money

Personal Finance Roundup

Personal Finance Roundup

Guide to Holiday Tipping Etiquette [US News] “Even during tight economic times, thanking service workers is important–and expected.”

6 tales: Worst money advice ever [MSN Money] “When it comes to bad financial guidance, these stories from average Americans are hard to top. But they offer valuable lessons on what not to do, financial planners say.”

Which Frequent Flier Program Has the Best Awards Availability? [Wise Bread] “Here are the major airline rewards programs ranked from best to worst in terms of availability.”

24 Ways to Spend Nothing on Gift Wrap, and 4 Ways to Spend Very Little [Money Talks News] “If you plan to buy gift bags, wrapping paper, boxes, or bows this holiday season, you’re wasting your money.”

Most hated fees and price hikes [CNN Money] “What was your most hated fee or price hike?”

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Unrealistic Financial Goals That May Not Be Worth The Trouble

Unrealistic Financial Goals That May Not Be Worth The Trouble

When you work hard on your finances and don’t attain unrealistic goals you’ve set for yourself, it’s easy to get discouraged and regress into irresponsibility. Pursue bite-sized, attainable landmarks on your way to financial stability and you’ll have a better chance at succeeding. [More]

Personal Finance Roundup

Personal Finance Roundup

The Complete Guide To Building Wealth In Two Sentences [Free Money Finance] “The truth behind wealth building is public domain knowledge, simple to understand, and nobody is going to get rich selling it to you.”

How to Get Your Retirement Back on Track [Smart Money] “2012 should give you several chances to patch up plans for the future. Here’s what to look for.”

9 things financial advisers won’t say [MSN Money] “If you’re seeking a professional for money-management advice, you need someone who will put your interests first. Knowing what advisers may not tell you can help with the selection.”

31 Great Gifts That Keep on Giving [Wise Bread] “If you’re looking to buy a gift this year that won’t fade away once the newness wears off, then you’ve come to the right place.”

25 Questions to Ask in the First Interview [Michael Hyatt “How do you determine if someone you are interviewing has these [positive] qualities?”

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Personal Finance Roundup

Personal Finance Roundup

Yes, Virginia, there’s an app for that [MSN Money] “Here are 10 apps to help you find the right gift without emptying your wallet.”

Health is Wealth: The Best Investment I Ever Made [Get Rich Slowly] “Years of accumulated fitness are — literally — money in the bank.”

How to Save $10,000 by Next Thanksgiving [Wall Street Journal] “We tapped financial advisers, business contacts, friends and acquaintances to hear what they had done to save money.”

My secret to super customer service [CNN Money] “These 10 consumers have mastered the art of getting what they want from customer service reps.”

How to Keep Your Holiday Spending in Check [US News] “Tips on responsible spending, handling frugal fatigue, and more.”

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Personal Finance Roundup

Personal Finance Roundup

The 25 Best Things to Buy on Craigslist [Wise Bread] “Here (in no particular order) are the 25 best things to buy off Craigslist.”

4 Tips to Find the Right Charity [Money Talks News] “When it comes to charity, here’s how to run a check before you sign one.”

Creative ways to help a charity without spending any money [Wealth Informatics] “I am not talking about the usual suspects. We can do better than that and below I show you how.”

100 Frugal Gifts You Can Give This Christmas [Bible Money Matters] “Once you’ve set a budget finding gifts that can fit within it or that are a bit more frugal than some other possible choices can be tough. You really have to be creative.”

How to Be On a Gameshow [The Penny Hoarder] “Participating in a gameshow is an easy and fun way to make extra money.”

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Mind-Boggling Money Chart Maps Out Where It's Spent, Who's Got It And Much More

Mind-Boggling Money Chart Maps Out Where It's Spent, Who's Got It And Much More

We’ve got to hand it to the mastermind behind this money chart, which takes such a vast, general topic, and breaks it down into a whole lot of smaller, easily explained parts. Huge and super-detailed, the graphic maps out where money is being made in the United States, where it goes, who’s making it, and anything else you could ever think to investigate on the topic. [More]

Personal Finance Roundup

Personal Finance Roundup

10 Questions You Should Never Ask in a Job Interview [US News] “Here are 10 questions that you should steer far away from.”

How a Financial Pro Lost His House [NY Times] “The process of making financial decisions is about more than building a spreadsheet to calculate the answer, because life rarely fits cleanly into a spreadsheet.”

15 Career Advice Sites You Should Know About [Wise Bread] “These sites can help you not only land a job you love, but do it better than everyone else.”

5 Financial Steps to Take as Soon as You Say “I Do” [Money Talks News] “Here’s how to make sure your new family gets off on the right foot.”

5 Money-Saving Holiday Strategies [Smart Money] “To get this year’s best deals, many shoppers are abandoning timeworn strategies.”

