Consumerism Commentary

Can Tipping Change a Waiter’s Behavior?

A friend of mine once lamented publicly: "When did the standard restaurant tip change from 15 percent to 20?" Sure, I remember paying typically 15 percent for a… Read more...

Working From Home: A Benefit or a Distraction?

Marissa Mayer, the CEO of Yahoo, is looking to improve her company's performance. In a memo from the company's human resources department to all employees, Mayer… Read more...

The Wrong Reason To Become An Entrepreneur

I don't have the statistics pertaining to this, but I have a strong impression that many people dream about starting their own business, and many who do have this… Read more...

Credit Card Checkout Fees Are Here

I'm currently in California, visiting my mother, who as I mentioned in a previous article is in the hospital. While articles this week will likely be slow on Consumerism… Read more...

A New #Cut4Bieber: Justin Bieber’s Prepaid Debit Card

There's apparently a celebrity of some sort called Justin Bieber. I don't know much about him, but I might have heard a song of his one time. He might have been… Read more...

Plan for the Payroll Tax Cut Expiring in 2013

Missing from discussions about the so-called fiscal cliff is the option to continue the payroll tax cut. To boost the economy, President Obama and Congress introduced… Read more...

Archives and Categories

by Luke Landes

In addition to offering a new archives index for Consumerism Commentary, I’ve created a category cloud. The category cloud lists all categories in a text size relative to the number of associated posts. I’ve also begun recategorizing some of the older posts to fit nicely in the scheme I’ve been using lately. That project will ... Continue reading this article…

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Most and Least Affordable Cities

by Luke Landes

A new survey from Salary.com determines which cities provide its residents with the most and least value for your salary. To spoil the fun, here are the results. The five most affordable cities are New London, Connecticut; Huntsville, Alabama; Baltimore, Maryland; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is an interesting collection. Out of these five, ... Continue reading this article…

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This Month’s Bottom Line

by Luke Landes

Here are some of the things affecting my personal bottom line this month: * Income: I worked a smaller-than-average amount of overtime this month, so there won’t be much to talk about. The equivalent of my overtime pay before taxes is transferred to my Emigrant Direct savings account. * More income: I did some freelance ... Continue reading this article…

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Where Is That Raise?

by Luke Landes

In case you have forgotten or thought the situation has improved, pay is not keeping up with the cost of living. According to the article from Investor’s Business Daily, The working poor and middle class are getting hit the hardest. Higher gas and food prices buffet hourly wage earners the most. Skilled white-collar workers are ... Continue reading this article…

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Most Prolific Commentators

by Luke Landes

This post displays the ten most prolific commentators on Consumerism Commentary. It is updated automatically and always contains the latest data. Note: If you are reading Consumerism Commentary via syndication, you won’t be able to see the information. Visit the site to see who is on top.

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Wall Street Journal Offers Some Free Content

by Luke Landes

Many years ago, as a reader of The Motley Fool, I came across a community of people who repeatedly jump from one 0 percent APR credit card offer to another 0 percent offer. It sounds like a good way to maintain a credit card balance without paying interest, if you don’t slip up and miss a payment. ... Continue reading this article…

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Mapping Gas Station Locations and Prices

by Luke Landes

Cheap Gas is a marriage between Google Maps and Gasbuddy, the database of gas prices by city. If you select a city from the list available on Cheap Gas, you will be provided with a map with the station locations highlighted. The city choices should be sufficient for most people, but many stations aren’t listed. ... Continue reading this article…

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Introduction to Hedge Funds

by Luke Landes

Hedge funds have received a bit of negative press lately. Here are just some examples from MSN Money (“Billions of dollars in hedge-fund money disappeared into thin air amid the GM mess”), Marketwatch (“Treasurys rise on hedge fund woes”), and The Herald (“Complex hedge funds criticised”). I’ve heard the term over the past several years, ... Continue reading this article…

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Presidential Bank Offers 3.5% APY

by Luke Landes

I have updated the savings and checking interest rates table to include Presidental Bank‘s savings account offering 3.50 percent APY. Is a rate competition between internet banks heating up? Relatedly, Marketwatch published an article about the tiered interest rate system that some of these banks use, favoring customers with more money. The tiers that I’ve seen ... Continue reading this article…

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Bring In Da Noise, Bring In Da Lunch

by Luke Landes

For as long as I’ve been working here — nay, as long as I’ve been working — I’ve taken the easy, lazy way out by buying my lunch every day. Usually it’s from the cafeteria, but a filling and sometimes creative company lunch, even though subsidized, still costs more than six dollars. Eating at the ... Continue reading this article…

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