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Money Magazine’s Best Banks 2011

by Flexo

In early October, I will announce the winners of the Second Annual Plutus Awards, which will include the best bank, best credit card, best brokerage, and a number of other categories. Later today, the Plutus Awards website will list the finalists. Money Magazine has already completed its survey and announced the publication’s editor’s picks for ... Continue reading this article…

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10 Tips for Avoiding Overdraft Fees

by Flexo

Bank of America is settling the overdraft fee class-action lawsuit that alleges the bank knowingly manipulated customers’ deposits and withdrawals in order to maximize the fees they would receive. Although the banks aren’t completely to blame for the proliferation of overdraft fees, policies were so much of a problem that the government and regulators needed ... Continue reading this article…

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Wells Fargo Testing $3 Monthly Debit Card Fee

by Flexo

Wells Fargo Bank, the primary brick-and-mortar bank I’ve been holding onto for my branch-based banking, ATM deposits, and immediate check-writing, is jumping on the debit card fee bandwagon. Chase was one of the first banks to start playing around with fees and debit card changes. Chase increased its ATM fee to $5, eliminated the short-lived ... Continue reading this article…

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Don’t Take Out a Loan From Your 401(k)

by Flexo

As a very last resort, employees with active 401(k) retirement accounts have an option to take out a loan against their future. Borrowing money is never a good position to be in, but if you’re borrowing money from yourself, you ease the pain. 401(k) plans permit borrowing at interest, and paying interest to yourself can ... Continue reading this article…

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Aurora Bank Review

by Flexo

In my neverending quest to find more options for banking in today’s environment of low-yield high-yield savings and money market accounts, I’ve come across Aurora Bank. I don’t move money around from one account to another to chase high rates, but until I get around to simplifying my banking options, I tend to open accounts ... Continue reading this article…

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According to Wells Fargo, My Name is Business Customer

by Flexo

I chuckled when I received my replacement business debit card in the mail yesterday. Although I never had any problems with my account, and I’ve always received mail from Wells Fargo addressed properly, at some point, someone in the bank decided the name of the owner of my business accounts is “Business Customer.” As Wells ... Continue reading this article…

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Podcast 117: Yaron Samid, BillGuard

by Flexo

Today’s guest on the Consumerism Commentary Podcast is Yaron Samid, founder and CEO of the personal finance security service BillGuard. Yaron talks to Tom Dziubek and discusses how BillGuard works, fraudulent credit and debit card transactions, how BillGuard detects these potentially fraudulent transactions and how it notifies their customers. Consumerism Commentary Podcast #117 Yaron Samid, ... Continue reading this article…

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Rewards Cards Cost Mom and Pop Stores More

by Flexo

I’ve been using rewards credit cards for many years now. I initially used cash back credit cards to turn what was mostly necessary spending or purchases I would have made with cash or a debit card anyway into hundreds of dollars back in my hands — or by bank account — each year. Now I ... Continue reading this article…

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