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The New Sneaky Fees Banks Are Adding

The New Sneaky Fees Banks Are Adding

Just because the monthly debit card fee battle has been won doesn’t mean banks are gonna stop trying to squeeze more profit off basic checking accounts. Here’s a bunch of the recent fees banks have invented: [More]

BofA Says "Sorry" For Paying Your Real Estate Taxes Late

BofA Says "Sorry" For Paying Your Real Estate Taxes Late

Banks are happy to jump all over you and ratchet up the fees when you’re late. But when they’re late, not so much. [More]

Layaway Can End Up Costing More Than A Credit Card, Senator Schumer Warns

Layaway Can End Up Costing More Than A Credit Card, Senator Schumer Warns

Retailers are trying to push layaway this holiday season as a way to buy stuff you don’t immediately have the money for. For people without available credit, this can be a way to eventually get what they can’t afford now. But NY Sen. Chuck Schumer is warning that layaway fees can add up to be a much higher interest rate than any credit card would be allowed to charge. [More]

BofA Reaps Fees From Unemployment Benefits Loaded On Debit Cards

BofA Reaps Fees From Unemployment Benefits Loaded On Debit Cards

While Bank of America’s now-abandoned plan to charge debit card users $5 a month has received a halogen spotlight recently, far less attention has been paid to how it collects fees off the unemployed. In some states, unemployment benefits are issued via Bank of America debit cards. States save money by not using paper checks, but the unemployed lose out from all the fees hiding in the cards. [More]

Closed BofA Bank Account Mysteriously Reopened With 1 Penny Balance

Closed BofA Bank Account Mysteriously Reopened With 1 Penny Balance

Chris was one of the many in October who closed their bank accounts with Bank of America, and other similar big retail banks, in protest over planned fees for using their debit card. But last week she found it had been reopened for no apparent reason, with a 1 penny balance out of nowhere. [More]

How A Professional Financial Planner Lost His House

How A Professional Financial Planner Lost His House

I’ve always been fascinated by the old expression, “The Cobbler’s children have no shoes.” It refers to a person who is so concentrated on using their specific skill set to take care of others’ needs that they ignore their own. Carl Richards is a professional financial planner, a guy who people paid to manage their money. He shares how while in the middle of telling people what to do with their cash, he ended up buying way more house than he could afford and ended it up losing it all. It may be a long time before he and his wife can be homeowners again. [More]

New Wave Of Mortgage Defaults On Horizon

New Wave Of Mortgage Defaults On Horizon

Some of the crappiest mortgages ever made were issued in 2006, and right now those 5-year introductory teaser periods are expiring. That’s leading to a 300% increase in monthly payments for already strapped borrowers, and it’s what’s driving the first increase in delinquent mortgages since 2009, a banking expert tells Credit.com. [More]

Personal Finance Roundup

Personal Finance Roundup

Car-Buying Help: 5 Smart Resources to Get the Right Car at the Right Price [Moneyland] “Here’s a list of helpful and informative resources of use to first-time buyers and experienced negotiators alike.”

Waiting for the cable guy is costing us $38 billion [CNN Money] “The vast majority of Americans, or 57%, say they spent the most time waiting for the cable guy.”

21 Frugal Ways to Reward Yourself Right Now [Wise Bread] “Wallet-friendly ideas to reward yourself.”

5 Things to Buy Used [US News] “Here are five categories where you can buy used items that are almost as good, just as good, or even better than what you can purchase brand new.”

More Year-End Tax-Saving Strategies [Smart Money] “Several ways to cut your tax bill, including selling investment losers and giving to charity.”

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BofA Charges Man $39.23 On A $0 Balance

BofA Charges Man $39.23 On A $0 Balance

Bank of America charged Roger $39.23 in interest on his credit card, even though he had a zero balance. How could that be? [More]

While Getting House Financed, TWC Dings Score With Unauthorized Credit Report Pull

While Getting House Financed, TWC Dings Score With Unauthorized Credit Report Pull

Shawn is peeved. He’s in the middle of securing financing on a new house and the last thing you need during that time period are any surprise people looking at your credit report. These inquiries can bring your score down. But he got exactly one of those, a “hard” one, thanks to an unauthorized peek-a-boo Time Warner Cable decided to do on his credit report when called them up to ask about reducing his cable package. [More]

Video: Occupy Portlanders Open Credit Union Accounts On Bank Transfer Day

Video: Occupy Portlanders Open Credit Union Accounts On Bank Transfer Day

Saturday was the fifth of November, and many remembered to take a stand and shut down their big retail bank accounts, transferring their cash to a new credit union account. Here’s a video out of Occupy Portland covering what happened on Bank Transfer Day. Interviewees talk about why they’re switching to a credit union, and how this is just the beginning. [More]