From the monthly archives:
The Federal Reserve may soon become much more powerful if Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has his way. Earlier today, he released the “Blueprint for a Modernized Financial Regulatory Structure,” which includes a number of recommendations designed to take power away from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Paulson’s recommendations The Federal Reserve should ... Continue reading this article…
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The latest edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance, a weekly round-up of some of the best articles on the web about personal finance, has been published at Stock Trading to Go. In addition to the host’s Editor’s Picks, be sure to read How to Manage Your Asset Allocation With Multiple Accounts, Grow Your ... Continue reading this article…
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As I mentioned briefly, I was in San Francisco for a few days to meet with software developers and strategists from NetworthIQ, ExpensR, and MyStrands. The companies are working together to develop web-based personal finance management software, with the intention of meeting customers’ needs that are not met by Mint, Geezeo, Quicken Online, and ... Continue reading this article…
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You’ve probably been concerned at one time or another with your credit worthiness: the somewhat squishy way that lenders determine whether you’re going to repay, for example, a home loan. I say “squishy” because ultimately, these decisions are made by human beings in a temporal landscape. We bought our house in June 2007, and if ... Continue reading this article…
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The people behind NetworthIQ and Expensr invited me and a few other bloggers to San Francisco for a workshop to discuss online financial management tools. At this invitation-only event, six bloggers have been asked to present their history and talk about blogging in general. The blogs to be showcased include Consumerism Commentary, Get ... Continue reading this article…
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At the end of every month, I take a look at the source of visitors to Consumerism Commentary, and in March, there were a lot of readers. Don’t forget to stay up-to-date by subscribing to the RSS feed, which will inform everyone of new articles here. Consider, for example, adding Consumerism Commentary to ... Continue reading this article…
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Do investment companies need to market to “Generation X” and “Generation Y” differently than the general investing public? Would new, “hip” investment products encourage individuals falling within these particular demographics to care about their financial future? Thrasher Capital Management was founded on the principle that these markets, as well as minorities, are currently ... Continue reading this article…
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Earlier this week, a few real estate market survey results were announced in the media. This could be good news for house shoppers. In January, prices of homes on average were 11 percent lower than prices of homes at the same time last year. These results are based on the S&P Case/Shiller index, ... Continue reading this article…
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Credit cards simply are no longer offering the enticing deals in order to lure customers. Even though credit card companies have been willing to offer strong cash back rebates and introductory 0 percent APR deals, they’ve done so knowing that they can make up the loss through interest rates from defaulted customers and interchange fees. ... Continue reading this article…
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Next Tuesday, the Festival of Frugality will find its way to Consumerism Commentary. I encourage all bloggers who write about frugality-related topics to submit their best article this week in consideration for the April 1 edition.
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The people at SmartyPig contacted me recently to offer a $100 gift card for use on their site to a Consumerism Commentary reader. SmartyPig has been mentioned on a few personal finance blogs recently, and here’s the deal. SmartyPig is a savings account, FDIC insured, currently earning 4.30 percent APY. Depositors’ funds are held by ... Continue reading this article…
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Looking for a collection of great personal finance blog posts? The latest Carnival of Personal Finance is online at Million Dollar Journey. The Carnival of Personal Finance is a weekly traveling round-up highlighting some of the best personal finance articles from around the blogosphere. In addition to the articles starred by the ... Continue reading this article…
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If you have an HD DVD player and fear it will be collecting dust in your entertainment center, you have an option to turn the hardware into $50. Best Buy is accepting returns for any HD DVD product in return for store credit. You would receive up to $50 in store credit for ... Continue reading this article…
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Earlier this month, I announced a giveaway of five USB flash drives containing TaxCut software. As of last night, the giveaway has ended. I’ve selected the five winners using the random integer generator found at random.org. Here are the results:
The random numbers correspond to the comment numbers on the original giveaway announcement. ... Continue reading this article…
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Over the weekend, I received a notification from the IRS about the economic stimulus. The notice isn’t personalized; it contains only general information about the new law. The text of the letter is straightforward. Rather than get into the details, particularly the facts that the law authorizes a new credit to 2008 ... Continue reading this article…
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No Credit Needed is warning readers of the laundry detergent cap. I always use very little laundry detergent, even with full loads. Considering how much water is pumped into the washing machine, a half of a cup of detergent won’t make much of a difference. All it takes is a very little ... Continue reading this article…
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CNN Money is featuring stories of 15 households that are facing dire financial straits thanks to the economic downturn. Even a rebate check this summer won’t go far to help these families. While some better decisions may have helped them prepare for the direct effects of a recession, hindsight is always 20/20. ... Continue reading this article…
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A new study by researchers at Vanderbilt University Law School and University of Oxford reveals a strong correlation between approvals for payday loans and bankruptcy filings. Considering that people who are rejected for payday loans have other (limited) options for credit, it’s surprising that the rate of bankruptcy isn’t as high with this group. ... Continue reading this article…
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RIS News, a retail technology publication, announced some interesting findings recently related to consumer shopping behavior. According to Deborah Weinswig of Citi Investment Research, the recession is creating more bargain hunters and transforming our shopping style in four key ways: 1. “Trading Down” to Private Label There’s a cost benefit to going generic, and store ... Continue reading this article…
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Here are some articles from around the web that I’ve enjoyed lately. Free Money Finance’s co-worker reviewed H&R Block’s Tax Cut software, the same version that I am giving five Consumerism Commentary readers for free. “First impression is that the user interface is nice and easy to move around. Everything progressed in a logical sequence. ... Continue reading this article…
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