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by Mike BrassfieldSenior WriterThere’s all kinds of perks out there. If you’re lucky, you get perks at your job. You might get perks from your credit card or from customer rewards programs.But what about investing? Shouldn’t you get perks for that, too? After all, you do own part of the company.That’s the idea behind Stockperks, a free app that earns you perks for being an investor — things like discounts,

by Michael ArchambaultSenior Writer If you’ve ever found yourself staring down a large purchase without enough money on hand, Klarna is a Swedish fintech company that may be able to help you. Possibly the greatest thing out of Sweden since IKEA and those delicious tiny meatballs, Klarna allows you to make large purchases and split them up into smaller payments — most of the time, without interest. So, if that

by Kari FaberStaff WriterLots of Americans need access to affordable credit. We need it to consolidate debt, pay off credit cards, pay medical bills and more.So why is it so hard to get a decent interest rate on a loan?Because so much of the approval decision is based on a credit score, which really only tells part of the story.That’s why online lending platform Upstart uses artificial intelligence to approve

by Timothy MooreContributorForget making it Facebook official. Opening a joint bank account is the true way to show you’re committed.OK, so not really. But for many married couples, long-term domestic partners, families and even roommates, joint bank accounts make budgeting and sharing bills easier to manage. A joint bank account is much like any other account you open with your bank or credit union. You can use it to save

by Tiffany ConnorsEditor/WriterThe hospital bill arrives in the mail, and you’re tempted to throw it away (again) without opening it. After all, you don’t have the money to pay for that trip you took to the emergency room.Ignoring medical bills isn’t going to make them go away, and the longer you wait — much like the cough that turned into pneumonia — the worse it’s going to get. But there

by Robin Hartill, CFP®Senior EditorHey, Penny Hoarders! Do you have questions about retirement?As in, can I afford to retire? When should I collect Social Security? Will Social Security even be around for me? Am I saving enough in my 401(k)? Can we retire if we still have debt?I’m Dear Penny, The Penny Hoarder’s resident advice columnist and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™. Every week, I get scores of questions from readers