What you think you know about credit cards and debt may not be true.
Budgeting
Shout Out: ‘Family Budget Boot Camp’
Parenting magazine paired up three financial advisors with three families that have serious financial troubles. They’ve all been blogging about the experience since October. There’s plenty of good advice to be gathered from the posts, but what’s most fascinating is that these stories are really real.
Plausible? The Government Wants You in Debt
Do government policies make it much easier to be a spender rather than a saver?
How Battling the Banks and Credit Card Companies Is Like Whack-A-Mole
Smack down one fee or money-making scheme and others are sure to pop up. And even if you’re really good at the game, there are always more moles than you can possibly whack.
Bad Credit: Not So Bad After All?
The authors of a new book make the case that life can be good—great, even—while your credit score is in the dumps. In spite of bad credit, you can still buy a home, take a vacation, start a business, and most importantly, not be depressed all the time. And the writers should know what they’re talking about: One of the authors had to …
So When Does the Real Cell-Phone Price War Begin?
AT&T and Verizon both recently dropped prices on unlimited calling plans by $30 a month. But other changes make it possible—likely, even—that the wireless providers will make more money off of the typical customer.
Do You Have a Clue How Your Bank Accounts Work?
If not, you’re probably missing out on easy savings and unnecessarily paying hundreds of dollars in fees.
Why Are Banks and Credit Card Issuers Being So Nice?
Banks are giving cash bonuses of $100, even $200 to people who open checking accounts. New credit cards come with policies that will waive or refund interest to customers in certain situations. Why are we the beneficiaries of such generosity? Mostly, because for banks, offering a helping hand—or at least appearing to do so—is good …
Survey: Spending Less Is a Goal for 91% of Americans
Also, more than half of those surveyed plan to save more in 2010 for things like retirement and emergencies, and 58% think fewer people will lose their jobs this year.
What’s the State of Our Union? Thrifty, for One Thing
A new infographic from the The Atlantic cites a mess of stats that indicate Americans can be described as twitchy, suspicious, admired, filthy, and thrifty, among other adjectives. Just how thrifty are we? In 2009, 42.8% of groceries were sold on promotion, and 2.4 billion coupons were redeemed, up 26% from the year before.
Strategic Mortgage Default: The Irresponsible, Amoral, But Best Strategy?
If you voluntarily walk away your mortgage because you owe more than the home is worth, are you a bad person? Should you even care?
21 Days
During a three-week “financial fast,” you’re supposed to go cold turkey on all nonessential purchases. And for a lot of people, most purchases are nonessential purchases.