Making Cents: Don't sign till you've read it all

I know you're busy. Believe me, we all have responsibilities and schedules that are tough to meet. But being too short on time or worse yet, too disinterested to read a financial document through are not good enough reasons to willy-nilly sign a contract, especially when that haste might end up biting you where it hurts the most.

From mortgages to credit cards to bank accounts to tax returns - make no mistake, these are all binding contracts that contain their share of fine print. And if you do not make yourself thoroughly familiar with that fine print, you may face negative consequences later.