Have you ever noticed that certain businesses offer a discount for paying with cash vs. credit? This practice is particularly common at gas stations, though you’ll sometimes see it at other businesses, as well. And yet, as we’ve discussed, it’s against the policies of the major card networks (Visa, MasterCard, etc.) — and, in some [...]

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I am ashamed to say that my wife told me the other day that she doesn’t know what a mutual fund is. This stemmed from a brief discussion about where to invest $1,000 that we had collected from our 8-year-old son’s birthday and Christmas money. My wife is a big fan of certificates of deposit. [...]

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Time for a mini-rant… Back in August, we upgraded our oldest son’s cell phone and added a line for our second oldest. The phones each came with a $50 mail-in rebate, so $100 total. Not exactly chump change, and certainly enough to jump through all of the required hoops.
I did the paperwork, made copies, and [...]

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How safe are your passwords? If you bank online, the only thing standing between you and a financial disaster is your password (and perhaps your username). And yet many people do an astonishingly bad job of selecting secure passwords.
A big part of the problem is that secure passwords are hard to remember. When combined with [...]

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The recent news that banks were planning to charge monthly debit card fees was not well-received by recession-weary Americans. The rising costs of fuel, food and living in general when unemployment is at an all-time high means the timing couldn’t have been worse to hit up our pocketbooks some more.
When will it all stop?
Well, banks [...]

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Back in 2003, Martha Stewart was indicted on multiple charges including securities fraud and obstruction of justice. These charges stemmed from an investigation into an investment move back in 2001, when she allegedly dumped her shares of ImClone based on insider information that she had received from her broker. As it turns out, this sort [...]

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Last summer I mentioned that ING Direct was about to roll out the ability for customers to deposit checks electronically. Unfortunately, that still hasn’t happened. Yes, their website still says that “depositing check is about to get a whole lot easier,” but I’m not holding my breath.
Perhaps they ran into technical difficulties, or perhaps the [...]

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Have you ever wished you could take a holiday from paying your bills? Well, be careful what you wish for. A colleague recent forwarded “Holiday Skip-A-Month” certificate from their credit union.
The accompanying letter reads:
Another year has passed and the holidays are approaching quickly. To help you make the most of the season during these tough [...]

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It’s been awhile since I updated my Lending Club performance, so I thought I’d take a moment today and let you guys know what’s going on. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I haven’t been adding notes to my portfolio this year. Instead, I’ve been pulling the cash out to our savings account as payments [...]

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When you think of the basics of a civilized family existence, a decent home is foundational. Doesn’t grace at your table frequently end with thanks for “the roof over our heads”? But not all home repair jobs are equally vital. The roof? Yes, you need a good roof. But, if you’re facing financial difficulties, a [...]

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