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

November 2009

2010 Roth Conversion: Good Idea?

by J.J.

Over the next couple of weeks, six finalists will be auditioning for the opening of “staff writer” at Consumerism Commentary. Each will be providing two guest articles to share with readers. After the six writers have shared their guest articles, readers will have an opportunity to provide feedback before we select the staff writer. This ... Continue reading this article…

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Federal Reserve Wants Your Opinion About Gift Card Fees

by Luke Landes

The Credit CARD Act of 2009 instructed the Federal Reserve to enact new regulations for gift cards. I have a love/hate relationship with gift cards; they’re convenient gifts to give when you know the recipient is a fan of a certain store. Unfortunately, the past few years have seen restrictions added to gift cards which ... Continue reading this article…

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Two Down, $2,000 to Go

by Smithee

When I was a new college graduate in 1997, I got my father to co-sign on a credit account so I could buy a computer. It was a shining white beautiful Gateway 2000, it probably cost around $2,000 (you kids and your $300 computer deals!), and it came with an interest rate of 26.9 percent. Around ... Continue reading this article…

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The Economy Triggers a Rebirth of the Entrepreneurial Spirit

by Debbie

Over the next couple of weeks, six finalists will be auditioning for the opening of “staff writer” at Consumerism Commentary. Each will be providing two guest articles to share with readers. After the six writers have shared their guest articles, readers will have an opportunity to provide feedback before we select the staff writer. This ... Continue reading this article…

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The Madoff Name Premium

by Luke Landes

On Saturday, an auction in New York featured items once owned by Bernard Madoff. The auction raised over $900,000, beating expectations. Once combined with proceeds from another auction later this week, it’s likely that this money will go to investors who were burned by Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. Here are some of the items that received ... Continue reading this article…

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Podcast 30: Nick Corcodilos, Ask the Headhunter

by Luke Landes

The guest on today’s Consumerism Commentary Podcast is Nick Corcodilos, author of Ask the Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job and How to Work With Heahunters. Nick is the founder of the website Ask the Headhunter where he offers advice about job hunting. Today, Tom Dziubek and Nick Corcodilos discuss the job of ... Continue reading this article…

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How to Spend Smarter This Holiday Season

by Kelly Whalen

Over the next couple of weeks, six finalists will be auditioning for the opening of “staff writer” at Consumerism Commentary. Each will be providing two guest articles to share with readers. After the six writers have shared their guest articles, readers will have an opportunity to provide feedback before we select the staff writer. This ... Continue reading this article…

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Ally Bank Increases Interest Rate to 1.64% APY

by Luke Landes

While most banks are still lowering their interest rates, Ally Bank increased its rate today, November 13, 2009, to 1.64 percent APY. Although the rate is up, it is only 0.09 percentage points higher than the rate of 1.55 percent last month, the lowest rate from Ally Bank or GMAC Bank since I started watching interest rates ... Continue reading this article…

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Federal Reserve Issues New Rules for Overdraft Fees

by Luke Landes

With Congress threatening to create new consumer protection agencies to protect the public from customer-unfriendly banking practices, the Federal Reserve stepped in today to prove it is still relevant and involved with banking regulation. The Fed announced that as of July 1, 2010 for new bank accounts or August 15, 2010 for existing accounts, banks ... Continue reading this article…

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Lifestyle Creep and the Self-Employed

by V.C. McGuire

Over the next couple of weeks, six finalists will be auditioning for the opening of “staff writer” at Consumerism Commentary. Each will be providing two guest articles to share with readers. After the six writers have shared their guest articles, readers will have an opportunity to provide feedback before we select the staff writer. This ... Continue reading this article…

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4 Reasons Why You Should Read Your Bill Every Month

by Ray

Over the next couple of weeks, six finalists will be auditioning for the opening of “staff writer” at Consumerism Commentary. Each will be providing two guest articles to share with readers. After the six writers have shared their guest articles, readers will have an opportunity to provide feedback before we select the staff writer. This ... Continue reading this article…

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Reader Question: Can You Write “See ID” Rather Than Signing Your Credit Card?

by Luke Landes

I can’t remember the last time I’ve signed the back of a credit card, and I use my credit cards (one for personal travel and big expenses, one for all other personal expenses, and one for business expenses) almost every day. It has never caused me any problems with cashiers; at the most, I might ... Continue reading this article…

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The Trouble With Target Date Funds

by J.J.

Over the next couple of weeks, six finalists will be auditioning for the opening of “staff writer” at Consumerism Commentary. Each will be providing two guest articles to share with readers. After the six writers have shared their guest articles, readers will have an opportunity to provide feedback before we select the staff writer. This ... Continue reading this article…

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“What Works For You” Can Be a Trap

by Luke Landes

One of my favorite bloggers, and likely one of yours, is J.D. Roth. He has been writing about personal finance at Get Rich Slowly for some time now, and I was a fan of his writing at foldedspace when “blog” was still a new word. He is working on a book now, which I can’t ... Continue reading this article…

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House Approves Expediting Credit CARD Act

by Smithee

We reported just a few days ago on the passage of a measure in the House of Representatives to expedite the Credit Card reforms passed earlier this year. Unfortunately, I left out some of the story, as I’m still figuring out the intricacies of how laws are made, and there were some amendments made to ... Continue reading this article…

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Couponing Makes Cents

by FruGal

Over the next couple of weeks, six finalists will be auditioning for the opening of “staff writer” at Consumerism Commentary. Each will be providing two guest articles to share with readers. After the six writers have shared their guest articles, readers will have an opportunity to provide feedback before we select the staff writer. This ... Continue reading this article…

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How to Avoid Excessive Airline Fees While Traveling

by Luke Landes

My recent experiences traveling across country gave me more appreciation, or disapproval, of the lengths airlines are now gong to empty the wallets of travelers. The flight industry once positioned itself as luxury travel, with a variety of free amenities, but the industry takes the opposite approach now. Yes, it is true that airlines compete ... Continue reading this article…

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The True Cost of a Motorola Droid

by Luke Landes

I have been looking forward to replacing my Blackberry 8830 World Edition for several months now. The phone, even with ample extended memory, is sluggish and does not have the same capabilities other modern phones have. With the release of the Motorola Droid, I decided this was a good opportunity to upgrade. On my way ... Continue reading this article…

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New Staff Writer, Quicken 2010 Winners, and Best of October

by Luke Landes

Several weeks ago, I mentioned I would be seeking a staff writer to add to the Consumerism Commentary team, to add one additional article each week. After a good number of applications, I narrowed the field to six finalists. Over the next two weeks, each of these finalists will be presenting two guest articles for ... Continue reading this article…

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Podcast 29: Sharon Harvey Rosenberg, The Frugal Duchess

by Luke Landes

Sharon Harvey Rosenberg, author of The Frugal Duchess: How to Live Well and Save Money, is today’s guest on the Consumerism Commentary Podcast. Sharon, known to the world as “The Frugal Duchess,” joins Tom Dziubek and myself to talk about her experiences and to offer tips for other duchesses. Production Number: S02E03 Segment Number: 39 ... Continue reading this article…

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