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

February 2011

Life After Salary: Changes in My Expenses

by Luke Landes

In December 2010, I quit my day job. Leaving behind a salary and benefits was a tough decision to make, and I wasn’t under the illusion that I’d be able to make up for the lost income solely by saving money. Predicting my future expenses wasn’t difficult. Some expenses would automatically decrease, like travel expenses, ... Continue reading this article…

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Podcast 95: Behind the Scenes at a Bank

by Luke Landes

Today’s guest on the Consumerism Commentary Podcast is Tom Dziubek, frequent host of this podcast and a recent customer service representative at one of the U.S.’s ten largest savings banks. Tom, Flexo and Bryan discuss what it was like behind the scenes, dealing with customers and working in a call center. Consumerism Commentary Podcast #95 ... Continue reading this article…

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SimplyCash® Business Card from American Express OPEN Review

by Luke Landes

Business owners know that when the work of building a new enterprise is just beginning, it’s not easy. If your great idea takes significant financing and you need help gathering funds, few people are willing to come forward and help you finance your dream. Many great ideas don’t cost a lot of money to get ... Continue reading this article…

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Comparing Airfare is Frustrating: What Would Make You Loyal?

by Luke Landes

Retails airlines are battling their customers. People shopping for flights generally want one thing: the lowest price on airfare. The airline industry doesn’t want that to be the case. They’re making this shopping process more difficult for their customers. For example, some airlines do not make their prices available through websites that aggregate fares, like ... Continue reading this article…

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Life After Salary: Rolling Over My Pension

by Luke Landes

In a country where large employers are offering fewer defined benefit plans, like pensions, and more defined contribution plans, like 401(k)s, it’s surprising I have a pension. A little more than a month after quitting my day job, I received a notification from my former employer that I was eligible to begin receiving payments from ... Continue reading this article…

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Citi® Dividend Platinum Select® MasterCard® Review

by Luke Landes

The offer you are interested in has expired. Read our Citi Card reviews.

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Sensuous Value is the Worst Kind

by The Weakonomist

This is an article by The Weakonomist, an anonymous blogger responsible for everything at Weakonomics.com. As a banking insider he’s witnessed the economic implosion from inside the bubble. You can usually find him at the corner of Wall Street and Main Street throwing rocks at traffic. If I presented a monkey with two choices: a ... Continue reading this article…

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Change of Plans

by Smithee

This post is by staff writer Smithee, who may just be the financial opposite of Flexo. You’re going to think I’m crazy. At the very least, you’re going to think I haven’t learned how to live a financially responsible life. I’ve written here many times about my struggles with just making ends meet, and for ... Continue reading this article…

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Are Groupon’s Super Bowl Ads Offensive?

by Luke Landes

Update: Groupon has pulled the controversial ad campaign described here. I’m a big fan of Christopher Guest. He has wrote and directed several great films, popularizing the “mockumentary” genre. This is Spinal Tap is one of his highly-acclaimed films. He has also directed many commercials, some of which feature his regular troupe of actors, those ... Continue reading this article…

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Blogger Dinner in New York, Nannies, and Museums

by Luke Landes

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of getting together with some of my colleagues in the world of personal finance blogs. Six of us, representing My Journey to Millions, Free From Broke, Investor Junkie, and Money Crashers, met for dinner in New York City. My trip to the city allowed me to get in ... Continue reading this article…

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Financial Motivation to Get in Shape

by Luke Landes

I started the year out right. I didn’t join a gym for my exercise, but I signed up for a “class” using RunKeeper, a mobile application that tracks my progress as I run, walk, or get any physical exercise, and posts my results publicly. It ties into my philosophy well, using the same tricks I ... Continue reading this article…

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Podcast 94: The Ten Commandments of Money, Liz Weston

by Luke Landes

Today’s guest on the Consumerism Commentary Podcast is Liz Weston, author of The 10 Commandments of Money: Survive and Thrive in the New Economy, and the most-read personal finance columnist on the Internet. Liz, Flexo and Bryan discuss each of the ten commandments in the book. The 10 Commandments of Money is available in the ... Continue reading this article…

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Opening an Individual 401(k) at Vanguard

by Luke Landes

Now that I’m not working for an employer other than myself, I no longer have the benefit of investing part of my salary in a company-managed 401(k), and I also no longer have the benefit of the employer-matched contribution. I’ll miss the 100 percent return on the first 4 percent of my pay. Before leaving my day ... Continue reading this article…

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The Best Airline Miles Credit Cards, May 2013

by Luke Landes

As airlines continue to add a variety of fees to compensate for keeping fare prices low to complete with each other, the overall cost to fly is increasing. Adding to the base cost of a flight are fees like fuel surcharges, checked baggage fees, and in-flight fees for food, drinks, headphones and pillows. Some airlines ... Continue reading this article…

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Best Buy’s Buy Back Program

by Luke Landes
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The consumer retailer Best Buy has found a way to lock customers into tighter relationships. The company’s rewards program may no longer the attraction it once was, so the company is introducing a benefit that will encourage shoppers to come back to the store. It also encourages the product upgrade philosophy, something that cell phone ... Continue reading this article…

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25 Top-Paying Companies

by Luke Landes

It’s clear that if you can work for a company that provides a valuable service to major corporations, you have the ability to earn millions of dollars of income for that company. That’s the only reason I can determine that a Senior Account Executive at SalesForce.com would earn an average annual total compensation of $318,233, ... Continue reading this article…

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When Can You Lie About Money to Your Spouse?

by Luke Landes
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The National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) has concluded through conducting an online poll that 31 percent of people who combine finances with their spouse or partner have been deceptive about money with the individuals who trust them. Some lies are more hurtful than other lies, so the study looks at the type of financial ... Continue reading this article…

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Citi® Platinum Select® MasterCard Review

by Luke Landes

The offer you are interested in has expired. Read our review of other Citi cards.

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Personal Balance Sheet, January 2011 ($578,043, +7.0%)

by Luke Landes

January 2011, the first full month of life without a salary, was my first opportunity to take a look at what I can do while working for only myself. The last two weeks of December were officially post-employment, but with the holidays, my routine wasn’t normal until after the new year. I’ve discovered a few ... Continue reading this article…

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Advertise on Consumerism Commentary

by Luke Landes

By advertising on Consumerism Commentary, you will reach hundreds of thousands of unique visitors each month. Visitors are actively interested in financial products and services. Consumerism Commentary has been mentioned in and linked by the media including The Wall Street Journal and Yahoo Finance. Some options for advertisers include: Banner advertising Podcast advertising Sponsorship of ... Continue reading this article…

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