Author Archive
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Sneaky Tricks from Credit Card Vendors (Part 4)
Credit card companies need to make money just like everyone else. If they couldn’t make money by extending credit, they wouldn’t be in business, and that would force us to pay cash for everything from coffee to vacations. There is obviously a place for credit cards in our society. However, so...
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Sneaky Tricks from Credit Card Vendors (Part 3)
Credit card companies need to make money just like everyone else. If they couldn’t make money by extending credit, they wouldn’t be in business, and that would force us to pay cash for everything from coffee to vacations. There is obviously a place for credit cards in our society. However,...
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Sneaky Tricks from Credit Card Vendors (Part 2)
Credit card companies need to make money just like everyone else. If they couldn’t make money by extending credit, they wouldn’t be in business, and that would force us to pay cash for everything from coffee to vacations. There is obviously a place for credit cards in our society. However,...
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Sneaky Tricks from Credit Card Vendors (Part 1)
Credit card companies need to make money just like everyone else. If they couldn’t make money by extending credit, they wouldn’t be in business, and that would force us to pay cash for everything from coffee to vacations. There is obviously a place for credit cards in our society. However,...
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Thinking of Refinancing?
Pretty much the only good thing about the tanking economy is that interest rates are down. Not such a good thing if you’re saving and investing, but potentially helpful if you want to refinance your home. Over the last years lenders have been approving some pretty crappy loans. If you have o...
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Tax Assistance for Lower Incomes
Nobody likes tax time. For most people, it’s a drag to get all your paperwork together, decipher the tax form (or find a tax preparer who won’t skin you), and wait with bated breath to see who owes who. For many low- to moderate-income earners, though, there’s some help out there. Every y...
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Saving for a Rainy Day
As Eeyore might say, these days it’s always raining. With the economy turning upside down and unemployment rising, it may be a good idea to take him seriously. To keep yourself secure after a loss of income, it’s important to build a rainy day fund, or emergency cushion to get you throug...
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irs.gov: actually user friendly!
It’s tax time, once again. April 15th is sneaking up on us, slowly but surely. But before you e-file your returns this year, it’s worth a visit to the IRS website. For such a generally disliked institution, the IRS has a very user-friendly site. Go to www.irs.gov to check it out. ...
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Pay Yourself First
Everyone wants to build wealth right now, this second, as quickly as possible. If you make six figures a year (or if you’re dishonest—think Madoff), maybe it’s possible. But for the rest of us peons, slow and steady wins the race. Pay yourself first, and get a jump on the rest of the tor...
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The rule of 72 (Part 2)
Now for the bad news. The same rule that tells how long it’ll take to double your money also tells you when you’ll double your debt. That’s right; this rule applies not only to the interest rate you RECEIVE, but also to the interest that you PAY. And because most debts, particularly credit...
