Let’s face it, Michael Jackson had a spotty record when it came to managing his money. Sure, he earned a gazillion dollars making music and was savvy enough to buy rights to Beatles’ tunes, but in his latter days he also spent lavishly, millions more than his annual income, and he racked up a sizeable debt. In other words, you wouldn’t want him as your financial advisor.
money
Best Buy Ties Up A Grand Of Guy's Money For A Month
By 7.7.09
Disregarding our sage advice, former Best Buy employee Patrick wanted to cash out his 401(k) when he left the company. But he found getting ahold of the money was tougher than getting out of the store without being offered an extended service plan:
Royal Caribbean: Give Us $800 Or Find Another Ship
By 7.5.09
Royal Caribbean told Mary Hoefs at check-in that her family wouldn’t be allowed to board unless they paid $800 on the spot, even though Mary had paid for the cruise in full four months earlier. Royal Caribbean later refunded $400, but why did they choose to kick off Mary’s cruise with extortion? The answer, inside…
Radio Shack Is Levying The Wrong Sales Tax In New York City
By 7.5.09
Radio Shack is charging New York City consumers an extra half-percent of sales tax, even though the State hasn’t approved a new tax rate. Before descending into a chaotic mess of embarrassing inaction, the New York State Senate was widely expected to hike the sales tax New York City’s local sales from 8.375% to 8.875%. That never happened, a minor detail that isn’t stopping Radio Shack from collecting more tax, as reader Jeff discovered…
15 Ways To Protect Your Money While Traveling
By 7.4.09
Bankrate shares 15 tips to protect your stash of cash while traveling abroad. Before leaving, strip down your wallet to the bare essentials, including a backup credit card, and make copies of all financial documents. While abroad, stash the copies and the backup card in your hotel safe, and take common-sense precautions like sticking to legitimate bank ATMs, and avoiding crowds. Hit the link for the rundown of all 15 tips.
Personal Finance Roundup
By 7.3.09
The 10 Most Dollar-Discounted Housing Markets [US News] “Listing prices in these cities have been slashed by millions of dollars over the past year.”
100% All Natural Plumped Chickens Are Stuffed With Water And Salt
By 6.29.09
Do you like overpaying for salt and water? Then “100% All Natural” chicken breasts might be for you! Just look for the labels that boast “enhanced with up to 15% chicken broth,” and you can be sure you’re overpaying for the saltiest, most water-logged chicken that industrial food processors can design. So how does all that chicken water get into the chickens, you ask? Hit the jump for the delightfully graphic description…
Daddy, Is The Recession Over Yet? Handy Chart Holds The Answer
By 6.26.09
When are we going to pull out of the recession? The Kiplinger Recovery Index thinks it can tell you, using a sophisticated system of red and green colored boxes and checkmarks and X’s.
The Best Way to Maximize Your Investment Return
By 6.25.09
There are three variables that impact the total return investors receive from an investment: the amount saved, the return rate, and the amount of time invested. Most investors spend a good amount of time and effort trying to increase all three. But what if we can’t do all three, if we’re inhibited by time, skill, knowledge, or ability (after all, many fund managers spend a lifetime trying to eek out an additional 1% return with limited success.) If we could only focus on one of the factors to impact, which is the best option? What is the best way to maximize investment returns?
DealTree Sends Phone Trade In Money To Imaginary PayPal Account
By 6.25.09
What’s going on with DealTree? They handle Nokia’s “Trade-up” program, which reimburses you cash for your old phones. It says clearly on the “how it works” page as well as in their terms and conditions that they’ll mail a paper check to you after confirming your phone’s value. In Paul’s case, they say dumped his money into a PayPal account—and Paul says there’s nothing in his account and PayPal has no record of a transaction.
By 6.20.09
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Here are 5 personal finance podcasts to subscribe to, download, and argue with during your commute or workout. [Automatic Finances] (Photo: uhuru1701)
Personal Finance Roundup
By 6.19.09
How much is that gold jewelry worth? [Mighty Bargain Hunter] “Short answer: Probably less than you think, but more than you’ll get from a gold-to-cash place.”
10 Things Financial Planners Won't Tell You
By 6.19.09
Right after politicians and lawyers, financial planners have to be the most mistrusted, suspected, and questioned profession these days. And with good reason. With the Bernie Madoff’s of the world running rampant, fewer and fewer people are willing to turn their life savings over to someone else. (Yes, we realize Madoff was an investment advisor, not a financial planner per se, but you get the meaning.) Well, after reading this, you’ll probably be even less likely to hire a financial planner. financial planners won’t tell you as follows:
Best Buy Accepts 12 Year Old Gift Certificate Without Complaint
By 6.19.09
Jon wrote back with the results of his attempt to redeem a gift certificate that’s over a decade old.
Credit Card Companies Are Warming Up To Reduced Payoff Deals
By 6.17.09
If you’ve fallen into a debt pit and can’t make your credit card payments, and now you’re watching them steadily mount with penalties, fees, and steep interest rates, consider negotiating a lower payment. The New York Times reports that while most card companies won’t admit it officially, they know when they’ve got a customer who can’t pay, and they’re much more willing to settle for a lower amount than they were a year ago.
Take Your Score From 650 To 800 With The Credit Karma Report Card
By 6.15.09
Credit Karma recently launched the free Credit Report Card service that assigns letter grades to each component of your credit score. If you want to improve your credit score, try to bring up your performance in areas where you have low or failing grades. Not every component has the same bearing on your score, so underneath each section Credit Karma tells you how much weight it has. For those who look at their reports and scratch their head, the Credit Karma report card, which is drawn from your TransUnion report, makes understanding why your credit score is the way it is a snap. Full screen shot inside.
Furloughs: Welcome Or Lousy?
By 6.15.09
Rather than layoffs, a number of employers are turning to furloughs – forced unpaid time off – to meet their budgets. According to a NYT article, employees are handling them in different ways. Some use it as chill time. Others keep working anyway without pay, either out of guilt, routine, or fear of an actual layoff. Has your company been hit with furloughs? How are you dealing? Take our poll inside.
