Got a coupon for 30% a Blu-Ray player? If the Connecticut governor gets his way, you’d still be paying sales tax on that player’s full price. [More]
recession watch
Home Prices Hit New Lows In 11 Cities In December
By 2.22.11
While the latest numbers show consumer confidence may be at a three-year high (which may not be saying much), the average home price in many major cities continues to sink, with nearly a dozen of these areas hitting post-boom lows in December. [More]
5 Tips For Looking For A New Job During Work Hours
By 2.18.11
Looking for a new job in the current climate is difficult enough. And most currently employed job-hunters can’t risk losing have the added onus of worrying about losing that gig if their bosses find out. [More]
New York State Guarantees Legal Assistance In Foreclosure Cases
By 2.15.11
While defendants in criminal cases are guaranteed lawyers, folks involved in foreclosure cases either have to go out of pocket for a lawyer or try to fend for themselves. Now the state of New York has become the first state to guarantee legal representation to all residents involved in foreclosures. [More]
"Cheap" Beef Now More Expensive Than The Better Stuff
By 2.15.11
The last few years have been tough on just about everybody and many of us have reacted by scaling back, buying generics instead of brand names, eating cheaper cuts of meat instead of the good stuff. But since so many people are demanding the less-expensive beef, the lower quality meat now costs more than the better stuff. [More]
Ultimate Electronics To Liquidate, Close All Stores
By 2.10.11
Ultimate Electronics, a Colorado-based chain, took on a nationwide expansion in 2010, opening new stores, entering new markets, and taking over a lot of empty retail space abandoned by Circuit City. Now the big-box dream is over: the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in late January, and announced this week that it will liquidate and close all 46 stores. [More]
U.S. Homes Now At Pre-Bubble Affordability Level
By 2.8.11
A new study says that housing prices in the U.S. have finally gone back to a level of affordability that we haven’t seen since before the rapid price inflation of the mid-2000s housing boom. [More]
The Top 10 Foreclosure Hotspots In The U.S.
By 2.2.11
We already know which states were hit hardest by last year’s foreclosure boom, but today CNN.com has a look at the 10 cities with the fastest-growing foreclosure rates in the country. [More]
Bank Of America To Charge Fee To Some For Making Mortgage Payment Within Grace Period
By 1.19.11
Bank of America is making an 11th-hour push for inclusion in the upcoming Worst Company In America tournament. Starting in February, folks with BofA mortgages who don’t have BofA bank accounts will see their current 15-day grace period for making payments cut by 40%. [More]
What Risk Factors Will Make My Mortgage More Expensive?
By 1.18.11
When you’re in the market to buy a new home or investment property, it’s one thing to get a pre-qualification over the phone and a completely different thing when you later sit down and actually apply for a loan. So before you get too far into the process, you should know which factors could end up inflating the interest rate on your mortgage. [More]
Subprime Credit Cards Are Back, Now With Extra Interest!
By 1.13.11
After a couple years of hiding in the shadows, credit cards targeted at consumers with less-than-stellar credit ratings are once again making a push to gain new customers. [More]
5 States Accounted For 51% Of Foreclosures In 2010
By 1.13.11
2010 was a record-setting year for foreclosure filings in the U.S., with almost 2.9 million properties being forecloses on nationwide. But more than half of those filings happened in California, Florida, Arizona, Illinois, or Michigan. [More]
7 Great Jobs You Probably Can't Get
By 1.12.11
Job-listing site CareerCast.com recently released its list of the best and worst jobs for 2011, and now I’m really wishing I had finished that philosophy minor, because apparently being a philosopher is better than being a doctor or lawyer. [More]
Hey Consumers, Why The Lack Of Confidence?
By 12.28.10
While shoppers continued to spend more this holiday season, the latest consumer confidence survey claims that we all remain in the same non-optimistic funk we were in this time last year. [More]
Buzzwords To Avoid When Looking For A New Job
By 12.14.10
Are you a team player? Do you have a proven track record as a problem solver in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment? If so, you might want to think of better ways to describe yourself the next time you’re applying for a new job. [More]
The 10 Worst States For Retirement
By 12.10.10
Most of us won’t be retiring anytime soon. But for those few who will be saying goodbye to the workforce forever in the next few years, the people at TopRetirements.com have put together their list of the worst states in which to live out your golden years. [More]
Walmart: No More Extra Pay For Working Sundays
By 12.8.10
Mom-and-pop megachain Walmart currently pays its staffers $1 extra per hour when they work on a Sunday. But it looks like that policy is about to come to an end for some staffers as the store cuts costs. [More]
Freddie Mac & Fannie Mae To Take A Break From Evicting During The Holidays
By 12.2.10
There are few things as depressing as having your house taken away from you on Christmas Eve, so the people at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are issuing a brief moratorium on evicting people from foreclosed properties during the holiday season. [More]
