Alice Bryant

A new year often brings along new budgets as we seek to get a better hold on our personal finances in 2016.  A household budget helps finances run smoothly, eliminating surprises and setting a clear path for every dollar that comes into the house. However, some people have a hard time making their budget work for them. If anyone feels trapped by their budget or feels like it just never works, they might actually be cheating on their budget. This can happen consciously or subconsciously. A successful budget requires complete honesty and recognition of the natural desire to enjoy life.

Anticipating the financial challenges that life might throw your way can be difficult, and that’s why it’s a good idea to think about such situations far in advance. Most families at some point are going to have trouble making ends meet, and how you elect to address those problems will have a major impact on how long they might last. When is it wise to use credit cards to bridge a monetary gap? Should you consider seeking a loan from a family member? Are you saving enough during the good times to handle a possible bad stretch?

Thanks to the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, mortgage lenders are prohibited from using factors such as age, race, color, sex, nation of origin, marital status or receipt of public assistance as cause for denial of a borrower's loan application. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t think about your age before applying for a mortgage.