Last weekend, I went to Las Vegas for the first time and learned what a money pit the city can be. Learn more about my trip and explore my roundup of my 10 favorite personal finance blog posts from the past week!
Recent events and their financial outcomes have me wondering whether karma plays a role on the incoming and outgoing of money in my life. Plus, a roundup of my 10 favorite personal finance blog posts from the past week!
It used to be a standard piece of credit card management advice was to notify your card issuer if you're traveling, so that your purchase of a bike pump in Poughkeepsie wouldn't trigger a sudden shutdown of your credit card.
the midst of a three-week vacation to Texas and Florida, I decided to engage in a little subversive credit card test on that old saw. We didn't notify our credit card issuer that we were on the road. Here's how it went.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: I credit my parents with my financial responsibility. This Father's Day, I want to give a shout-out to all of th dads who also helped shape their kids to be financially responsible. Sure, many of us go to college and make some bad decisions, or struggle a bit right out of school. But parents who teach us financial literacy at a young age give us invaluable tools that will last us a lifetime, especially once we're a bit more mature and can really put those lessons into action.
Read on for my recap of my top 10 favorite personal finance blog posts from this week.
It's not quite to the point where I'll pop over to London for a spot o' tea. But the capital city has become part of my regular vacation routine, thanks to the kindness of friends who welcome me into their home.
Last year I was arrived just days after the royal nuptials of William and Kate, and Westminster Abbey was still mobbed with tourists, perhaps hoping to find a stray grain of rice or wilted petal from the bridal bouquet.
This year my visit comes weeks before the start of the London 2012 Olympics. I'll be gone before the torch lights the lamp, but as a longtime London visitor, I do have some money-saving tips for those who are attending the games.
You know it's summer here in Texas when a quick walk around the block with your dog leaves you looking like you just ran a 5k. Besides dripping in sweat, the other thing I do often in the summer is travel. In this week's roundup of my favorite personal finance blog posts, I'm featuring posts all about saving money on summer travel and making the most of your hard-earned vacations!
: Living with credit 475 New , interesting products 103 Research , regulation , industry reports 238 Rewards 47 Protecting yourself 173 The fine print 78 Credit card miscellany 383 Celebrity Money Watch 5 Print Email Emily's list : Helen Keller edition Emily Starbuck Crone June 1, 2012 Living with credit On this day in 1968, Helen Keller passed away at the age of 87. According the American Foundation for the Blind she was born with all her senses , but fell ill at 19 months and became both deaf and blind . While she was initially shut off from the world , a young woman named Anne Sullivan became Keller's teacher and taught her how to communicate . Their breakthrough was when Sullivan spelled the word water into Keller's hand as she poured water over her hands . She continued with manual
Due to the nature of my job as editor of hundreds of articles on how to maximize credit card rewards programs, you'd think I'd become adept at playing the frequent flier miles/points credit card game. Not.
In fact, after almost a decade of accumulating miles/points here and there on one frequent flier program (American Airlines AAdvantage) and on a newly acquired Capital One Venture card, I have never redeemed them for a "free" flight. I always saved them, thinking that someday I would really, really need to use them for emergency airfare.
That emergency happened last week.
Do you have a strategy for making prepayments on your credit card balance? See how you can make the best use of early payments on a credit card.
Are you aware of the age restrictions used when analyzing your credit card application? Learn how you can avoid them and obtain a credit card?
Read this guide to international credit card use before you travel. One tip just might save you thousands of dollars!
Have you ever thought that you can save while buying a car with your credit card? Believe it or not but it's true especially you are buying a used one.
Have you ever heard about the "Debt Snowball"? It's a well known technique that helps you to repay your debts faster.
Make your voice heard! A new government agency makes it easier to communicate concerns about any financial product online in a public format viewable by anyone. Learn how it works.
Bankruptcy is not the end to your life with credit. We'll show you how to start rebuilding your credit immediately after a bankruptcy filing.
Several reasons why you should choose a store co-branded credit card instead of a simple one.
If your credit history doesn't allow you to get a regular credit card, you can always choose a secured one, which is a viable alternative.
