History & SocietyScience & TechBiographiesAnimals & NatureGeography & TravelArts & CultureProConGames & QuizzesVideosToday in HistoryDictionaryHistory & Society
  • History
  • Philosophy & Religion
  • Politics, Law & Government
  • Society & Social Issues
Science & Tech
  • Health & Medicine
  • Science
  • Technology
Biographies
  • Browse Biographies
Animals & Nature
  • Birds, Reptiles & Other Vertebrates
  • Environment
  • Fossils & Geologic Time
  • Insects & Other Invertebrates
  • Mammals
  • Plants
Geography & Travel
  • Geography & Travel
Arts & Culture
  • Entertainment & Pop Culture
  • Literature
  • Sports & Recreation
  • Visual Arts
Image GalleriesPodcastsSummariesTop QuestionsBritannica Kids
Britannica Money
Personal Finance
Investing
Trading
Retirement
Companies
Biographies
Finance & the Economy
Britannica Money Logo
About UsPrivacy PolicyTerms & Conditions
© 2026 EncyclopÊdia Britannica, Inc.
Personal Finance

Money & Family

Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance
Personal Finance
What if you can no longer work? Understanding short-term and long-term disability
Insuring the double whammy of injury and income loss.
Chapter 13 Bankruptcy and Filing
Personal Finance
Facing a financial quagmire? Chapter 13 can help you create a repayment plan
In need of a little breathing room?

Recently Updated

  • The economics of fatherhoodDo those dad memes mask a solid money philosophy?
  • How much car can you afford?The monthly payment may not be the best answer.
  • How identity thieves get in—and what to do nextScammers are increasingly disguising fraud as routine digital interactions.

