Top Speculative Quotes About the Economy
Are we heading for a boom time? A slow slog? Another recession? A ’90s-Japan-like lost decade? A full-on depression? The experts have weighed in, as they’re apt to do.
Articles from Contributor
Homeownership: More Nightmare Than Dream?
Buying a home—the wrong home, at the wrong time—can wreak havoc in your life. As many buyers know, you can lose money and drive yourself nuts with stress even when you’re not in the middle of a housing market crash. That’s why in a newly emerging version of the American Dream, a lot of people (men especially) are most content renting.
Boo Berry Is No Substitute for Franken Berry
To save money, create a more simplified shopping experience, and potentially even increase sales, Walgreens, Kroger, Wal-Mart, and other stores are whittling down the options on their shelves. It’s a move that most consumers appreciate, at least in theory: Now they only have to consider 187 varieties of shampoo, rather than 248. But if …
How to Haggle Your Way Out of Credit Card Debt
The first rule is: Never accept the collection agency’s first settlement offer. The second rule is: Don’t accept the second offer either. Are you getting the idea?
Got Tax Questions? There’s a 29% Chance You Won’t Get Answers from the IRS
Average wait time to talk with IRS via its 800 number: 12 minutes. Percentage of callers the IRS actually expects to answer this tax season: 71. And believe it or not, this is a big improvement from 2008, when barely over half (52.8%) of phone calls from taxpayers were answered.
Cheapskate Wisdom from … Former NBA 3-Point Specialist Tim Legler
“Who wouldn’t want a bargain?”
Looking into the Crystal Ball and Seeing More and More Credit Card Fees
Some credit card industry observers are asked to predict what’s in store for plastic with the new year and new legislation.
Shocking News: Infomercial Products Are Crap
Consumer Reports takes a close look at the Snuggie and all sorts of things that slice and dice and somehow convince TV viewers that they need them.
Are You Experiencing “Next Great” Whatever Fatigue?
You just bought an HDTV, an iPhone, and a Kindle, but now there’s 3-D TV, Google’s Nexus One, and the Kindle 2 (or the Nook) that all want you to take them home too. Can’t the marketers and innovators at least wait until we’ve gotten used to all the gizmos and features of our current great “new” devices before they introduce the new-new ones?
Car Insurance: Proof It Really Pays to Shop Around
There’s not much rhyme or reason to how and why car insurance rates vary so widely, but vary widely is exactly what they do—for the same coverage, same driver history, and so on. This is why you’ve got to go through the rigamarole of getting multiple quotes.
Getting Literally Nickeled and Dimed at the Grocery Store
Go reusable or pay up: The movement to charge shoppers for plastic bags at supermarkets, convenience stores, liquor stores, and anywhere else you’ve been asked “paper or plastic?” is gaining momentum.
In the Future: No More … Well, No More Lots of Things
When the calendar changes, it’s a natural time to look back and look forward, to gauge trends, scratch one’s head, and make predictions that will appear laughable in a few years. According to various prognosticators, because of new technology, rising costs, changing cultural attitudes and spending habits, and the ever-present desire to …