20 Ways to Waste Your Money [Kiplinger] “Here are 20 common ways people waste money.”
personal finance
Buy Safely Online With Virtual Credit Cards
By 7.27.09
Before buying from potentially unscrupulous merchants, call up your credit card company and ask for a virtual credit card number. The disposable numbers expire after a single use, preventing merchants from signing you up for added or recurring charges. Virtual numbers are available to Citi, Discover, PayPal, and Bank of America customers.
Grocery Shopping Tips From The 1950s
By 7.25.09
Society may have come a long way since the 50s, but the grocery shopping tips remain the same. Inside, the wisdom that helped a generation of college-aged mothers conquer the scary supermarket.
Mortgage Mod Scams Using Paperthin Lawyers As Legit Front
By 7.24.09
“Let me put it this way. It’s like food stamps,” said the mortgage modification telemarketer trying to talk consumer advocate and Red Tape Chronicles blogger Bob Sullivan into a new loan. Following the trail of who this guy works for lead Sullivan to discover a new kind of mortgage modification scammer.
Getting A Bonanza: Pay Off Debt Now Or Over Time?
By 7.24.09
I am going to be coming in to a large amount of money and I should be able to pay off some of my mounting credit card bills, over $15K. Should I pay it off all at once or space out the payments over 3 or 6 months? I would like to buy a house in a year and want to get the biggest gold star on my credit report I can.
Personal Finance Roundup
By 7.24.09
Look abroad for cheaper health care [MSN Money] “More patients — and insurance companies — are turning to overseas facilities for lower-cost medical procedures. And the quality of care often rivals that of the US.”
Creative Ways to Save Money on a Wedding
By 7.24.09
Depending on the source, the cost of an average wedding in the US is somewhere between a low of $20k and a high of almost $30k. No matter what number you use, that’s expensive. But Wise Bread offers us some extreme weddings savings tips than can make the day very affordable. But be warned, there will be lots of compromises. Here are their suggestions and our quick summaries of each idea:
LendingTree Launches Financial Advice Website
By 7.23.09
MoneyRight, a new website from LendingTree, seems at first aimed to take on Mint.com in the easy-to-read/use financial snapshot category of web services. However, it also offers financial advice based on your current situation and future goals.
Has Your Credit Card Already Gotten Meaner?
By 7.22.09
The party is over. In advance of credit card reform that was supposed to make credit better for consumers, the banks are making terms tougher and policies less lenient. The result can be very expense for some customers. Have any of these adverse actions happened to your credit card lately? Take our poll. Multiple answers accepted.
Are You Missing Out On Secret Credit Card Perks?
By 7.20.09
Assuming you still have a credit card, you might not be getting the full use out of it. Most credit cards have certain perks that not everyone knows about.
How Long Before That Debt Falls Off My Credit Report?
By 7.17.09
Is a true that after 7 years your bad credits go away?
Personal Finance Roundup
By 7.17.09
When the Fledglings Return to the Nest [NY Times] “Boomerangs may be turning up on your own doorstep soon. And with them come a host of unusual economic – and parenting – questions that you may not have considered.”
Identity Theft Hysteria Overblown, Watch Your Debit Card Instead
By 7.16.09
If you need the straight story on issues of credit card, debit, and banking fraud and security, something more than “we’re taking it seriously,” Avivah Litan, VP and distinguished analyst at Gartner research is your go-to-gal. I recently interviewed her over the phone about consumers can protect themselves in an era where just keeping your mother’s maiden name a secret doesn’t cut the mustard. I learned that you can buy a credit card number for a few cents, losing your Social Security Number is NOT the most dangerous fraud that is likely to happen to you, and how Obama’s helicopter plans got stolen thanks to P2P music-sharing software…
$300,000 Credit Card Skim Was "Model Employee" Scam
By 7.16.09
His name was “Erick,” and after earning respect and responsibilities at the Arco gas station he’d been working at for 8 months, he dissapeared, leaving behind only a hidden credit card skimmer that stole $300,000 worth of debit card info from reams of customers. Police believe that “Erick,” pictured, was a low-rank solider in an organized crime ring who had been given the assignment of working his way up the ladder at the gas station until he was in a position to place the credit card skimmer, a type of con known as the “model employee” scam. As a shopper, protect yourself from skimmers by only using cash, credit cards, or swiping your debit card as credit. [More]
How Credit Cards Are Getting Meaner
By 7.15.09
What’s going on inside the minds of credit card companies now that the CARD credit card reform act is coming down the pike? A customer service supervisor for a major credit card company emailed us to give us the low-down: reduced grace periods, cutting credit lines, increased fees on balance transfers, and, of course, jacked up APRs. Here’s the details:
Nice Letter Gets 29.99% APR Down To 12.24%
By 7.15.09
David paid his credit card one day late, one time, and Chase immediately jacked his interest rate from 12.24% to the default rate of 29.99%. He called customer service and was told he need to pay on-time for 6 months before he could get it reduced. 6 months later he calls back and now they tell him it’s 12 to 24 months. A supervisor confirmed this. Say what? That’s what he said, and so he wrote Chase a letter, and it got some serious results:
Most Payday Loans Are To Repay Other Payday Loans
By 7.14.09
Listen to the payday loan industry and their apologists and they’ll try to tell you that their customers are savvy and just need of a break to tide them over. But a new survey (PDF) shows that most payday loans are to repay other payday loans. Of the 80% of borrowers who take out multiple payday loans in a year:
7 Places Around The House To Stash Your Cash
By 7.12.09
Banks are great and all, but everyone should keep a little bit of emergency cash stashed somewhere at home. Frugal Dad offers up a list of seven hiding spots that should beat all but the most determined thieves.
