The new visa rules that emerged last month for the UK were unveiled Wednesday (10th February 2010) by the home secretary Alan Johnson. There were large concerns that the new proposed rule changes would impact English language schools, as it would increase the level of english required by applicants to a level that would rule [...]
April 1st 2010 is National Census day in the USA, and the day that the US Census Bureau encourages everyone to mail in their completed forms. If you are not familiar with the US Census, it runs every 10 years and is designed to count every resident in the United States, and is required [...]
InternationalStudent.com is proud to launch its new International Student Concierge Service, dedicated to helping international students all around the world with finding and researching schools and evaluating your education options.
The new, totally free service, allows you to submit your details which will be sent to schools all around the USA who are interested and looking [...]
I've traveled from Bosnia to Bali to Boston, and many points in between, and this month's trip to Egypt was the first time I've ever had my bank card eaten by an automatic teller machine.
It was a stifling hot night in Luxor, and all I wanted to do was grab some cash at the ATM across the street, run back to the coolness of the hotel, and pick up some souvenirs in the gift shop.
I inserted my ATM card, and watched it disappear into the bowels of the machine -- never to be seen again. Thus began my adventure with Egypt's tomb of the lost ATM cards.
With a recent background check performed on my name, I uncovered records of criminal activity and marriages -- for other Jeremy Simons. Those results became the basis for my recent blog post, "Background Check Alerts Me to Surprising Criminal History," which was even more recently included in the latest Money Hackers blog carnival.
Carnival host Engineer Your Finances chose "wedding and marriage" as the carnival's theme and chose my blog post as an editor's pick. Apparently, my decision to perform a background check got him thinking, "Should I check out my fiancee's record? ...or maybe even my own!" 
. Living with credit 294 New , interesting products 75 Research , regulation , industry reports 192 Rewards 29 Protecting yourself 126 The fine print 45 Credit card miscellany 315 Print Email UNFCU to launch first U.S . chip-and-PIN credit card Emily Starbuck Gerson May 21, 2010 New , interesting products Longtime readers know that I travel often and have encountered many issues with credit cards and problems with money abroad . Most European countries now use chip-and-PIN credit cards , which involve an extra layer of security . They are processed differently and use different card readers . While many institutions in Europe are still set up to accept payments from both old-school magnetic swipe cards and new chip-and-PIN cards , some don't . For example , two summers ago in Paris , I
Living with credit 294 New , interesting products 75 Research , regulation , industry reports 192 Rewards 29 Protecting yourself 126 The fine print 45 Credit card miscellany 315 Print Email Faisal Shahzad's alleged terrorist plot paid for with cash Jeremy Simon May 5, 2010 Credit card miscellany Faisal Shahzad's alleged terrorist plot which involved detonating a homemade bomb in New York City and then fleeing to Dubai was apparently paid for in cash . Based on news reports , Shahzad used hard currency to both buy a truck which would eventually house the bomb and pay for his Dubai-bound flight out of the country . Cash might seem an odd payment choice , considering the popularity of debit and credit cards : The most recent Federal Reserve data shows that noncash payments including debit and
: Living with credit 294 New , interesting products 75 Research , regulation , industry reports 192 Rewards 29 Protecting yourself 126 The fine print 45 Credit card miscellany 315 Print Email Emily's list : Mother's Day edition Emily Starbuck Gerson May 5, 2010 Living with credit Sunday is Mother's Day . Did that catch any of you stragglers off guard Our parents are pivotal in how we learn about money and finance . We observe their spending habits , attitudes and values about money , and we often carry that to adulthood . Some of us are gifted with very financially savvy parents , while others aren't as lucky . One of the many joys of life is becoming financially independent and discovering exactly how you and your parents differ on issues like budgeting , saving and investing . Regardless
: Living with credit 295 New , interesting products 75 Research , regulation , industry reports 192 Rewards 29 Protecting yourself 126 The fine print 45 Credit card miscellany 316 Print Email Emily's list : Facebook privacy edition Emily Starbuck Gerson May 28, 2010 Living with credit Chances are that a majority of people you know are on Facebook . I signed in up in college on the day it was released to the University of Texas students the site started off as something for Ivy League students only , but then trickled to all other colleges , then high schools , then the general public . It has ballooned into an international behemoth with more than 450 million users , according to CNN.com While more members means you have more friends , family and colleagues to connect with online , it also
: Living with credit 294 New , interesting products 75 Research , regulation , industry reports 192 Rewards 29 Protecting yourself 126 The fine print 45 Credit card miscellany 315 Print Email Emily's list : Oil spill edition Emily Starbuck Gerson May 14, 2010 Living with credit For the past few weeks , many Americans have watched in horror as massive amounts of oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico . An oil rig about 50 miles southeast of Louisiana's coast exploded on April 20 and killed 11 workers , and sank two days later to 5,000 feet below the surface , according to CNN . The well has been spewing an estimated 210,000 gallons of crude oil in the ocean each . day The owner of the well , energy company BP , is getting plenty of flack . It has taken responsibility , but it hasn't been able to