Will the Nissan Leaf Be a Bigger Meltdown Than Solyndra by Ben DeMeter on June 29, 2012 The Obama administration seems to have the worst luck with eco-initiatives . First , their 529 million handout to Solyndra went down the drain after the solar panel producer failed spectacularly last year . Now , it looks like their 1.4 billion investment in the all-electric Nissan Leaf is poised to face a similar fate . Here’s . why Back in 2007, the Department of Energy established the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Incentive Program to foster the growth of hybrid and electric vehicles . The program was given 25 billion in federal funding , which it used to support companies like Tesla and Fisker Automotive . At the time , the economy was stable and going green was all the rage . It made .
When you think about it, credit cards are pretty much the embodiment of unbridled capitalism. They’re a form of currency designed solely to cater to consumer culture. They not only allow you to spend, they allow you spend beyond your means. And once you’ve overspent enough, even your debt can be sold off and purchased [...]
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New CFPB Complaint Database Starts Airing Card Issuers Dirty Laundry by Ben DeMeter on June 25, 2012 Your credit card issuer’s reputation isn’t as sterling as it seems , and for once the government actually wants you to know why . This week the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau struck its first major blow against corporate whitewashing with the launch of its massive consumer complaint database The database takes all the complaints the agency has received regarding credit cards and the financial industry since last year and puts them into the public forum . And believe us when we say that there’s a lot to sift . through The CFPB started taking complaints for credit cards on July 21, 2011. On December 1, the agency began to accept mortgage complaints . Early this March , it added
Global Payments Credit Card Data Breach Worse Than Reported by Ben DeMeter on June 22, 2012 Remember that totally contained” cyber-raid on payment processing giant Global Payments that compromised more than 1.5 million different credit card accounts in April It looks like it might not have been so contained” after all . Gee , who would have guessed This week , the disgraced processing firm’s CEO , Paul Garcia , held a conference call with the press . In it , he explained that Global Payments might have been a bit too hasty in concluding that no sensitive” personal information was stolen by the hackers who heisted millions of credit and debit card numbers two months . ago After investigating the intrusion more carefully , the company’s analysts discovered that the hackers indeed obtained
Step By Step Action Plan To Recover From A Lost Wallet by Ben DeMeter on June 20, 2012 There’s nothing worse than that feeling of dread that washes over you as you realize that your wallet is missing . To know that all of your personal information is just sitting somewhere , ripe for the taking if it hasn’t been taken already is the worst kind of uncertainty . Identity theft is becoming more and more common as technology evolves , and the damage that thieves can do to your finances when they have your driver’s license , debit card , credit cards and possibly even your social security number at their disposal is . staggering Luckily , there are a few things you can do to stop this catastrophe before it begins , and all it takes is a phone and a few hours of your time . So get ready ,
Don’t Bother Donating Your Rewards Points to Charity by Ben DeMeter on June 18, 2012 So here’s something out of the blue : donating your credit card rewards points to charity is apparently all the rage these days . According to a recent Fox Business article there are a billion reasons why rewards cards owners should eschew gift cards and flyer miles and instead cash those cards out for the sake of those in need . Now , a billion is quite a lot , and it’s no surprise that the article is a little short . But our problem with the concept of using your rewards points for charitable purposes is that no matter how you try to justify it , it seems almost offensively . superficial Don’t get us wrong . We love charities , we support charities and we donate to charities . As a matter of fact , we
Annual fees for credit cards remain controversial. But let's get to the bottom of this debate: when does it make sense to pay an annual fee on a credit card?
4 Questions To Ask Payment Processors Before Signing a Contract by Ben DeMeter on June 15, 2012 When you sign your businesses up to work with a credit card processor , it’s pretty much a guarantee that you’re going to get the short end of the stick . Whether it’s through high transaction fees hefty cancellation fees or some other sort of fees we don’t even know about yet , your card processor will always find a way to take more than its fair share of your . revenue Unfortunately , while the current structure of the payment processing industry puts small businesses in a less-than-ideal position , that short stick we mentioned can quickly become even shorter if business owners forget to thoroughly interrogate their payment processor before they sign a contract . After all , a payment
After the product manufacturer warranty runs out you can benefit of free extended warranty offered by credit card companies and save several hundred dollars.
The number of American consumers carrying prepaid cards is increasing due to several factors, you can apply for a prepaid credit card regardless of your credit history.