See All

5 tips for tackling tough topics with aging parents
Health, money, and other priorities.
A guide to managing divorce and your finances
Financial decoupling.
A tale of two economies
Why the nation’s economic data and your household finances can tell different stories.
AI and fraud: Voice cloning, deepfakes, and digital impersonation
Why seeing—or hearing—isn’t always believing anymore.
An intro to sports betting: How to avoid decisions you might regret
It’s entertainment, not investing.
Back to school: Money lessons extend beyond the classroom
But you might not take the final exam until decades later.
Big vacation, small trips, finite budget
How to make the most of your money—and your time.
Boomerang kids: Managing an adult child’s return home
From empty nest to full house.
Breaking the taboo: Why you need to talk money with your partner
“The talk” may be awkward, but it’s worth having.
Budget methods: From simple splits to zero-based control
Different budgets for different goals.
Budget travel loses its spirit
The shutdown of Spirit Airlines may mean fewer cheap flights.
Buying an electric vehicle: Does $4 gas change the math?
Higher gas prices are shifting the EV equation—even without tax credits.
Buying vs. leasing a car: Which route is best?
How long do you want to keep it?
Charitable giving: How to make your generosity count
Support the causes you care about and possibly save on taxes.
Credit card reward strategies: Getting more from each purchase
Make the most of cash back, points, and miles.
Do medical bills affect your credit? 5 things to know
Adding insult to injury.
Document storage: How to safely reduce paper clutter in your house
Keep what matters; shred what doesn’t.
Dynamic pricing: Fair market, surge, or gouge?
The invisible hand in plain sight.
FTC junk fees rule: Shining the light on hidden costs
Caveat emptor, with help from regulators.
Financial independence: More than an early retirement plan
The freedom to chart your own course.
Financial literacy meets human nature
We know what we should do, but sometimes that’s not enough.
Financial literacy: It’s a maintenance thing
The basics don’t fail; they just drift out of view.
Financial literacy’s secret decoder ring
The 5 numbers behind almost every financial decision.
Flight delays: How to navigate cancellations, overbookings, and more
Know your fly rights and when compensation is due.
Generative AI for money management: 5 use cases
Budgeting with artificial intelligence.
Graduation season: A financial reset moment
When new habits take hold.
How AI can help your small business
Let the robots do some of the work.
How identity thieves get in—and what to do next
Scammers are increasingly disguising fraud as routine digital interactions.
How much car can you afford?
The monthly payment may not be the best answer.
How the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) protects your job
Take time off without risking your livelihood.
How the One Big Beautiful Bill Act could affect your finances
From paychecks to safety nets, big changes are coming.
How to budget now for summer travel
Plan now, travel later, skip the debt.
How to donate your vehicle so everybody wins
Give your old car a new mission.
How to raise your credit score
Consider these four money moves.
How to recover from identity theft
Restore your credit and your finances.
How to spot a spoofing attack—whether via email, text, or social media
Spoofing scams aim to swipe your info.
How to use AI for budgeting, saving, and managing your money
Smart tools for spending—and stressing—less.
How to use SMART goals in your personal finance
Because “save more” isn’t really a plan.
How to use an inflation calculator (and what it really measures)
Tracking the CPI market basket.
Investing vs. trading vs. gambling
Same court, different games—and mixing them up can cost you.
Keys to vehicle buying: How to finance a car
Nail down the numbers.
Let’s talk about you and me (and money)
How couples can build financial clarity together.
Loud budgeting: A better kind of peer pressure
Is your network part of your financial plan?
Loud budgeting: How to crank up the personal finance volume
Talk about money, right out loud.
Making sense of subscriptions and recurring fees
Decide what’s worth keeping—and what isn’t.
Midyear financial review: Staying on track
Inflation is back, and stocks have soared. How’s your plan?
Money basics for kids: 5 skills to teach them now
Steady saving, smart spending, generous giving.
Money lessons from Britannica moms
Piggy banks, portfolios, and priorities.
New job, new life: Starting out? Start here.
A Britannica Money Learning Journey
Protect yourself: Identity theft is growing more sophisticated
But you can defend yourself.
Rent or buy? When to choose one over the other
Pride of ownership can come at a steep cost.
Retirement and key savings goal plans: Why an early start can help you get ahead
Get started on your financial future with some solid planning.
Saver, spender, sharer, investor, or gambler: What’s your money personality type?
Know thyself and make better money choices.
Shrinkflation: Inflation hiding in plain sight
There’s less there than meets the eye.
So you want to buy a car? What to know before visiting the dealer
Be sensible, not emotional.
Sports betting terminology: Responsible wagering starts with education
Learn the lingo before you bet.
Take a good look at that annual budget
Same time next year. And the year after that.
The big decisions behind your financial life
Your morning latte is probably not the problem.
The buy-or-rent decision comes to smartphones
From free flip phones to four-figure flagships.
The economics of fatherhood
Do those dad memes mask a solid money philosophy?
The life-cycle theory of savings and personal finance
Your lifetime spending habits affect more than you might think.
The paradox of thrift: Understanding economic behavior in recessions
Individually great; collectively painful.
The sandwich generation: Squeezed between growing children and aging parents
Will life take a bite out of your retirement goals?
The sandwich generation’s timing problem
Midlife is a panini press, and you’re getting squeezed.
The subscription economy
Access has its privileges—but so does ownership.
Time is money: An introduction to financial calculators
The math remains the same.
Tiny screens, big pricing power
Will digital price tags shift the balance between stores and shoppers?
Understanding frugal fatigue and how to fight it
Your financial journey is a marathon, not a sprint.
Understanding the 3 types of income: Earned, investment, and passive
A trio of ways to make money.
Universal basic income: Pros and cons of free money for all
A bold idea, but the money has to come from somewhere.
Using emergency savings vs. getting an emergency loan
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Using the 50-30-20 rule to power your household budget
It’s a great starting point.
What is a Trump account? Tax-advantaged investment accounts for children
Giving kids an early stake in the stock market.
What is a credit report and how does it influence your credit score?
Good credit has its perks.
What is a prenuptial agreement, and should you sign one?
Documenting what’s yours, mine, and ours.
What is due diligence? A professional and personal standard
Be sure to do your homework.
What to expect when leasing a car: Jargon and math
Wading through the terms and terminology.
When a family member steals your identity
The financial and emotional fallout—and how to recover.
When gas spikes, your budget notices first
How a jump at the pump ripples through households—and the economy.
When relatives ask for money
Loan guidelines for the Bank of Mom & Dad.
Why diesel prices may leave you fuming
How higher fuel costs work their way through the supply chain—and into your wallet.
Why the cost of fun is less amusing
Entertainment is becoming a larger line item in many household budgets.
Why your grocery bill still bites
Inflation may be tamer, but food prices remain high.
Your guide to setting a monthly budget
The budget you’ll actually stick to.
Your household balance sheet: Keeping track of what you own and what you owe
Think of it as a net worth calculator.
SUBSCRIBE