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We all have certain causes that we choose to support monetarily. In fact, in 2017, Americans gave more than $410 billion to charities, breaking the $400 billion mark for the first time in history.

But anytime that we give our money to an organization, it’s important to do our due diligence, ensuring that the funds that we give will be used effectively.

Time certainly goes by fast. One day you’re interviewing for your first job and the next thing you know you’re a few short years from applying for Social Security.

If you’ve planned for your retirement, you’ll likely have a good stash of funds saved.  But the unfortunate news is that according to the Insured Retirement Institute, 42 percent of baby boomers have nothing saved for retirement, and even those that have saved don’t have nearly enough to survive on.

Personal finance, like just about everything else, is mainly common sense. Advice like “don’t spend more than you make; start investing while you’re young; don’t loan money to friends with the expectation of getting it back,” have been around for generations, and most likely will survive the next few generations as well. Even money mistakes that are corrected early enough will have little impact on your wealth going forward.  What you do want to avoid are money mistakes that can be hard to recover from. Here are just a few:

Like health care, many of us continue with the same auto insurance policy for years, never bothering to find out whether another insurance carrier could provide better service or save us some money. But there are several reasons why shopping for another auto insurance policy can make sense. Here are just a few:

Has a dog or cat grabbed hold of your heart?  It doesn’t take much. A paw on the arm. A lick on the nose, or a soft purr or whimper can turn most of us into dog or cat parents in minutes. With animal shelters across the U.S. frequently at their max, there are a record number of dogs and cats available for adoption. Of course, there are also those that are looking for a particular breed, and are willing to spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars when they find it.

Donating money to our favorite charitable organization is a year-end ritual for many of us. While monthly giving has gained in popularity in recent years, most of us still tend to open up our wallets just a bit wider at the end of the year.

But what about the organization that we’re giving to? What are they required to do once they receive our donation?  If you’re unsure, here’s a quick run-down of what you should expect.

If you’ve spent more than five minutes on a kid’s television network, you’ve seen just how inundated young kids are with commercials for everything from the latest gadget, to some dreadful snack that features something gooey and/or messy. It’s also safe to bet that many of these kids run to their parents, wanting to buy some or all of these items.