Money doesn't bring courage, I learned. It's the other way around. Once I took that lesson to heart, I began to rebuild my life.

A cash advance on a credit card is one of the worst types of borrowing because the interest rate is typically 21 percent or more.

Never invest emergency savings in the stock market.

When you start really respecting yourself, those you love, and your money, the result is that you start having control over your money. What follows from that is control over your life.

What women need to understand is that you cannot save a child if you can't save yourself.

If you wait until your children are high school seniors to spring it on them that there's not a whole lot of money for school, they won't have too many options.

Cash - in savings accounts, short-term CDs or money market deposits - is great for an emergency fund. But to fulfill a long-term investment goal like funding your retirement, consider buying stocks. The more distant your financial target, the longer inflation will gnaw at the purchasing power of your money.