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...

How Student Loans Affect Your Credit Scores

by Gerri Detweiler

This is an article by Gerri Detweiler. For the past twenty years, Gerri has been an advocate helping consumers find reliable answers to their credit questions. Just as student loans can be “good debt” or “bad debt” depending on how they are used, they can be good or bad for your credit scores, depending on ... Continue reading this article…

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Podcast 142: New Year’s Resolutions

by Flexo

Today on the Consumerism Commentary Podcast, Tom Dziubek talks to Consumerism Commentary founder Flexo about New Year’s resolutions. Flexo discusses several tips to addressing New Year’s resolutions including performing an honest self-assessment, setting goals that are meaningful to you and breaking them down into more manageable chunks. Consumerism Commentary Podcast New Year’s Resolutions: S06E12 / ... Continue reading this article…

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Discover More Card No Balance Transfer Fee Offer, 0% APR

by Flexo

In my review of the best credit cards for 2012, I lamented the fact that for the most part, no credit cards waive balance transfer fees in their introductory offers. In years gone by, some cards offered no-fee 0 percent APR introductory offers on balance transfers, and offers like these can, if used properly, go a ... Continue reading this article…

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How to Love Cooking

by Forest

This is a guest post by Forest from Frugal Zeitgeist. Forest writes about frugality, finance, minimalism and lifestyle. In this article, Forest shares his experiences in the kitchen. Cooking great meals is a great way to save money and stay healthy, but it’s a skill that I haven’t developed for myself. Passion can boost motivation, ... Continue reading this article…

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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Director, Richard Cordray

by Flexo

As many Presidents of the United States have done, President Obama avoided confrontation with Congress by appointing an individual to direct a government organization while lawmakers were on recess. Yesterday, the President appointed former Ohio attorney general Richard Cordray to the long-delayed position of director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Now that this ... Continue reading this article…

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Year-End Personal Balance Sheet, December 2011

by Flexo

I’ve spent the last decade of my life focused on my finances. I started because I had no money and a job that was taking more from me than it was providing in income. I knew I had to make some changes if I wanted to build any kind of future for myself. Soon into ... Continue reading this article…

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12 Alternative Financial Resolutions for 2012

by Flexo

New Year’s resolutions have become so cliché that the process of making them has become a joke. People settle for mundane goals for the year like “losing weight,” “quitting smoking,” and “getting out of debt.” These are great goals, of course, but most who think about these only when the calendar changes soon forget their ... Continue reading this article…

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Five Conversations Before Moving In Together

by Aloysa

This is a guest article by Aloysa, a creator of My Broken Coin. In this article, Aloysa offers five conversation starters for couples considering moving in together. Based on my own personal experience I can tell you that expectations of your significant other change as soon as you move in together. All of a sudden, ... Continue reading this article…

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A Different Environment for 2012 Goals and Resolutions

by Flexo

I’ve exchanged some of the stress and risk in my life for a more comfortable situation. At the end of October, as some readers have been aware, I relinquished my ownership of Consumerism Commentary. There was an announcement in the Wall Street Journal that I’ll link to below for those who are curious about some ... Continue reading this article…

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You Are In Control

by Flexo

Many people begin a new year with goals, resolutions and targets that define what they’d like to change within the next 365 days (or 366 days in a leap year). While most people fail to achieve these goals and resolutions, just the process of making resolutions and the self-reflection required can be helpful towards improving ... Continue reading this article…

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