ll be applying for jobs and seeking an apartment in a new area. Possibly for the first time in your life, you are financially independent, which can be an incredibly liberating feeling. However, it’s hard to know how best to handle your new responsibilities. Continue reading…

Be prepared for emergencies with a savings fund.

Early Tips for Tax Season 2017

The weather is cooling down and winter is fast approaching. Before long, the holidays will have come and gone, 2017 will be here and with it, tax season. While this isn’t the most exciting time of the year, it’s an important one that all American adults must take part in. Luckily, getting prepared early can ease the burden of filing your taxes next spring.

The IRS typically begins accepting tax returns toward the middle of January, Bankrate pointed out. The sooner you get your taxes in, the sooner you’ll get your refund and, perhaps best of all, the sooner you’ll be able to stop worrying about them. Continue reading…

Top 3 Credit Cards If You Have Bad Credit

Money and Millennials: Credit and Loan Smarts for Young Professionals

Most children don’t spend much time worrying about money. Their parents provide food, shelter and clothing for them. They go to school where they learn about history, math and reading, but rarely do the subjects breach the topic of real-world finance.

In fact, according to the Council for Economic Education’s 2016 National State of Finance & Economic Education, just 17 states require high school students to take a personal finance class, and only five require a stand-alone personal finance class for graduation. It’s not just the students that are lacking in this area – more than 80 percent of teachers report not feeling competent enough to teach these subjects.

This has put many young adults at a disadvantage. Millennials report feeling overwhelmed by debt, and many struggle to pay off student loans or credit card bills. Offering more personal finance courses to students at a younger age will certainly help future generations. However, today’s young adults will need to take their education into their own hands. Here are some good places to start. Continue reading…