Personal finance blog Free Money Finance suggests that employees can improve their incomes by asking for a raise, but you have to make sure to time it right.
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7 Unexpected Rules For Saving On Airfare
By 6.27.08
With the tightening economy, airfare feels more painful than ever,you can avoid paying more than absolutely necessary with these seven tips…
IRS Increases Business Mileage Deductible From 50.5 To 58.5 Cents
By 6.23.08
To help ease the pain of higher gas costs, starting July 1st the IRS will increase the allowable business deductible for business vehicles from 50.5 to 58.5 cents per mile. The IRS is also going to raise the rate for calculating computing deductible medical or moving expenses from 19 cents to 27 cents a mile, also starting July 1st. The rate for charity services, requiring an act of law to change it, remains at 14 cents per mile. If you’ve been meaning to claim business mileage deductions, July 1st will be a great time to begin. Here’s info on how to get started.
Chase Shrinks Credit Due Dates Without Warning, Profiting Off Fees
By 6.23.08
Got a Chase credit card? Check your bill to see if the due date shrunk. For the past ten months, the due date on reader NDphoxylady’s four Chase credit card due date was the fifteenth. Then, without warning or notice, it became the tenth. NDphoxylady only noticed when she was charged a $39 late fee and a $20 finance charge. When she complained to Chase, they told her that simply changing the due date on the bill was adequate notice. Nu-uh
5 No BS Ways To Get A Credit Score For Free
By 6.20.08
Here are 5 ways to get your credit score for free. Note, all of them are the credit scores developed by the credit bureaus themselves, Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax, and are not your actual FICO scores. Only the FICO score is used by lenders to determine your credit worthiness. However, you can at least use these credit bureau scores to get a general sense of how good your credit is. [More]
Twelve "Necessities" That Drain Your Cash
By 6.20.08
Almost everyone is looking for ways to save money but they often overlook making cutbacks in areas they consider necessities. It may seem reasonable to do so until you consider that some of these necessities may not be necessary at all. An article by Bankrate.com suggests that if you take a serious look at some of these so-called necessities you may find more savings than you thought possible, therefore, they have put together a list of 12 common “necessities” which could be draining your cash. The list, inside…
By 6.19.08
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Two former Bear Sterns executives were arrested today for securities fraud. [NYT]
Personal Finance Roundup
By 6.19.08
9 big credit card myths [MSN Money] “What you don’t know could hurt you.”
Sneak Peek Of BillShrink.com's New Credit Card Comparison Tool
By 6.18.08
Billshrink.com is going to bring a never-before-seen level of transparency to consumers looking for the best credit card offer. Think of it as a turbocharged dashboard for navigating the credit card market. The site launched earlier this year as wireless plan comparison service, but with personal debt at record highs and personal savings rates at record lows, the credit card vector is potentially even more important and useful tool. I sat down with CEO Peter Pham yesterday as he showed me the actual website in action.
Five Sites That Will Help You Recession-Proof Your Life
By 6.16.08
Although we are not technically in a recession, it’s starting to feel like one. As gas prices and unemployment continue to rise, we’ve rounded up a collection of useful advice for the current period of economic austerity.
What Goes Into The Price Of Gas?
By 6.16.08
When you fill up at the pump, how much of the wallet you’re emptying goes towards the actual gas, and how much goes towards other stuff? Blogger FiveCentNickel crunched the Department of Energy numbers:
Stop Spending By Freezing Your Credit Card In Ice
By 6.16.08
If you have trouble controlling the amount and frequency of your credit card purchases, try putting your credit card in a glass of water and putting it in the freezer. This makes it so every time you want to use your credit card, you’ll have to wait for the credit card to melt. By the time the ice has thawed, your desire to impulsively purchase may have evaporated as well. I read about this in Predictably Irrational; Dan Ariely called it, “The Ice Glass Method.” Apparently, it doesn’t ruin the credit card, although it will if you try to microwave-defrost it. This method is probably only good for people who do their shopping sprees in-person. Online shopaholics would just look through the ice.
Mastercard Says Merchants Can't Require Additional ID, Except In Specific Circumstances
By 6.13.08
A MasterCard spokesperson has confirmed, just like we’ve been telling you all along, that a store cannot refuse to sell you something solely because you refuse to provide additional identification along with your MasterCard. The only time it’s ok is if it’s required for shipping, or when you’re at a gas pump or making orders via internet, phone, or mail, in which case they can use the MasterCard Address Verification System (AVS). But if you’re in a store, right in front of them, in the flesh, it violates their MasterCard merchant agreement. Consumers experiencing this can fill out a Merchant Violation form found in the FAQ/Contact US part of Mastercard.com. Full statement, inside…
Mommy Needs A New Pair Of Stimulus Shoes
By 6.12.08
Upgrade: Travel Better blogger Mark Ashley sends in this ad he spotted at the Oak Hollow Mall in High Point North Carolina, exhorting shoppers to use their stimulus payments in a selfish splurge on depreciating assets.
Greyhound Tickets For Only $2
By 6.12.08
Reader Nico was able to ride Greyhound from New York to Toronto for only $2. That’s amazing! Two bucks! We tried to recreate the deal and couldn’t, but it looks Greyhound sometimes offers a limited amount of $2 tickets for 6-day advance purchases. Way to go Nico, you are the dealmaster of the day.
By 6.11.08
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As part of an overall effort to save fuel and increase efficiency, airlines are replacing bathroom seats with lighter models. Just kidding, we meant passenger seats. But the first one isn’t that far out of the bounds of reason either. [NYT]
5 Thrifty Lessons From Post-Apocalyptic Novel "The Road"
By 6.11.08
I’m in the middle of reading The Road, and couldn’t help draw 5 lessons about frugality from Cormac McCarthy’s tale of a father and son scrapping out their survival in the middle of post-Apocalyptic America.
Personal Finance Roundup
By 6.11.08
Last-minute Father’s Day deals [CNN Money] “With only a few days to spare, here are a selection of luxurious presents that dad will love, with deals that would make him proud.”
