You would think that the main thing that separates the financial winners from the losers is money. Obviously, the more money people have, the more things they can buy, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into happiness. Even people who have financial success and make a lot of money can find themselves at its mercy if [...]
Continue Reading →Learning how to save money in these economic times may not be easy, but it is necessary, now more than ever. About the only certainty in life is that the unexpected will happen. While most of us would like to imagine the unexpected in shining terms, such as finally hitting the lotto, that’s not what [...]
Continue Reading →Using cash back and rewards points for holiday shopping has always been a great way to stretch your holiday budget and fill in the gaps on your gift list. But, even with the vast shopping malls offered by the rewards programs, it always seems to be a bit limiting and, often times, you know you’re [...]
Continue Reading →Are you seeking debt management solutions? Perhaps the most encouraging outcome of the latest recession is the increasing emphasis on debt reduction by most Americans. We are borrowing less and saving more, and hopefully, developing some more frugal habits that can lead to healthier finances in the future. Still, millions of people continue to struggle [...]
Continue Reading →You’ve seen the commercials with people blissfully depositing checks straight through their smart phones, or the father making an emergency fund transfer to aid his daughter stranded in a foreign land. Mobile banking is indeed sweeping the country. It’s convenient, it’s cool, and it’s safe, that according to security experts who understand something about encryption [...]
Continue Reading →It probably came as no surprise to most people when the major banks announced that they are going to start charging new debit card fees on our debit cards. Banks are in business to make money, and when they can’t find it in one place, they’ll look for it in another. Recent regulations, which have [...]
Continue Reading →Unlike past economic recoveries that spawned job growth across the broad cross-section of industries, this one has been much more gradual and the real job growth is concentrated in certain industries. So, for people who suffered layoffs from jobs for which they may have had a lifetime of experience and training, the new reality may [...]
Continue Reading →Bank of America debit card fees, what this means to you. The real question is; will other banks likely follow suit? If so, how will it affect consumers? It was only a matter of time. The banking industry, which has seen its profits squeezed as a result of bad loans and more costly regulations, has [...]
Continue Reading →How do balance transfers work? If you are suddenly seeing more 0% balance transfer offers in your mailbox, you’re not alone. Millions of Americans are beginning to see what, until just recently, has been a somewhat rare occurrence. Since the credit crisis of 2008, banks had virtually shut down their balance transfer offers except for [...]
Continue Reading →What is the best rewards credit card when shopping for groceries, gas, clothes? Now that the banks are lurching towards charging fees on debit cards there really is no reason not to pay for groceries or gas with a cash-back rewards credit card. But, with the opportunity to earn up to 5% cash off of [...]
Continue Reading →Unfortunately, the prospect of a foreclosure has become all too real for tens of thousands of people. And, the fact that there are still thousands of pending foreclosures is a partial cause of depressed home prices which threatens even more people when their homes become upside down in their mortgages. Avoiding foreclosure may not be easy in some circumstances, however in most cases it can be done if you take the right steps.
Continue Reading →Advantages of Online Banking: Never Drive to Your Bank Again! It may be a nice ritual for some people: Gathering your deposit book, your checks for deposit, your keys, and then driving your car down to your local bank. Or maybe you are able to plan your trips to the bank around other trips to nearby shops.
Continue Reading →Ask anyone who has had a run-in with an incompetent or rude customer service rep from a credit card company and they will tell you to forget about the APR and the other bells and whistles when deciding on which card company to go with. Most will tell you that the lower APR or the higher rewards points are just not worth the aggravation of dealing with poor customer service, especially when things go wrong.
Continue Reading →As of late the credit card landscape has become much less rocky with issuers loosening many of the restrictions placed on new issues as a result of the banking crisis a few years ago. Also, considering that things are becoming a little bumpier on the debit card side with the prospect of higher account fees, it may be a good time to look at some of the new credit card offerings that could bring a good value, especially if you are now in the habit of paying your monthly bills in full.
Continue Reading →In the current economic malaise of high unemployment, rising food and gas costs, upside-down mortgages, and increasing uncertainty, a new demographic stratum has emerged in which people, through no fault of their own, find themselves chronically strapped of cash. And, it seems that the deeper people sink into the malaise, the more payday loan shops pop up. In fact, it has been recently reported that there are now more payday loan stores than there are McDonalds restaurants, and millions of Americans have been served.
Continue Reading →When a bank issues you a credit card it plans to generate revenue from you for at least four years by charging you interest and collecting a host of fees. If you carry a balance on your credit cards, your business will be very profitable for the bank. Why then do they insist on shaking us down for even more of our money every time we make a call to their customer service?
Continue Reading →If you are in a situation in which you have fallen behind on payments you shouldn’t be surprised when you start receiving harassing phone calls from debt collectors. You may also find yourself in a situation where you receive a call from a debt collector over an old debt that you thought had been paid, discharged or had aged beyond the statute of limitations. That call may surprise you.
Continue Reading →Clearly bankruptcy is not a destination on anybody’s financial map, but it’s where you could end up when you encounter roadblocks and your life is detoured by the unexpected. So, everyone who arrives at bankruptcy takes a different path, but the road back to financial health and prosperity has but one starting point and with it the opportunity to map out a new financial future.
Continue Reading →Balance transfers are a mechanism for credit card issuers to gain market share and, ultimately, increase their revenue. They generally target people with good credit who maintain balances on their credit cards. When a person receives an offer to transfer a balance at a low introduction rate, the terms usually include an expiration after which a new rate is applied to the transferred balance.
Continue Reading →You get a call one night from the security and fraud investigation division of VISA. The caller identifies himself, provides an identification number and then proceeds to tell you that your card with numbers ending with 4723 has been flagged for fraudulent activities.
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