Archive for September 2009

Credit Cards: Can’t Get No Satisfaction?

Written by Nickel - 6 Comments

According to J.D. Power’s recently released “Credit Card Satisfaction Study,” overall cardholder satisfaction fell to a three year low in 2009. Not surprisingly, (dis)satisfaction with fees and rates were a major contributor to the drop.
Interestingly, these results place credit cards at the bottom of the heap, with lower overall customer satisfaction than any other financial [...]

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Published on September 13th, 2009
Modified on April 25th, 2010 - 6 Comments
Filed under: Credit Cards
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The Dark Side of Debit Cards

Written by Nickel - 42 Comments

If you’ve followed this site for any length of time, you’re likely aware that I’m not a huge fan of debit cards. While I recognize that they can be quite convenient at times, debit cards simply have too many disadvantages for me to use one instead of a credit card.
In the past, my biggest concern [...]

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Published on September 11th, 2009 - 42 Comments
Filed under: Banking, Credit Cards
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Five Lowest Paying College Majors

Written by Nickel - 10 Comments

Earlier this week, we talked about the value of a “high end” college degree. Today, I wanted to follow that up by highlighting this list of the five lowest paying college majors…
Lowest paying college majors

Social work
Special education
Elementary education
Home economics
Music and dance

Rounding out the top (bottom?) ten are: drama, leisure studies, philosophy, art, and audiology. I’ve [...]

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Published on September 10th, 2009
Modified on February 14th, 2010 - 10 Comments
Filed under: Education
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Just Say No to the Double House Payment Trap

Written by Guest Contributor - 13 Comments

This is a guest post from Kevin Mercadante of Out of Your Rut. Kevin is a former loan underwriter, and also author of Lighten Your Load, an e-book focused on reducing living expenses while still maintaining a comfortable lifestyle.
The housing market has been down for two years or more in much of the country, but [...]

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Published on September 10th, 2009 - 13 Comments
Filed under: Mortgages, Real Estate
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The Recession is… Over?

Written by Nickel - 21 Comments

According to an AP News report issued earlier this afternoon…
“Economic activity is stabilizing or improving in the vast majority of the country, according to a new government survey, adding to evidence that the worst recession since the 1930s is over.”
Apparently eleven of the Fed’s twelve regions have shown signs of economic stabilization. The lone outlier [...]

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Published on September 9th, 2009 - 21 Comments
Filed under: Economy
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Target Date Mutual Funds Getting Cheaper

Written by Nickel - 4 Comments

Target date mutual funds are designed to automatically adjust their allocation depending on how long you have until the “target date.” These funds thus invest rather aggressively early on, automatically moving to a more conservative allocation over time.
While these funds are a convenient “set and forget” solution for many investors, they’re not for everyone. I’ve [...]

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Published on September 9th, 2009 - 4 Comments
Filed under: Saving & Investing
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Why a Degree From a Fancy College Isn’t Worth It

Written by Guest Contributor - 51 Comments

This is a guest post from Neal Frankle of Wealth Pilgrim. If you like what you see here, please consider subscribing to his RSS feed.
Have you ever wondered if it makes sense to spend big bucks on an undergraduate education or whether you should at least consider less expensive state schools or online degrees? Some [...]

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Published on September 8th, 2009
Modified on December 18th, 2009 - 51 Comments
Filed under: Education, Frugality
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401(k) Changes to Encourage Saving

Written by Nickel - 15 Comments

Last week I mentioned the possibility that 401(k) limits might be reduced in 2010. This week, I wanted to highlight some proposed retirement savings changes that President Obama outlined in his weekly radio address. Here they are:

Auto-enrollment in retirement plans. The administration plans on clearing up some of the bureaucratic hurdles that make auto-enrollment a [...]

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Published on September 7th, 2009 - 15 Comments
Filed under: Retirement, Saving & Investing
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Debt Reduction: Penny Wise and Pound Foolish

Written by Nickel - 19 Comments

Today I’m going to start off by asking a couple of questions…
Are you carrying any high interest debt?
Do you have any money in the bank?
If you answered yes to both of these questions, then let me ask another one…
Just how much money do you have in the bank?
The reason I ask is that a surprising [...]

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Published on September 4th, 2009
Modified on March 30th, 2011 - 19 Comments
Filed under: Debt Reduction
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How to Get a Raise (or at Least Keep Your Job)

Written by Matt Jabs - 11 Comments

I’m a huge fan of taking control of my own situation. I don’t like giving mediocrity a place in my life because it gives others power over me, and leaves me less able to steer my own ship. Given the tough job market, there’s never been a better time to set yourself apart from the [...]

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Published on September 3rd, 2009 - 11 Comments
Filed under: Working
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