Entrepreneurs and self-employed people devote an untold number of hours towards their business, wearing multiple hats and juggling an infinite number of tasks. For many, their business is their future security which is why they are willing to spend so much time working in it. Because of that, and the fact that most business owners [...]
Continue Reading →For the largest generation in history, retirement dreams have turned into pipe dreams as the “new normal” economy seems to be taking hold. Now crossing the retirement threshold at a rate of 10,000 per day, Baby Boomers are reassessing their retirement plans, and some are even wondering if they will ever be able to retire. [...]
Continue Reading →Unless you’re a Ron Paul enthusiast, you may have missed it among the relatively few minutes he has been given in the seemingly endless number of Republican debates; that is his call for the abolition of the Federal Reserve and a return to the gold standard. Other politicians, including more recently Newt Gingrich have made [...]
Continue Reading →Directbanc.com Goes In Depth with the Personal Finance Experts and their Personal Finance Blogs. Today marks the debut of our “Asking the Experts” series of interviews with the best Personal Finance Experts from around the web. Our goal is to provide helpful information on a wide range of financial topics that affect a wide range of [...]
Continue Reading →Consumers beware, foreclosure fraud is rampant in today’s post financial meltdown era. Unquestionably, the worst of the carnage left after the financial meltdown has been the millions of foreclosures that continue to plague the housing market. Although the number of foreclosures has dipped back under 1 million in 2011, it is expected to increase again in 2012, after a lull in processing caused by the “robo-signing” foreclosure fraud scandal at the hands of some of the major banks.
Continue Reading →As if the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, spawned from the Dodd-Frank financial reform law, wasn’t controversial enough, it is now under fire as a result of President Obama’s “recess” appointment of its new director, Richard Cordray. The quotation marks are there because the appointment is certain to come under legal challenges by [...]
Continue Reading →Car dealer scams, particularly financing, has become more prevalent in recent years. As if the car buying experience wasn’t bad enough, it has become a nightmare for many unwitting car buyers who, for one reason or another, aren’t able to use conventional means to finance their purchase. Along with the dozens of other scams that have proliferated in [...]
Continue Reading →Will the Unbanked Ever Become Bankable? With the rise of pre-paid debit cards, payday loans and pawn shops, we learn more about a large segment of the population that lurks in the shadows of the financial system in our country called the “unbanked.” These are people from a variety of backgrounds and for any number of [...]
Continue Reading →The other night I had the occasion to watch the 2009 film, State of Play, starring Ben Affleck and Russell Crowe. Billed as a political thriller wrapped around government and corporate conspiracies, most of the attention is given to the intense and convoluted plotline that strings together seemingly unconnected murders, political ambition, government/corporate collusion and [...]
Continue Reading →There’s nothing more maddening than checking your credit card rewards balance only to learn that they have expired or are about to expire before you have a reasonable chance to use them. According to a study done by Synovate, a market research firm, only a quarter of eligible cardholders redeemed points in 2010. That means [...]
Continue Reading →You may be used to receiving credit card offers in the mail, but if you receive a letter from Union Workers Credit Services inviting you to join their membership plan, shred it immediately and warn your family and friends to do the same. When I received my own offer in the mail, I couldn’t believe [...]
Continue Reading →Three out of ten American workers will suffer a disability, do you have a safety net? Face it, life happens, most often beyond your control, and it can sometimes produce some unexpected illnesses or injuries that can potentially disrupt your ability to keep your income flowing. In fact, the most valuable asset that most people [...]
Continue Reading →Do hybrid cars save money? Unquestionably, hybrid cars are a remarkable technology and no one can argue that they can’t save you money in fuel costs. But, the overriding question is whether or not they can save you money in the long run. With everyone feeling the sting of higher gas prices, the idea of hybrid [...]
Continue Reading →I have a confession to make. I’m a coupon clipper, but it hasn’t led to extreme couponing, yet. My friends and family know that I’m a proud coupon clipper, and because I’m not shy about sharing my shopping exploits, they know that I’m pretty good at it. Based on a typical family budget, I should [...]
Continue Reading →So, the big news hit the wires over the weekend: Nine Eurozone Countries to be Downgraded by Standard & Poor’s. Excuse me while I yawn. Was anybody actually surprised by this? For the few people who thought the Eurozone experiment would actually work – 16 countries with completely different cultures, economies, and fiscal policies give [...]
Continue Reading →In what appears to be the biggest financial news story of the week (it was a real slow week for financial news), we learn that the venerable, personal finance pop icon, Suze Orman, has come out with her own pre-paid MasterCard, called the “Approved Card.” This is not totally surprising. After all, the Kardashians left [...]
Continue Reading →There are few things in life that bring as much angst as it does excitement than buying a car. And, in this day and age of tighter budgets the debate rages on in our heads over whether it’s better to buy a new car vs used car. We’ve all heard the argument of driving a [...]
Continue Reading →The recession seems to be taking a back seat as more people pull out their credit cards to pay for everyday items. According to The Christian Science Monitor, consumers racked up a total of $64 billion in credit card debt for the year 2011, and January 2012 has already seen an increase in credit card [...]
Continue Reading →What is a will and why do I need one? It is startling to learn that 55% of Americans die each year without a will. Preparing for one’s demise has never been anyone’s favorite thing to do, but, if more people knew what happens to their estate when they die without a proper will, they [...]
Continue Reading →What is a Living Will and should I have one? Few of us will ever forget the emotionally charged battle over the life of Terry Schiavo as she lay comatose and withering away, while family members, the medical community, politicians, and the media made their case for her fate. It divided a family and a nation. [...]
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