Consumerism Commentary

Your Ego and Your Wallet

This is an article by Marc Pearlman. Marc is a money management professional who has been in the finance industry over 20 years, and he is the author of The Positive… Read more...

The Role of Money in Choosing a Relationship

Do people have any kind of control over whom they fall in love with? Perhaps Cupid's arrow strikes randomly, and there is no choice but to obey the heart -- or chemicals… Read more...

How to Solve the Financial Literacy Problem

Opinions are generally clear about why such a large percentage of the American population winds up in financial jeopardy. There's no formalized way to learn how… Read more...

Home Mortgage Interest Deduction

Although the home mortgage interest deduction is one of the most oft-cited benefits of owning a home, most taxpayers don't take advantage of it because it requires… Read more...

Suze Orman’s New Prepaid Debit Card: The Approved Card

As Ron Lieber reported in the New York Times, personal finance guru Suze Orman is launching her own debit card brand, the Approved Card, following in the footsteps… Read more...

Binding Arbitration: Wells Fargo Taking Away Customers’ Rights

If you enter into an agreement with a company, and that company does something to wrong you, most of the time you can avail yourself of the American judicial system… Read more...

Top Ten Personal Finance Start-Ups

by Flexo

The financial industry has been mostly static for centuries, with companies doing business and offering services not much different from how the companies operated for earlier generations of consumers. When there is innovation in the industry, it generally comes from smaller companies and entrepreneurs looking to fill a need that isn’t covered by larger, less ... Continue reading this article…

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TurboTax 2012 Online Review

by Flexo

This is a relatively long review of TurboTax 2012 Online, software for completing tax forms and submitting them to both the federal and state authorities. I’ve updated the review to reflect the changes to the software in 2012 (for filing 2011 tax returns). Recently, the IRS began accepting federal tax returned filed electronically. Even before ... Continue reading this article…

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Local Currencies to Replace the Dollar in Communities

by Flexo

It may be illegal for states to print money for commerce, but local communities have no such restriction from the federal government. And in some communities, local currencies have been successful, at least in gaining the support of some retailers and consumers. There’s no law of nature that says that an economy functions best when ... Continue reading this article…

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Cash Back Rewards Stolen

by Flexo

Using cash back credit cards is rewarding in two specific ways. First, you’re earning money when you spend. That’s the obvious part. But when you know that you’re getting a rebate when you use your credit card, you also feel better about spending than you would otherwise. Feeling good can be dangerous, as you might ... Continue reading this article…

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Podcast 145: Protecting Individual Finances in a Marriage

by Flexo

Today on the Consumerism Commentary Podcast, Tom Dziubek talks to Jenny Kerr, founder of The Jenny Pincher. Jenny talks with Tom about how married women can better prepare themselves financially for a divorce. Some of the items she discusses are keeping individual checking accounts, knowing where the money is and being prepared to start a ... Continue reading this article…

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The Role of Money in Choosing a Relationship

by Flexo

Do people have any kind of control over whom they fall in love with? Perhaps Cupid’s arrow strikes randomly, and there is no choice but to obey the heart — or chemicals in the brain — or sexual urges. But once that initial response has subsided, if you and your partner are headed for a ... Continue reading this article…

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Improve Your Child’s Cognitive Ability for Income Potential

by Flexo

There’s a chance you could become a multi-millionaire after repeatedly slamming your head into other people and suffering through the resulting mini-concussions and minor brain damage, but not everyone can be a professional football player in the NFL. There’s a safer and less harmful path toward financial independence. Cognitive ability is an important part of ... Continue reading this article…

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The Best Cash Back Credit Cards, February 2012

by Flexo

Cash back credit cards can help consumers practice responsible spending while earning a little extra for their efforts when used properly. It wasn’t long ago that the best cash back credit cards were offering rewards as high as 5 percent for all purchases, but that is unfortunately no longer the case. Today’s cash back credit cards ... Continue reading this article…

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She Spends Less Than She Earns: Zooey Deschanel

by Flexo

It’s not often that a young, female star of music, movie, and television can avoid financial scrutiny. Tales of financial woe tend to be much juicier, anyway. It’s not difficult to remember the Britney Spears train wreck. She couldn’t handle earning more than $700,000 a month. At least her antics kept her in the news. ... Continue reading this article…

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Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Wants Payday Loan Feedback

by Flexo

While the mainstream financial industry has faced a dizzying array of government and quasi-government regulations through most of the last one hundred years, non-bank financial products have, for the most part, evaded regulations. Catering to lower-income communities, payday loan storefronts and check cashing establishments have managed to justify their business models. The more desperate you ... Continue reading this article…

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