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Anne and Matt, April 2013 Net Worth

by Luke Landes
Anne and Matt Net Worth, April 2013

In the series Naked With Cash, seven Consumerism Commentary readers share their financial progress on a monthly basis. They are joined by Certified Financial Planners who provide feedback on their journey. Read this introduction to learn more about the series. Anne and Matt are twenty-seven years old, living in the Midwest, with two children. Read ... Continue reading this article…

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Credit Card Basics: Everything You Should Know

by Luke Landes
Inappropriate use of a credit card

The credit card is one of the most divisive products among all the financial tools available. Ask around and you’re sure to find people who pay all their expenses using credit cards as well as others who swear the products are the embodiment of pure evil. Opinions among financial experts and thought leaders are just ... Continue reading this article…

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Elimination of the Payroll Tax Cut Reduced Consumer Spending

by Luke Landes
Consumers Planned Response to Tax Hike

In 2010, Congress passed the Tax Hike Prevention Act, which among other things reduced the payroll tax from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent starting in 2011. For two years, workers saw higher take-home income than they would have had the law never existed, and consumers responded favorably by using the extra money throughout the two years to ... Continue reading this article…

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Banks Borrow Money at Low Rates, Why Can’t Students?

by Luke Landes
Studying

Senator Elizabeth Warren, the architect of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, introduced a bill in Congress to give student borrowers a break. The premise is that students, whose education is important to the economic growth of the United States, should receive some of the same advantages as banks, who receive preferential treatment in the form ... Continue reading this article…

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The Great Gatsby Backlash

by Luke Landes
Art Deco

I’m looking forward to seeing Baz Luhrmann’s new film treatment of The Great Gatsby. The book, of course, is a seminal piece of American literature, and the new movie is yet another in a long line of interpretations. I like the director’s previous works, and I expect I’ll enjoy the new film. I read The ... Continue reading this article…

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Higher Home Ownership Linked to Higher Unemployment

by Luke Landes
Home ownership

American culture has long promoted the idea that home ownership is key to the fulfilling middle-class lifestyle. You can be sure the National Association of Realtors will continue to do its darnedest to keep this interpretation of the American Dream alive; whether you’re buying or selling, it’s always a good time for Realtors to earn ... Continue reading this article…

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Mint.com Tracks Two Million Users to Create Spending Index

by Luke Landes
National Average Monthly Spending

When staff writer Sasha introduced Consumerism Commentary readers to Mint.com in 2007, I began to think about the power of massive consumer financial data. As more people signed up for this online service that connects directly to users’ credit card accounts and bank accounts, Mint.com, or any other similar services, would be able to analyze ... Continue reading this article…

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8 Scientifically Proven Principles of Happiness

by Luke Landes
Happiness - 8 scientifically proven principles

There is a link between wealth and happiness, but it’s not that having more of the former results in more of the latter. The Journal of Consumer Research published a study involving a scientific analysis of the link between money and happiness designed and analyzed by researchers at the University of British Columbia, Harvard University, ... Continue reading this article…

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