I sent out an email blast to my friends and family asking them for all their best tips on ways to save money. I got back lots of great responses which I have culled down to 43. Not all of them might apply perfectly to you, as, for instance, you might not wear overalls, but they’re good for getting in the spirit of pinching those pennies a little tighter. [More]
personal finance
Personal Finance Roundup
By 2.22.11
10 Tips to Avoid an Audit [Money Talks News] “Take it from someone who’s been there: An IRS audit is no walk in the park.”
Six Ways to Boost Your Investment Income [Wall Street Journal] “If you need income, here are six moves worth thinking about.”
6 Questions to Ask in a Job Interview [Main Street] “It’s crucial to take the initiative to get your questions out during the course of the conversation.”
Confusing Credit Terminology, Demystified [Mint Life Blog] “Here are seven pairs of seemingly interchangeable credit terms that are most often misinterpreted by consumers and even ‘experts.’ “
5 things worth haggling over [MSN Money] “They cost a lot of money, and most are necessities, but many people routinely pay too much for them. Don’t be one of the pushovers. Do some negotiating.”
Mike Fights The Identity Thieves
By 2.18.11
Someone stole Mike’s identity and has been using it to pay for gas service and buy cellphones in his name. He’s even got a $163 default judgment against him for something he never paid. Here’s how he unraveled the threads of his identity thieves, and how he may never truly be free from their grasp. [More]
BofA Slaps "Risky" Customers With $59 Annual Credit Card Fee
By 2.18.11
If Bank of America has decided that dealing with you is “risky business,” you’re gonna get smacked with a $59 annual credit card fee starting in May. What makes a customer a potential target for the new fee? [More]
Lawmaker Tries To Stop Modern Day Debtor's Prisons
By 2.17.11
We’ve brought you several stories about so-called modern day debtor’s prisons that have starting rising across America as shady debt collectors pervert the power of the courts to their own end. They’re basically deputizing the local police to do their debt collecting for them. Now a Washington lawmaker has put forward a new bill to try to put a stop to the practice. [More]
Ignore People On Craigslist Asking You To Halve Your Prices
By 2.17.11
One of the first annoying things you figure out when you try to sell a few things on Craigslist is that there’s these people who just seem to go around asking you to halve your price. It doesn’t matter what you’re selling or what the price is, invariably someone pops up and says “How about half? I’ll pick it up tonight.” Over at Blogging Away Debt she talks about how she said no to one of these price choppers, even though her husband got angry. Then she ended up relisting at a higher price and selling it. Win! [More]
TD Bank Charging Customers $2 To Get Cash From A Non-TD ATM
By 2.17.11
As Congress today debates over proposed caps on debit card swipe fees that would limit bank profits and lower costs for merchants, TD Bank has announced they’re going to start charging customers a $2 fee whenever they take cash out of a non-TD bank ATM. That’s going to be on top of any fee that you already pay the ATM. The only way to avoid the fee is to be in a higher-tier checking account. [More]
Personal Finance Roundup
By 2.15.11
Nine Common Mistakes to Avoid When Filing Your Tax Return [Wallet Pop] “Here’s a rundown of nine mistakes to avoid when filing your tax return.”
Why It’s Worth Paying for a Tax Pro [Wall Street Journal] “Tax specialists can help ensure that business owners don’t pay Uncle Sam too much or too little and help identify all the tax breaks they’re eligible to receive.”
9 Tips to Find a Tax Pro: But Do You Really Need One? [Money Talks News] “The majority of Americans use a professional to help them file their taxes. Here’s how to find the best one for you. But are they really worth the money?”
5 Awesome Alternatives to Groupon [Wise Bread] “If glancing at one good buy a day is leaving you wanting for more, check out a few of the attention-worthy sites all destined to give the original a run for its money.”
Tax Relief Act: Four retirement moves to make [Market Watch] “Here’s a recap of what experts suggest you might do with your retirement accounts.”
