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

Consumer

Cash vs. Credit Card: Gas Stations Charging Different Prices

by Luke Landes

I noticed something disturbing last night. I pulled into my favorite low-cost gas station, which happens to be Valero. It’s my favorite simply because it’s the least expensive in the area and it’s right on my route home from work. Apparently they have begun charging 6 to 8 cents more per gallon for payments with ... Continue reading this article…

267 comments Read the full article →

Really Inexpensive DSL Service From AT&T

by Luke Landes

I’m willing to bet that if you’re reading this website, you are connected to the Internet at a speed faster than a dial-up connection. Perhaps you’re reading from work on a T-3 or you’re reading from home on a cable or DSL connection. Perhaps you’re at school and you’re sharing your college’s OC-12. If that’s ... Continue reading this article…

0 comments Read the full article →

Teens Want to Be Like Me and Drive Honda Civics

by Luke Landes

A good friend of mine recently replaced her older car with a 2002 Honda Civic. Out of the seven of my friends I was spending time with the other night, three of us have Civics. We’re not alone. CNN Money reports that Honda Civics are the top cars for teenagers. Thinking back to my teenage ... Continue reading this article…

8 comments Read the full article →

500 GB Maxtor Hard Drive for $99, But My Experiences are Not So Good

by Luke Landes

I saw what I thought was a great price for a hard drive: a 500 GB disk, 7,200 RPM and a 3 year warranty for $99 at Fry’s. Then I realized I was looking at a Maxtor brand drive. In the last several years, I’ve found Maxtor drives to always be available for less money ... Continue reading this article…

9 comments Read the full article →

Businesses I’d Promote for Free (Hint: They’re All Local)

by Luke Landes

Free Money Finance mentioned there are a few companies he loves and would be willing to promote with no compensation. He asked others to do the same, so I tried to come up with a few that have gone above and beyond for me in terms of customer service. Jay’s Cycles. I purchased a bicycle ... Continue reading this article…

0 comments Read the full article →

Bank of America Will Offer No-Fee Mortgages

by Luke Landes

According to USA Today, Bank of America will soon begin offering no-fee mortgages. That means they won’t charge for applications, appraisals, loan originations, title insurance, flood certifications, and even private mortgage insurance. I was thinking about this last night, and it occurred to me that this is simply the next step in a pyramid scheme. ... Continue reading this article…

12 comments Read the full article →

7 Things Auto Body Shops Won’t Tell You

by Luke Landes

Thanks to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance via MSN Money, here are 7 things your auto-body shop won’t tell you. In fact, I could have used this article a few month ago when my car was in for repairs after an accident. 1. That fender bender will be a major expense. If the accident is your fault ... Continue reading this article…

11 comments Read the full article →

4 (Plus 1) Great Credit Cards Offering 0% on Purchases

by Luke Landes

For people who are responsible with managing money, sometimes it makes sense to pay for large purchases with a 0 percent APR loan or credit card. The reasoning is fairly simple. If you have a card that is offering an introductory rate of 0 percent on purchases, and if inflation for the year is running 3 percent to ... Continue reading this article…

0 comments Read the full article →

I Buy Generic Brands and Store Brands Sometimes

by Luke Landes

When I was in college, some of my poorer friends (that is, unsubsidized by the government or their parents) would get their products as cheaply as possible. I have distinct memories of afternoons with certain friends and the beverage of choice for lunch being “No Frills Cola.” These days, I don’t go so far, but ... Continue reading this article…

25 comments Read the full article →

I Got a Nintendo Wii

by Luke Landes

On Sunday, I purchased a Nintendo Wii. It wasn’t for me. My girlfriend, celebrating her thirtieth birthday, wanted the game system as a gift. Not knowing much about the current state of demand and supply for the game consoles and assuming any frenzy ended with the past holiday season, we went shopping on Saturday. Our ... Continue reading this article…

34 comments Read the full article →

Redesigned 401(k) Statement Includes List of Fees

by Luke Landes

A few days ago, I received a redesigned quarterly statement for my 401(k) account. It contains the usual sections, including a summary, transaction detail, a pie graph of my asset allocation. It clearly stated my account performance, not including deposits as performance, for the first quarter: 3.41 percent. The statement also includes for the first time ... Continue reading this article…

16 comments Read the full article →

A “Thank You” to Microsoft?

by Luke Landes

Thanks to a vicious nor’easter, I was flooded in today and found myself working from home for the first time since taking this new position about a year ago. Our remote desktop access technology requires that Internet Explorer be the employee’s default internet browser on their home computer. Obviously, this was not going to fly ... Continue reading this article…

5 comments Read the full article →

11 Best Deals for Spring Shopping

by Luke Landes

Spring is obviously not the best time to shop for shorts, swimwear, and sandals. Retailers know that they can sell these items for much more than they could other times of the year. Other items can be found at great prices, according to Smart Money Magazine. These products aren’t for everyone, and some seem to ... Continue reading this article…

1 comment Read the full article →

Three Books for Perfect Negotiation Skills

by Luke Landes

If you’re looking to hone your negotiation skills, whether in business life or family life, you may want to considering starting with these three new books, recommended by the New York Times. The Power of a Positive No: How to Say No and Still Get to Yes, by William L. Ury. “Mr. Ury believes that ... Continue reading this article…

0 comments Read the full article →

Guest Post: Quality Clothes for Less than a Buck

by Luke Landes

Sharon Harvey Rosenberg is a columnist for the Miami Herald. She writes about about saving money and the art of being frugal in her column as well as on her blog, The Frugal Duchess. In this guest post, Sharon writes about making the best choices in clothing through the concept of cost-per-wear. It’s a cute ... Continue reading this article…

8 comments Read the full article →

Read the New York Times Online for Free

by Luke Landes

If you are a student, the New York Times will now allow you to have access to their premium content (TimesSelect) for free. Technically, you don’t have to be a student. All that is required is an email address with the “edu” top level domain. Some universities offer “edu” email addresses to their alumni as ... Continue reading this article…

4 comments Read the full article →

Shopping at Kohl’s and Being Granted Discounts

by Luke Landes

I’ve found Kohl’s to be a good store when it comes to shopping for clothing. They have sales pretty often, and it’s very easy to find bargains. The clothing seems to be of a decent quality, nothing special, and the items I’ve bought have held up well over the past few years. A coworker had ... Continue reading this article…

6 comments Read the full article →

Best Cars of 2007: Consumer Reports vs. Car and Driver

by Luke Landes

Consumer Reports released its top picks for 2007, which lists the organization’s favorite cars in several categories. Here is their methodology: Our Top Picks are recommended vehicles that have met our stringent requirements in three key areas: Testing. Of the more than 250 vehicles we’ve recently tested, each Top Pick has scored at or near ... Continue reading this article…

8 comments Read the full article →

Soylent Synvisc: It’s Birds!

by Luke Landes

Television commercials for pharmaceutical products — drugs — fascinate me. Usually they do little to explain what the drug really does, but they certainly make it sound as if everyone should be taking it on a regular basis. All narrators are sure to say, “Ask your doctor if you should take [insert market-tested brand name].” ... Continue reading this article…

44 comments Read the full article →

One Way to Get Rid of Telemarketers

by Luke Landes

Without a landline phone, I don’t receive many calls from telemarketers. André-Tascha Lammé from Sacramento was having a problem with mortgage lenders, and decided to take care of the problem through the courts. So far, Lammé has won $6,000 in judgments against telemarketers in three cases. He’s not a lawyer, but by filing in small ... Continue reading this article…

7 comments Read the full article →
Page 17 of 24« First···1516171819···Last »