Home Credit Cards Blog Credit Card News Swipe Fee Reform Coming Soon Swipe Fee Reform Coming Soon Wednesday , May 26th , 2010 Retailers and credit card issuers have long debated the swipe fees’ that should be paid by users for the privilege of using their cards . Their battle has been an ongoing struggle to iron out something of an acceptable rate . Now with the Credit Card Fair Fee Act of 2009 retailers hope to get some relief from swipe . fees The National Retail Federation recently urged the House Judiciary Committee to review and approve legislation to have the major credit card holders of Visa and MasterCard banks to review and negotiate the terms and conditions associated with the card swipe fees paid by retailers and customers . As it stands now Visa and MasterCard set their own
Home Credit Cards Blog Credit Card News First Premier Rescinds Offers First Premier Rescinds Offers Tuesday , May 25th , 2010 There are so many credit card offers available today . Regardless of credit history there are cards that are designed to fit every credit score . Each card offer is unique in its target market , perks , benefits and rates . People with a good credit history have the advantage of choosing from a wide range of cards with a low APR few fees and other nice . advantages Those with poor credit may not get the same options but there are offers out there that that are targeted for people with bad or less than optimal credit history . First Premier is well known for their selection of card offers for those with less than optimal credit . First Premier is one of the first
Home Credit Cards Blog Card Security Blippy Subscribers Have Their Card Numbers Revealed on Google Blippy Subscribers Have Their Card Numbers Revealed on Google Monday , May 17th , 2010 Marketing departments everywhere are always looking for ways to sell more of their products . So when a new program comes on the market that can tell where people are spending money and how much , people sit up and take . notice Blippy has this capability . As it says on its homepage , Blippy is a fun and easy way to see and discuss what everyone is buying” . With high end investors like Twitter co-founder Evan Williams and Sequoia Capital it’s clear that investors see a big . opportunity Blippy has had some security issues , however . Recently five subscribers to Blippy have had their credit card numbers
Home Credit Cards Blog Credit Card News Card Issuers Retaliating Against Newly Minted Regulations Card Issuers Retaliating Against Newly Minted Regulations Friday , May 14th , 2010 The Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act CARD put into place in the early part of 2010 has promised changes to the way the credit card business is run . These changes are being implemented in installments , much like a payment . plan Changes to the Regulations The new credit card regulations require companies to implement the following changes : immediately More advanced notice from the credit card company before raising interest . rates The credit card statement must be mailed 21 days in advance of the payment due . date Additions to this new set of rules are set to take effect in 2011.
Home Credit Cards Blog Debt Consolidation Positive Trends in Delinquency Rates On Accounts Positive Trends in Delinquency Rates On Accounts Wednesday , May 12th , 2010 Most major card issuers are reporting good news and positive trends on credit conditions and delinquency rates . According to recent reports from Reuters , it appears that credit conditions and delinquency rates on accounts are declining . There are possible reasons why we may be seeing such a change . It is too early to tell if this is just a seasonal factor or if it is a good sign that the economy is improving . Unfortunately , the credit card industry should not be celebrating just yet but things are indeed looking up for creditors and the overall picture for consumers in the . US One Time Occurrence or Trend Tax season
Home Credit Cards Blog Credit Card News Massachusetts Shutting Down Some of Nations Largest Banks Massachusetts Shutting Down Some of Nations Largest Banks Monday , May 10th , 2010 Just announced on Wednesday April 14th is the plan that Massachusetts state officials will be shutting down some of the nations largest banks in a protest over the soaring interest rates on credit cards Although the process can take about 6 months , officials think that it will be significant enough to show an appropriate level of disapproval with the credit card industry . Among the banks that have lost the Massachusetts stamp of approval are Bank of America , Citi and Wells . Fargo Massachusetts state law currently provides a cap of 18 on the interest rates and requested that the banks honor that cap for
, Home Credit Cards Blog Tips Advice Kids , Teens and Credit Cards Are A Bad Mix Kids , Teens and Credit Cards Are A Bad Mix Friday , May 7th , 2010 Is a credit card a rite of passage to adulthood Some parents seem to think so . Financial experts have identified that children , especially teens , have been going credit card crazy . In a misguided effort to provide more for their kids than they really need , parents have strongly encouraged dangerous financial behavior for their children by allowing them free access to plastic . While there are exceptions , generally speaking , mixing kids or teens with credit cards is a bad mix has generally resulted in profound financial complications for some of these . children Worried that children do not have access to ready cash , some parents are
Home Credit Cards Blog Card Security Fake Gift Card Scams On Facebook Rattle Nerves Fake Gift Card Scams On Facebook Rattle Nerves Wednesday , May 5th , 2010 Getting something free is always fun a free sample , buy one get one free , free gift card with the purchase of so many dollars worth of merchandise . Unsuspecting Facebook users have experienced several fake gift card scams that have left many people unnerved . These scammers are phishing for information . Phishing by definition is a crime where scammers fraudulently impersonate a trusted company to gain access to personal information . The scammers hope to steal the credit card and other personal information from users to sell on or to use to make fraudulent credit cards An elaborate marketing scheme was set up using sophisticated