An estimated 30 million Americans have been hit with “bill shock”—the unexpected, unpleasant scenario in which a consumer unknowingly exceeds his cell phone plan limits and incurs extra charges. Sometimes, these charges are …
Smart Spending
Do Daily Deal Sites Exaggerate Their Discounts?
The presentation of a daily deal from Groupon, LivingSocial, and others is fairly standard. Along with a description of the deal, there are always three numbers displayed prominently: the original price, the discounted price, and …
5 Things to Keep in Mind If Buying or Selling a Used Car
Is now a good time to buy a used vehicle? Or sell one? Here’s some insight on the state of the used car marketplace, along with pointers for anyone keen on buying or selling in the near future.
How to Break Up With Your Hairdresser: ‘It’s Not You, It’s the Economy’
Spending less isn’t all that complicated. First, find expenses that are unnecessary, which isn’t difficult for most people. Next, trim or eliminate these expenditures, typically by finding cheaper alternatives or going without. …
Attention Laptop Shoppers: Get Ready for Black Friday
Raise Prices in a Slow Economy? Nice Try
Falling diaper sales and the mess at Netflix point up the risks that big banks are taking by boosting fees in a recessionary environment.
Suze Orman Offers 4 Tips on How to Save (and Spend) Your Money
“Are you afraid?” asked Suze Orman. “Are you afraid when it comes to your money? Well, you should be.” The lively personal finance expert and host of CNBC’s The Suze Orman Show appeared at Chicago Ideas Week (CIW) last night, …
Forget Prince Charming: Why Economic Education Is A Worldwide Imperative
As the severity of this recession sinks in, the call grows louder for a serious plan to help people help themselves when it comes to their finances. After all, things won’t get much better anytime soon.
Layaway: Worse Than Using a Credit Card?
There are reasons that layaway went away. As more Americans gained access to credit, most stores got rid of layaway plans, which allow customers to pay off big purchases over the course of a few weeks or months. Stores preferred …
Struggling for Investment Answers? It Helps To Reframe The Question
Tom ran a public opinion survey a while back where some of the respondents were asked if they believed they could save 20% of their income. Only half said yes. But when the other respondents were asked if they thought they could …
Prepare to Shell Out: Peanut Butter Price Hike Coming
How about just a jelly sandwich? A peanut shortage means that food manufacturers are paying roughly double what they paid for peanuts last year. In the coming weeks, that price increase is expected to be passed along to consumers …
Surefire Way to Boost Tourism to Japan, South America: Free Airfare
If you give away free flights, they will come. A South American airline and Japan’s tourism bureau are attracting the attention of the media, not to mention travelers, by giving away airline tickets by the planeload.