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

May 2011

How the Sausage Gets Made

by Luke Landes

No one wants to know how the sausage gets made. I admit that most people would find the last few years of my life somewhat strange. I started on a path to improve my finances about ten years ago. I saw my lack of savings and my increasing debt, and I started trying to determine ... Continue reading this article…

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Avoid These Big Money Wasters

by Luke Landes
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CNN is offering a compilation of the ten biggest money wasters. These items would be obvious to most loyal Consumerism Commentary readers, yet it would not be out of the question to disagree with some of these money-wasters in some circumstances. ATM fees. You shouldn’t be surprised that banks will charge multiple fees for the ... Continue reading this article…

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Win $50 For Gas Fill-Ups Plus $50 For Amazon.com

by Luke Landes

It’s another week in May, so it’s the start of another week of giveaways. This month, Consumerism Commentary has embarked on a project I am calling Giveaway May. Every weekday, I will be giving away at least a $50 gift card, and most days I will have a partner or sponsor to help enhance the ... Continue reading this article…

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Podcast 109: Crazy About Money

by Luke Landes

Today’s guest on the Consumerism Commentary Podcast is Dr. Maggie Baker, PhD, author of Crazy About Money: How Emotions Confuse Our Money Choices and What To Do About It. Dr. Baker has been a practicing psychologist for 30 years, focusing on financial therapy and ADD/ADHD. Consumerism Commentary Podcast #109 Crazy About Money: S05E05 / 133 ... Continue reading this article…

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Citi Credit Card Reviews

by Luke Landes

Citigroup is the third largest bank holding company in the United States, and Citibank is the consumer banking entity owned by this behemoth company. Sometimes, size is an advantage. Citibank’s size allows it to have a massive credit card division, branded as “Citi Cards.” The size helps the bank offer some of the best deals ... Continue reading this article…

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Win a Free Kindle: May 20 Only!

by Luke Landes

It wouldn’t be a weekday in May without another giveaway. This month is Giveaway May at Consumerism Commentary. Each day, I’ll have some to reward readers valued $50 or more. Today’s a good day for the winner; thanks to a partnership with personal finance blog Beating Broke, I am able to offer Amazon.com’s reading device, ... Continue reading this article…

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S&P 500 Return Beats Super-Rich Investors in 2010

by Luke Landes

The year 2010 was an anomaly. Usually, the members of the Institute for Private Investors, a country-club type of investment group that only welcomes you if you have $30 million in investable assets, beats the S&P 500 benchmark in terms of average annual returns. Looking at the latest ten-year average return, that’s what we see. ... Continue reading this article…

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$50 Amazon.com Gift Card Giveaway for May 19

by Luke Landes

Hot on the heels on what has likely been the most successful giveaway we’ve done at Consumerism Commentary, today brings another giveaway. Throughout this month, I’m celebrating Giveaway May; every weekday brings something new to reward readers and visitors. Yesterday, we surpassed 1,000 fans of Consumerism Commentary on Facebook. This is a great milestone! Today’s ... Continue reading this article…

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Are Online Banks Safe?

by Luke Landes

Anyone who is accustomed to being able to walk into the local bank branch, access accounts through a teller, and discuss banking options with an account manager on-site might still have reservations about moving money to an online-only bank. The benefits are big. Usually, online-only banks offer higher interest rates on savings and certificate of ... Continue reading this article…

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Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: 40,000 bonus points

by Luke Landes

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® card offers 40,000 bonus points for new cardholders who manage to spend a total of at least $3,000 during their first three months of membership. This translates into $500 toward travel booked through Ultimate Rewards. Previous promotions for this card had offered a slightly sweeter deal for new cardholders, but Chase ... Continue reading this article…

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Win a Free iPad Today

by Luke Landes

I am excited to have PT Money as a partner for today’s giveaway, because together, Phil Taylor and I are offering an Apple iPad 2 Wi-Fi to the winner. This giveaway is the latest in the Giveaway May series, wherein Consumerism Commentary is offering giveaways every weekday this month. PT Money is a blog whose ... Continue reading this article…

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Car Dealers Pass Loan Acquisition Fees to Buyers Without Disclosure

by Luke Landes
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If you have less-than-stellar credit, you’re at a significant disadvantage when you go to a dealer to purchase a car and seek financing through the dealer. Banks or intermediary loan brokers charge dealers a fee to extend credit to a risky customer. Rather than denying someone credit, the company that finances the loan charges risky ... Continue reading this article…

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Newark Liberty International Airport Has the Highest Fares

by Luke Landes

The same day I purchased airfare from New Jersey to California for what I thought was one of the better rates I’ve found in the past decade or so, I came across statistics showing that New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport sports some of the highest fares in the country for the past two years, ... Continue reading this article…

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Today’s Giveaway: $50 and The Gift of Stock

by Luke Landes

While the forecast is calling for rain all week where I live, the free gifts are raining down at Consumerism Commentary. Giveaway May continues right now with the twelfth freebie of the month. Today, with the help of Glen from Free From Broke, I will be giving away ING Direct and ShareBuilder’s “Gift of Stock.” ... Continue reading this article…

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How to Buy Precious Metals Including Gold and Silver

by Luke Landes
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There are two main reasons to head towards precious metals as a major investment. One reason one might significantly invest in metals is the belief that the value of gold and silver will increase more than other types of investments like stocks and bonds, or that the investment in metals will provide a certain type ... Continue reading this article…

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Are You On the Credit Bureau VIP List?

by Luke Landes

If you’re a celebrity, politician, or otherwise in the public eye, you may be on VIP lists maintained by the credit reporting bureaus, granting you a different level of customer service. According to lawyers who have sworn testimony from employees, this two-tiered system favors the well-connected by granting them access to immediate corrections on erroneous ... Continue reading this article…

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Giveaway: $150 in Amazon Gift Cards

by Luke Landes

Today begins the third week of giveaways as part of Giveaway May at Consumerism Commentary. To start this week, I’ve partnered with Adaptu, an online financial planning service. You can find out more about Adaptu by listening to episode 98 of the Consumerism Commentary Podcast. If selected as today’s winner, you will receive a $100 ... Continue reading this article…

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Podcast 108: Extreme Couponing

by Luke Landes

On today’s Consumerism Commentary Podcast, Donna Freedman returns to the show. Donna Freedman is a columnist for MSN Money and staff writer for Get Rich Slowly. Donna also writes for her own blog, Surviving and Thriving. Today, Bryan, Donna, and Flexo discuss extreme couponing. Consumerism Commentary Podcast #108 Extreme Couponing: S05E04 / 132 Download – ... Continue reading this article…

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ING Direct Kids Savings Account

by Luke Landes

ING Direct unveiled a new savings product designed to help encourage kids to learn the benefits of better financial habits early on. The Kids Savings Account isn’t much different from ING Direct’s standard Orange Savings Account for adults. Even today, Orange Savings Accounts be jointly owned by a minor if the joint owner is over ... Continue reading this article…

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Citi Platinum Select / AAdvantage World MasterCard Review

by Luke Landes

The offer you are interested in has expired. Read our review of the Citi® Platinum Select / AAdvantage Visa Signature Card.

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