Credit & Debt

Tailor-Made Credit: Finding a card that fits

jenniebartlemay — Tue, 01 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000

The key to choosing a credit card is finding the right fit, so before you settle on a card to call your own, prepare to compare.

Climbing Scores & Dropping Cards

christhomas — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Should you pay off credit cards every month and are gift card exchanges safe?

Us Vs. Parents: Who Has It Worse?

janelong — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0000

That stereotype in movies when parents tell their spoiled children how hard they had it growing up ("When I was your age, I had to walk three miles to school in the snow wearing dilapidated hand-me-down shoes that gave me bunions!") may soon be reversed by our generation.

Is Waiting To Invest Wise?

jenniebartlemay — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 19:36:09 +0000

Wisebread recently posted a blog that suggested an unpopular idea: Maybe it's not imperative that you start investing for retirement just yet. At least not right now.

Dropping Deals

jenniebartlemay — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 22:00:00 +0000

I dropped another external hard drive. Suffice it to say that my next hard drive purchase will probably be a laptop drive--something marginally more sturdy. Thank goodness I have an emergency backup for my most important files.

What Will Happen To The Euro?

janelong — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Over the past few months, apocalyptic talk of the "END OF THE EURO" has surfaced as weakest-link euro zone countries like Greece have teetered on the edge of default, threatening to bring down the rest of the euro zone with it.

Europe has some serious issues, but the following explains why a complete euro breakup is just about as likely as the National Enquirer correctly proclaiming Michael Jackson has risen from the dead.

The Ultimate Money Infograph

christhomas — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Check out this Money Infographic from xkcd.com.

This is literally the most comprehensive gathering of money information and statistics I've ever seen. I certainly wouldn't want to be the one to sift through the 206 sources to compile it all, but my hat's off to them.

Counterintuitive CARD Act

jenniebartlemay — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:00:00 +0000

Remember the CARD Act of 2009? It set in motion a lot of different rules intended to protect consumers like you and me. One of these changes was to add more information to our credit card bills, detailing how long it would take to pay off the entire balance if only paying the minimum balance.

Paying Off & Passports

christhomas — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 07:00:00 +0000

What is amortization, and when should you get a passport?

The United States Of Broke: Life, liberty and the pursuit of debt

christhomas — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 07:00:00 +0000

From day one, Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty have borrowed to pay for the country's pricey expenditures. Now federal debt is enormous and unsustainable. How did it come to this?

Shedding Debt: Restructuring for debt relief

christhomas — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 07:00:00 +0000

Debt restructuring may sound good, but beneath the surface, debt restructuring is similar to weight loss surgery: always expensive, and without discipline, a step deeper into the mess.

Income-Based Repayment: Relief For Student Loans On A Tiny Income

janelong — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 20:53:53 +0000

Earlier this week, the White House announced changes in student loan repayment policy intended to give relief to certain college grads struggling to pay back federal loans.

Debt Ceiling Update: Can't We All Just Get Along?

christhomas — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 07:00:00 +0000

As Jane, Brandon, and Jens have all reported in the past, our nation's debt crisis is coming to a crossroads and something needs to be done quickly before all

On Debt's Door: Can bankruptcy really save your bacon?

christhomas — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 07:00:00 +0000

Filing for bankruptcy can be a useful tool to get out of debt, but it can also carry some serious consequences.

Dream-Crushing Student Loans?

janelong — Mon, 23 May 2011 22:01:19 +0000

I recently watched the film version of the play A Raisin In The Sun starring Sidney Poitier. In the story, his character, Walter, dreams of pulling his family out of poverty and creating a better life for himself, and believes that investing the family’s savings into a business scheme will lead to wealth and opportunity. Though he ultimately squanders the money on a bum investment, I could relate to his desperation to make something of himself.