How much can credit scores rise?
Considering that it is so incredibly important for a person’s financial well-being, there is a surprising amount of mystery surrounding the FICO method of…
Author: Rick Good
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader's money, real estate, and business coverage.
The Idea man, innovator who persevered, survived failure
Wham-O, the business Arthur Melin and friend Richard Knerr started in 1948, was based on a slingshot that could shoot food up to a hunter’s falcons. Not…
How to make lemonade out of lemons
Somebody has to do it, and that somebody could turn out to be you. When you are assigned a project or task that seems unimportant, or one that could be…
Ready to sell? Step up strong with these six first steps
If you are ready for the adventure of selling your home and starting a new chapter in your life, congratulations! It’s going to be great. And some work….
Ask the Expert: Locking in
We are cleared to lock down a price on our mortgage but would be happier if the rate dropped slightly. Should we wait? If the price is acceptable, don’t…
Weekend partying leaves people with ‘social jet lag,’ study says
If you want to feel well and healthy every day, a consistent sleep-wake schedule is the key. Most people maintain that schedule during the week, but…
Not just Florida: Consider the world when planning retirement
Living in North America offers access to an unprecedented standard of living, stable employment, safety, and entertainment. But it comes at a high cost….
Great summer for air travel
According to Bloomberg, this summer has turned out to be one of the best for cheap air travel in more than a decade. Jet fuel costs have been at 12-year…
The Perseid shower: See the lights in the sky
Not many of us will be privileged to travel into space, but we can enjoy the phenomenon of a meteor shower as it crosses the nighttime sky. Meteoroids are…
Buy happiness: New experiences count
You won’t find happiness at the mall in the form of a huge new TV or in the department store in the form of new clothes or a fancy coffee pot. They will…