It may soon be time to rethink the automatic usage of a debit card, which unlike a credit card is tied to actual money held in a bank account, and which has been the preferred plastic of consumers eager to avoid annual fees and debt quickly piled up by swiping its cousin, the classic credit card.
Is the Vampire Squid Wrapped Around Facebook?
Goldman CEO Lloyd Blankfien has his hands around Facebook’s shares (Jim Young/REUTERS)
Goldman Sachs has been trying to wrestle free of its reputation for sucking money out of every market it can. The new Facebook deal won’t help.
You don’t have to dig very far to find something vampire squiddy about the deal. Companies over 500 …
It’s a Deal: $5 Off $25 Purchase at Dollar General
Print out this coupon to get $5 off purchases of $25 and up at Dollar General this Saturday, January 8, only.
Why Consumers Aren’t Buying New TVs
You probably bought a cool new flat-screen TV within the last couple of years. But aren’t you ready for a new-new one now?
Why are Recoveries More Jobless?
Still waiting for the right jobs or workers (Shannon Stapleton/REUTERS)
The cover story of TIME magazine this week is about the job market. Bill Saporito and reporter Deirdre Van Dyk have done an amazing job of finding employers who want to hire.
Kent Niederhofer can’t find enough mechanical engineers to work for him — in
…
Bank of America’s New Checking Accounts Offer More Options, and (You Knew It!) More Fees
In a new pilot program, the biggest bank in the U.S. says it wants to provide customers with more checking account options—and more transparency regarding the fees that come along with each option. “We are trying to provide you choices on how you compensate us,” explained on BofA executive. What’s transparent about that statement is …
Shout Out: ‘How to Prepare for Homelessness’
It’s the specifics in this post—some shelters limit the ages and genders allowed, the importance of having IDs, school records, and social security cards for all members of your family—that make the tips especially helpful, and that really pack a wallop as you read them.
It’s a Deal: Virgin America Flights from $59
During a Virgin America sale, flights cost as little as $59 each way on routes such as San Francisco to San Diego or Seattle, $79 (Los Angeles-Seattle), $119 (Boston-San Francisco, Washington, D.C.-Los Angeles), and $129 (New York-San Francisco, Toronto-Los Angeles). Tickets must be purchased by January 10, a two-week advance purchase is …
Financial Lessons Learned from 5 Unusual Sources
If you look hard enough, there are personal finance lessons to be learned at nearly every turn—on TV, at the movies, and … by observing your pets, and listening to geese honk in the sky?
Are government jobs becoming dead end jobs?
There used to be no safer career path that landing a government post. Sure, you might be able to pull in a bigger salary in the private sector, but it was hard to beat the benefits, or the job security. Public sector labor unions are often politically influential and fiercely protective of the perquisites of the civil servant. In times …
Why the Nano, the ‘World’s Cheapest Car,’ Is Going Nowhere
To much fanfare in 2009, India—a hotbed of innovative products within reach of the poor like the $70 refrigerator and the $23 stove—introduced the world to the Tata Nano, a car retailing for a mere $2,200. A year and a half or so later, the Nano is basically considered a flop, with only a few hundred sold each month. Why aren’t …
Quick Tip: Why Right Now Is a Great Time to Shop Secondhand Stores
“Ever wonder what happens to the returned items that retailers take back from consumers, but can’t sell back on their shelves? A trip to a thrift store during this time of year will answer that question.”