SmartReads

Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements are both legal documents that address what will happen to marital assets if a married couple divorces or one of them dies. Both agreements describe similar matters, including division of financial assets and payment of alimony. In addition, they may also concern retirement benefits. The main difference between the two is that a prenuptial agreement, often referred to as a prenup, is signed before the couple’s marriage; a postnuptial agreement, often referred to as a postnup, is signed after the marriage. However, there are additional differences between the two as well, including some significant pros and cons. Read More...

Some people plan where every dollar of their budget goes. This method is called zero-based budgeting, and it involves allocating every dollar of income to your expenses, debts and savings. In other words, the goal of this method is that your monthly income and your expenditures are equal so that subtracting the latter from the former gives you zero. If you’re looking for a budgeting strategy that gives every cent you earn a “home” or you’ve been having trouble making a budget then here’s what zero-based budgeting is, how it differs from traditional budgeting and why it may work for you. Read More...

When purchasing or leasing a new car, you have several insurance coverage options. When selecting coverage, you will likely know if you want to have collision coverage or not, but will you know what gap insurance and whether to select that option? If you are driving your owned vehicle or a leased one, and it is totaled, your collision coverage insurance will cover your vehicle’s cash value. The coverage will help you to purchase a another car. However, what if you owe more on your car than it’s worth? That is where gap insurance comes in. Here’s what you need to know about this type of coverage. Read More...