At 12 years old, most of us didn’t hold down regular jobs, except for maybe the odd baby-sitting or lawn-mowing gig. But one-fourth of parents today expect their kids to start socking away the contents of their piggy banks to …
Paying With Plastic
Your Credit Card Rewards Aren’t Worth As Much As You Think
With issuers dangling bonuses like $100 cash back just for signing up, it can be easy to lose sight of exactly how rewarding (or not) credit card rewards truly are. You may be asking, why should it matter? It’s true that many …
Make Sure You’re Not Being Charged This Credit Card Fee
Last month, Capital One was hit with a $210 million penalty for engaging in sneaky marketing practices, including pressuring customers to sign on to pricey services of dubious value such as credit monitoring and “payment …
Time to Cancel the Road Trip? Highest End-of-Summer Gas Prices Ever
The average price for a gallon of gas now stands at $3.72. That’s nearly 40¢ higher than the summer’s low, which was reached in early July, just a few weeks ago. It’s also the highest ever average gas price for this time of year.
Is Credit-Card Debt Collection the New Robo-Signing Scandal?
The big-bank robo-signing scandal lifted the proverbial rock on the unsavory things financial institutions were doing to force people out of their homes, whether they had the legal grounds to do so or not. Apparently, similar …
The Verdict Is In: Tackle Smaller Debts First
Financial experts have long debated the best strategy for paying down debt. Some advise paying off debt in the order of APR, taking on the loan with the highest interest rate first. With this approach, you reduce the amount spent …
5 Smart Strategies to Eliminate Your Credit Card Debt
Minimum payment due, reads the box on your credit-card statement. What an enticing idea: Pay a small amount and you’re off the hook for the whole bill—for a while, anyway. Alas, as the more than 45% of Americans who carry a …
On Square, Biohazards, Biting and the Psychology of Money
The deal announced this week between Square and Starbucks is exciting but worrisome. Square streamlines the transactions that define our everyday economic lives — just say your name and you’ve paid. Partnering with the coffee …
Back to School: How to Vet Student Bank Accounts
If you have ever looked for the perfect bank account for your teen, you know how frustrating the search can be. Linked accounts, transfer limits and fees, ATM fees, overdraft protection and more vary from bank to bank and from account to account. How do you sort through this maze?
Mobile Gift Cards: Major Push On for the ‘Cooler’ Gift Card
In a recent survey, roughly 15% of U.S. retailers offer digital gift cards that are truly mobile—meaning they can be used immediately for a purchase via smartphone. A major growth spurt for mobile gift cards seems to be in the works. In the same survey, 61% of retailers said they plan on offering such cards in the next three years.
Why Smartphones Won’t Be Replacing Wallets Anytime Soon
For quite some time, we’ve heard that smartphones will replace wallets. Instead of using cash or plastic, the day will come, likely soon, when consumers will simply wave, tap, or swipe their phones for payment. While there are …
A Store Without a Checkout Counter? JCPenney Presses on with Retail Revolution
JCPenney’s dramatic makeover has led to customer confusion and subpar sales, but the company is sticking with its plan to revolutionize its brand.