There are no regulations whatsoever for how much pay phones can charge for collect calls. The result? A conversation that lasts a few minutes can cost the person accepting a collect call nearly $50.
Borrowing
Is Walking Away from Your Mortgage the Smartest Thing You Can Do?
Forget about shame and guilt. Don’t worry about your credit score. If you owe way more than your home is worth, simply stop paying the mortgage and don’t feel bad about it, suggests a University of Arizona professor.
Credit Card Fee Watch: Will Big New Upfront Fees Replace the Hidden Old Ones?
In Australia, credit card issuers simply tack on a percentage—over 5% in some cases—when a customer makes a purchase using plastic. Is this where we’re headed?
Eat, Drink, and Be Miserly
The holiday season is a classic time to check the national mood and reflect. So how are we doing? Let’s just say you shouldn’t expect to see a new car with a bow on top in your driveway anytime soon.
Checkout Line Conundrums: Should You Get the Extended Warranty? What about the Store’s Credit Card?
Be on guard at the checkout line: In all the chaos of holiday shopping season, you can easily get talked into paying extra for some sort of extended service plan you don’t want, or into signing up for a credit card that saves you 10% upfront—and then hammers you with fees down the line.
Must-See Recession-Era TV: “The Card Game” and More
PBS’s “Frontline,” which features journalist Lowell Bergman on camera and that awesome, ultra-serious voiceover dude who has the ability to make everything sound like there’s some nefarious conspiracy afoot, takes on the credit card industry—again. Also, TV shows on how to sell your stuff for quick cash, and how to endure financial …
Black Friday: Also the Best Day to Buy Cars and Invest in CDs?
The biggest shopping day of the year is not only about snagging discounted toys and plasma HDTVs at the mall. Car dealers and online banks also want in on the action.
Black Friday: What We Know So Far
Before heading out to the mall during the pre-dawn hours with a post-Thanksgiving hangover, arm yourself with some shopping strategy and knowledge—like that a “sold out” sign may be just a marketing ploy, and that you don’t have to wait for Black Friday for great Black Friday-esque deals.
Holiday Excesses: Have Yourself a Merry Anti-Consumer Christmas
With frugality having its fashionable moment, the holiday excesses seem especially excessive. Luckily, there’s no shortage of methods to decrease the holiday consumer madness.
What Would Jesus Buy?
The popular “prosperity gospel” preached to the adoring masses is being blamed for putting a lot of believers deeply into debt that they’ll likely never pay off. Guess they just aren’t good enough Christians.
Self Mag Tells You How to ‘Save $656 This Month (At Least)’
A story in this month’s issue of the magazine lists ten tiny, very manageable strategies—some are obvious, some a little peculiar, all with the potential to save you some money.
Debit Card Overdraft Reform Gets the OK. Now What?
When Congress introduced credit card reform, the banks and credit card issuers reacted by jacking up rates and adding new fees. Likewise, with the Federal Reserve ruling that banks must reform the way debit card overdraft fees are assessed, there will certainly be unintended consequences: Banks are sure to react with new strategies that …