One of our readers was able to save $89.76/year in surcharges on his Verizon bill by changing his primary area of use to NJ from NY.
money
Bankruptcy Is A Last Resort
By 2.2.09
Bankruptcy is not a get out of jail free card for your debts, it’s a nuclear weapon. If you use it, expect to be considered credit unworthy for a decade.
USPS Wants To Cut Back To Five-Day Work Week
By 1.30.09
A $3 billion deficit and expected losses of $6 billion more have led the Postmaster General to suggest cutting mail delivery from six to five days.
Buying Power: Computers Are Cheaper, College Is 248.4% More Expensive
By 1.30.09
The American Institute for Economic Research has released their Cost-of-Living Guide, which tracks the purchasing power of the dollar, says the WSJ Wallet Blog. They pulled some interesting examples of items that have increased in price — and a few that have actually gone down since 1990.
Cash4Gold Offers Blogger $3,000 To Remove Negative Post
By 1.30.09
Want to get rich in blogging? Just write negative posts about sleazy companies and wait for them to bribe you to take your post down. That’s what the Cockeyed blog learned after blogging about their experience in using Cash4Gold’s servicess…
Personal Finance Roundup
By 1.29.09
Basics of Treasury Bonds & Securities Explained [Bargaineering] “Government bonds are still safer, from a capital preservation perspective, than every other investment.”
Don't Get Your Account Frozen When Traveling Overseas
By 1.28.09
Nothing sucks like getting stranded internationally without cash, which can happen if your bank confuses your sudden overseas withdrawals with potential fraud and puts a block on your account. That’s why it can be a good idea to call your bank up and have them put a note on your account to say when and where you’ll be traveling. ING Direct customers, for one, go to their checking account maintenance page and fill out the form that asks about travel info. Sure you could probably just call to get the block lifted but then you have to buy a card with one of those funky chips in it and figure out the international calling code and whatnot. (Thanks to Brandon Savage!) (Photo: piglicker)
Save Thousands On Credit Card Debt By Paying Off More Each Month
By 1.27.09
Are you smarter than a credit card? You’re not if you’re not paying off more than what the credit card company requires you to each month.
Save On Taxes And Energy With Efficient Home Improvements
By 1.27.09
Save money on heating and cooling bills and save on your 2009 taxes by making energy efficient improvements to your house. EnergyStar.gov has got the lowdown on how you can get tax credits by installing new windows, doors, roofs, insulation, HVAC, and non-solar water heaters. Unfortunately, upgrades made during 2008 are not eligible, but with this info you can get going for this year. For a breakdown of all the tax credits, Consumer Reports Home & Garden blog has a good post.
2008 1099-Composites Mailed By Feb 17 Not Jan 31
By 1.27.09
One thing you probably didn’t hear about the bailout is that it extended the required mailing date for 2008 1099-Composites from Jan 31 to Feb 17. So don’t get freaked out and run down to the dirt road to the mailbox to keep checking for it. Just sit back on the porch and wait for your little post-Valentine’s tax present to arrive. (Thanks to Chris!) (Photo: booleansplit)
Increase Your Citibank Grace Period By 5 Days Just By Asking
By 1.26.09
Martin discovered he was able to get Citibank to extend his grace period from 20 to 25 days. It seems all you have to do is ask! Here’s how he found out.
Chase Eats All WaMu Credit Cards In March, What Happens?
By 1.26.09
When Chase completely takes over the old WaMu credit card division in March, a new super-power will be granted to WaMu credit card customers who also have a Chase credit card, reports CreditMattersBlog. As long as you have a zero balance on one of the cards, the two cards will be combined and your Chase’s credit limit will now be the sum of the two credit limits. WaMu cardholders without a Chase card will get to convert their cards into Chase cards.
Personal Finance 101 Required For High School Graduation?
By 1.26.09
Yay, New Jersey! They’ve got a bill in the works that would require all high school seniors to learn basic personal finance skills, like writing a check, managing credit card debt, and getting a mortgage. Excellent, kids should graduate high school knowing cosine and cosign.
Debunking Five Credit Score Myths
By 1.24.09
Your credit score. It’s amazing how one little score can have such an impact on our finances and how misunderstood that number can be. We’ll debunk five common myths about it right here, right now.
Should You Do Your Own Taxes?
By 1.23.09
Well, as if the state of the economy isn’t giving us enough pain, here’s a reminder for you: tax time is on its way! We know — we’re piling on. One issue each of us faces is whether to do our own taxes or have someone else do them. MSN Money notes that 62% of Americans have professionals do their tax returns and offers three questions to help us decide whether to do our own taxes or not:
By 1.22.09
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To fix the economy, the Fed needs to lower interest rates below zero. Trouble is, that’s impossible. [Business Week]
Personal Finance Roundup
By 1.22.09
Ten Simple Ways to Make Your Boss Think You’re Brilliant (And Indispensible) [Dumb Little Man] “Here are ten simple, no-effort ways that will make your boss think you’re both indispensable and brilliant.”
Nice Letter Gets Chase To Reinstate Man's Promotional APR
By 1.22.09
Stop the presses! Brian was able to get Chase to reinstate his promotional APR even though he accidentally set up in the auto-payment system in a way that incurred late fees. His secret? Asking politely and making a cogent argument that positioned his request in a manner any business would understand. His strange-but-true tale, inside.