Even Nice Cities Not Safe From Housing Meltdown Anymore
By 2.14.11
NYT reports that the real estate crashdown isn’t just limited to Potemkin-village style build-n-flip hotspots like Vegas and and Florida. That’s just where it started. The giant needle of bubble popping is plunging through Seattle, where prices are down 30% from last year, and is making swift work of Minneapolis and Atlanta. One expert predicts prices could drop another 5 or 7% nationwide. Get out the dramamine, it’s double-dip time. [More]
Wells Fargo ATMs Crash Across The Country
By 2.8.11
Most of Wells Fargo’s 12,000 ATMs crashed starting Monday afternoon and lasting several hours, reports the Star Tribune, and no one knows why. [More]
5 Financial Mistakes We Make When Blinded By Love
By 2.8.11
There are two big calendar dates in the offing for many consumers: Valentine’s Day and Tax Day. So it would only make sense to look at those stupid financial mistakes we make in the name of love. [More]
Personal Finance Roundup
By 2.8.11
10 Hidden Costs That Hurt Your Wallet [Wise Bread] “There are hidden costs, such as the time and money it takes to get to the store, that determine which decision is truly the less-expensive route.”
How to Avoid Common Money Mistakes [Get Rich Slowly] “Here are some tips to avoid costly money mistakes when you’re in your 20s, 30s, and 40s.”
6 Ways To Extend The Life Of Your Car [Bible Money Matters] “Lowering your mechanic bill and extending the value and life of your car isn’t difficult if you are a little proactive.”
The Well-rounded Résumé: Six Jobs to Have by Age Thirty [Mint Life Blog] “Before settling into a career, any well-rounded person should have these six different kinds of jobs on his or her résumé.”
4 Traditional Money Rules to Break Now [Smart Money “Here are four traditional money rules you can break–at least for now.”
The 79.99% APR Credit Card
By 2.7.11
It sounds ridiculous. First Premiere Bank launched a new credit card with a 79.99% interest rate. It targeted consumers who couldn’t get a credit card anywhere else, and it was popular. Too popular, in fact. “A lot of the people ran up the card, defaulted and went directly to charge off,” First Premiere’s Bank told CNN Money. Since then they’ve dropped it to 59.99% and that’s just low enough to keep enough people paying off interest to make it profitable. But wait, wasn’t the CARD act supposed to prevent these really hight rates and stuff? [More]
Delawareans Racked Up Most Debt
By 2.4.11
Delawareans lead the nation in average consumer debt, according to a new report. Misplaced sense of state pride? (A lot of credit card companies are headquartered in Delaware because of the state’s relaxed attitude towards usury and their low taxes). Whatever the reason, $20,233 is the average per-person consumer debt load in Delaware, and the next 9 states aren’t that far behind: [More]
Comedian Who Made Videos Asking For $1 Million And Got It… Was A Hoax
By 2.4.11
It sounded too good to be true: comedian Craig Rowin made a series of web videos asking for $1 million, and then he announced he had received it. A rich benefactor named “Benjamin” had seen the videos and was amused by them enough to hand over the cash. The videos went viral, Craig went on TV and international news teams were dispatching crews to cover his amazing story, which he maintained was completely real. Then at the end of the check-handing-over ceremony on Wednesday night, Rowin burned the check on stage and revealed it was all a hoax and the “investment banker millionaire” was an actor he had hired. Sorry, dreams. [More]
Send Your Ideas To The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's New Website
By 2.3.11
ConsumerFinance.gov, the newly created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s new website, is live and in full effect. So is their Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and YouTube. They want your suggestions and ideas so send ’em in! As they announced on their website their central role is “to make markets for consumer financial products and services work for America…The CFPB belongs to the people it serves. If you have suggestions, we want to hear them.” [More]
A Miserable Life Inside A Foreclosed Apartment
By 2.2.11
Living inside an apartment building that has been foreclosed on can become a living hell when the building crumbles into disrepair around you and there’s no landlord to call. Bursting heat pipes, cockroaches, mice, hunks of ceiling falling on you, and black mold seeping up the walls have become the new neighbors to tenants in one low-income apartment building in the Bronx where the landlord has long since checked out. [More]
Decisions You Need To Make About Retirement
By 2.2.11
At some point, whether by your own choice or that of those who pay you, you’re most likely going to have to call it a career and move on to a life of shuffleboard and early-bird specials. [More]
