Directbanc.com discovers the man behind the mustache, the uncoventional and highly entertaining Mr. Money Mustache. (Pete, actually) Mr. Money Mustache is a new financial blogger who retired, financially independent, from an average engineering job shortly after turning 30 in order to start a family. With no punches pulled, he attacks the mindless consumerism that defines [...]
Continue Reading →Happy days are here again! Or are they? After 3 years of belt tightening, American consumers began spreading their cash around again as consumer spending showed an increase of .08 percent, the largest increase in over a year. Was the new “frugality” that came to characterize the fiscal attitudes of Americans only fleeting? Or are [...]
Continue Reading →Last week we were treated with the news of another multi-billion dollar loss suffered at the hands of one of the largest and most respected banking institutions in the world, JP Morgan Chase. While the loss of $2 billion may turn out to be nothing more than a blip on JP Morgan’s financial statement, it [...]
Continue Reading →The number of American renouncing their U.S. citizenship each year has increased nearly 200 percent per year over the last four years, the vast majority of who do so to escape the long arm of the IRS. Granted, we’re only talking about 1,800 expats out of more than 6 million living abroad; however, it’s not [...]
Continue Reading →It’s difficult getting through life these days without a credit card. While many people simply take them for granted, others walk a daily tightrope in managing their credit cards where one slip could suddenly send their credit situation tumbling down. In either case, all it takes is one mistake to turn your financial dreams into [...]
Continue Reading →Savers and investors are in quite a quandary these days as fiscal and economic policies have driven interest rates to their lowest level in history. In fact, when you factor in inflation most bank savings vehicles are yielding a negative return. Treasury notes are not much better as their yields barely break even with inflation. [...]
Continue Reading →If credit card use is up at all these days it may be largely attributed to the popularity of the cash back rewards programs offered by most of the major card issuers. After all, if you can earn an extra $40 or $50 a month just by making your normal purchases of gas and groceries, [...]
Continue Reading →Even as the dust continues to settle after the calamitous financial crisis of 2008 that cost investors and tax payers trillions of dollars, there is still no shortage of hucksters scheming for our money. And incredibly, the pool of hapless investors, willing to turn over their life savings in pursuit of “homerun” returns seems to [...]
Continue Reading →As we have learned over the last couple of years, there is nothing the market hates more than uncertainty, and this year, with the all of the vital fiscal issues dangling before a hyper-partisan Congress and President, its revulsion will very likely become a wrath it unleashes on investors with vicious volatility. What else is [...]
Continue Reading →What is a short sale, and is it the best choice for you right now? Maybe so, however there is a lot to slip between the cup and the lip. As the nation anxiously awaits the next wave of foreclosures, thousands of distressed homeowners are desperately clinging to the possibility of escaping their underwater homes [...]
Continue Reading →Credit cards for those with good or excellent credit are everywhere, however, credit cards for fair credit are still hard to find. Unquestionably there has been a credit revival in the U.S. over the last year or so. The number of people thawing out their credit cards is increasing, as evidenced by the uptick in [...]
Continue Reading →Have you ever considered using a virtual bank as opposed to a traditional bank? You may be one of the 175 million people who have become comfortable conducting their banking business online. And why worry, because with all of the security and redundant data encryption used in banking websites, you’re as safe banking online as you are [...]
Continue Reading →For Bank of America, the PR hits just keep coming. It was reported last week that senior officials at Bank of America showed a decade-long customer the door because it didn’t like its line of business as a firearms manufacturer. McMillan Group International, an American, family-owned company was not only told that B of A [...]
Continue Reading →You may have noticed an increase in the amount of credit card offers you’ve received in the mail lately, as the credit card companies are eager to capitalize on the current upswing in credit card use. Many people base their choice of credit card on rewards or points, but the APR on a card is [...]
Continue Reading →Another sign that the economy may be picking up is the reported increase in restaurant revenues, an indication that people are allowing more eating out into their once-strapped budgets. Recent surveys, however, point to another reason why people are choosing eating out vs eating at home, and that is that many have determined that it could [...]
Continue Reading →Teaching Kids About Money In the 2012 Consumer Financial Literacy Survey conducted during Financial Literacy Month in April, it was revealed that nearly half of adult Americans learned everything they know about finances from their parents. Considering that the same percentage graded themselves at a C or lower on their knowledge of finances, it would [...]
Continue Reading →It has managed to fly under the radar for the last few years, but the shock headlines of recent weeks has catapulted the student loan crisis debt issue to the top as the next calamitous debacle to face the country. The reports that the total student loan debt of nearly $900 billion now surpasses that [...]
Continue Reading →When people get behind on their debt, or at least contemplate doing so, the question that ultimately runs through their minds is “Can a Credit Card Company Sue You?” The short answer is yes as long as they are following the process set forth in the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Suing you for uncollected [...]
Continue Reading →Directbanc visits with the versatile personal finance blogger Julie Mayfield, of The Family CEO blog. Julie founded her blog to document her efforts in paying off debt, saving money, and creating an authentic, intentional life for her family. 1) What was your inspiration for starting your blog, The Family CEO? Back in 2006, I was [...]
Continue Reading →Last fall as the market was nearing a bottom following a 15% plunge, it was reported that over $80 billion dollars flowed out of equity mutual funds. Since then, the market has rallied nearly 20%, yet very little of that $80 billion has found its way back into the market. It is but one more [...]
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