As featured in The Wall Street Journal, Money Magazine, and more!

October 2005

Ask The Expert: Company Match

by Luke Landes

Walter Updegrave is the staff expert at CNN Money, and he fields questions from those who write in to his column called, as one might guess, Ask The Expert. The latest question comes from a twenty-four year old: My 401(k) plan will actually give me the 50 percent match on as much as 15 percent ... Continue reading this article…

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Your New York Number

by Luke Landes

Note: If you are looking for my look at The Number, by Lee Eisenberg, start here. The following is a look at an article that appeared in New York Magazine before I was aware of the upcoming book. Wouldn’t it be great to stop working and have enough money never to run out for the ... Continue reading this article…

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Fed News Flash

by Luke Landes

The president has nominated Ben S. Bernanke to replace Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan.

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Carnival of Personal Finance #19

by Luke Landes

Welcome to the Carnival of Personal Finance, 19th edition! You are visiting Consumerism Commentary, a website where I discuss my personal finances with links to related news with commentary every once in a while. Here is a little about me and this website. You can browse my latest updates or start with the “Best Of ... Continue reading this article…

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Two Reminders

by Luke Landes

If you’re a blogger and you’ve written about personal finance lately, don’t forget to submit your blog entry to the Carnival of Personal Finance which will be hosted here at Consumerism Commentary on Monday. If you want to be included, send an email to carnival [at] consumerismcommentary [dot] com containing a link to your entry. ... Continue reading this article…

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Millionaire at Twenty-Four

by Luke Landes

CNN, in its Millionaires in the Making series, is featuring a story about Justin D’Angelo, who earns $150,000 working about an hour a day, selling products through a website. He uses drop shippers who handle the inventory and shipping, while he maintains the web interface and markets the products. He got involved in a range ... Continue reading this article…

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Balance Transfer Not Accepted

by Luke Landes

In the last few weeks, I opened a Discover Miles Card account, which was offering one of the free 0 percent APR balance transfer deals. I decided to take advantage, to earn some interest on the credit. Everything went smoothly until today. My Wachovia Visa (operated by MBNA) received the $7,500 and posted it to my ... Continue reading this article…

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Saving With Low Income, Part 3

by Luke Landes

In this series, I’ve been taking a look at MP Dunleavey’s article offering a plethora of ways to save when income is tight. Here are more of the suggestions submitted by users and compiled by the article’s author. Part One is here and Part Two is here. * Buy generic instead of brand-name products. The ... Continue reading this article…

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College Costs Rising

by Luke Landes

It’s no surprise that college costs are rising. This year, tuition at private colleges increased 5.9 percent while public institutions increased 7.1 percent. Why are costs rising so much? Here are a few reasons: * States are tightening their budgets, so public universities are feeling the pain. * Colleges offer health care to students, and ... Continue reading this article…

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Most Expensive City – No Surprise

by Luke Landes

If you took a typical family of four earning a total of $60,000 and moved them around the country, the city in which they would have to spend the most in order to maintain their lifestyle is, with no suprise, New York City. According to the analysis by Runzheimer International, the annual cost for this ... Continue reading this article…

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Saving With Low Income, Part 2

by Luke Landes

Here’s the second article in which I’m visiting MP Dunleavey’s article about techniques for saving when a low income is working against you. Part One is here. * Create bank errors in your favor. MP suggests adding a little extra expense or a little less income when entering transactions into Microsoft Money or Quicken. I ... Continue reading this article…

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Something About a Beaver

by Luke Landes

I’ve been quite busy over the last month or so, but I wouldn’t let a Monday go by without welcoming the latest edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance, this week hosted by Jonathan over at the great MyMoneyBlog. The low-down on the Carnival of Personal Finance can always be found here. Next Monday’s Carnival ... Continue reading this article…

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Saving With Low Income

by Luke Landes

MP Dunleavey gives her readers 19 ways to save when income is not quite as high as would be comfortable. The tips are practical and can be applied to just about anyone for whom saving more money is a goal, regardless of income. Here are some of her suggestions, submitted by readers: * Stash a ... Continue reading this article…

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When Katrina Says Jump…

by Luke Landes

… the CPI jumps. “Consumer prices rose at the fastest pace in more than 25 years last month, spurred by a surge in energy prices to record highs after Hurricane Katrina.” These higher energy prices are going to be passed on to the average consumer in many different ways, so look for higher prices all ... Continue reading this article…

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Financial Urban Myths

by Luke Landes

Don’t fall for these popular “wives’ tales,” as compiled by Bankrate.com. Some of these are strange and unfamiliar to me, but maybe you’ve heard these rumors. 1. False: “You can float a check longer if you write in red ink.” 2. False: “You don’t have to pay income tax — it’s illegal.” 3. False: “I’m ... Continue reading this article…

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ING Direct Changes The Bonus Rules

by Luke Landes

I was getting ready to send an ING Direct referral to a coworker when I discovered that the online bank changed the rules. Now, in order for a new customer to receive the $25 bonus, he or she must deposit $250 at the onset. This certainly changes the game for some. ING Direct is offering ... Continue reading this article…

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Outsourcing Your Entire Life

by Luke Landes

Big corporations have seen the financial benefits of outsourcing, but according to this article in Esquire, individuals can enjoy the less stressful life that shipping tasks overseas provides. The writer of the article hired a firm from India to handle administrative tasks at first, but the relationship took on a new meaning when the tasks ... Continue reading this article…

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For Procrastinators Only

by Luke Landes

Marty Nemko has an interesting article on procrastination on Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. He must have been speaking directly to me; I am an offender, but probably not one of the worst. Whatever the cause, my clients find the following approach helpful in overcoming procrastination. Ask yourself, “Is it in my interest to start on this ... Continue reading this article…

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2006 Benefits Enrollment

by Luke Landes

I suppose this is a problem facing corporate employees across the country, but I feel like outlining how much my health benefits choices for 2006 will be significantly more expensive than this past year. Not only are our choices more limited (except for an introduction of a Consumer Directed Health Plan and a High Deductible ... Continue reading this article…

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HOWTO Purchase a Bed (Mattress and Box Spring)

by Luke Landes

You may have read that I purchased a bed this past weekend. This was my first purchase of major furniture, but it was a long time coming. I had suffered from morning back and neck pain for too long, and I believe the problem had much to do with the sleeping surfaces I’ve had over ... Continue reading this article…

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