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Obama’s Proposed Investment in American Infrastructure

by Flexo

President Obama proposed yesterday spending more than $50 billion over the next six years to modernize the transportation infrastructure in the United States. He is calling for renovations to or creation of 150,000 miles of roads, 4,000 miles of rail, and 150 miles of airport runways. The $50 billion would be an up-front cost, paid ... Continue reading this article…

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How to Pay More Than You Should: Stop Paying Attention

by Flexo

In March, I wrote about reducing the amount of automation in handling personal finances. Leaving your payments on auto-pilot is asking for trouble. Leaving your brain out of the decision-making process is a sure way to rack up overdraft fees when you don’t have enough funding to pay an automatic bill. Also in March, I ... Continue reading this article…

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GMAC Changes Name to Ally Financial

by Flexo

A year ago, GMAC Bank, or its brand, ceased to exist. In order to distance itself from its parents, General Motors and GMAC Financial Services, the bank changed its name to Ally Bank. With government funding, Ally Bank went on to become a competitive online bank, offering interest rates high enough to draw the ire ... Continue reading this article…

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Customer Service: Politeness vs. Demands

by Smithee

The prevailing wisdom when dealing with customer service representatives is to just keep repeating, “Let me speak to your supervisor,” until you eventually get what you want. Every time I read this, though, I get defensive and annoyed. I can’t forget that year I spent answering the phones for Bank of America, and the myriad ... Continue reading this article…

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Weekend Reading: Education Budgets, Organization, and Happiness

by Flexo

This weekend, I attended Communiversity 2010 in Princeton, New Jersey, an annual arts festival in town and on campus organized by the Arts Council of Princeton. The highlights included several collegiate a cappella performances and a Beatles tribute band. Look for a photograph of the Deaftones of Westminster Choir College, one of the a cappella ... Continue reading this article…

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Zecco Discount Online Brokerage Account Opening Review

by Flexo

Zecco is a discount online brokerage offering trades for $4.50. I decided to open an account with Zecco recently to try my hand with stocks with a small amount of “fun money.” Trading stocks, not to mention options, is a risky way to manage your money, and I prefer to buy mutual funds and hold ... Continue reading this article…

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Sallie Mae Bank Savings Account Opening Review

by Flexo

At the beginning of March, the banking arm of Sallie Mae, a publicly-traded corporation whose main business is student loans, began offering high-yield savings accounts. As I’ve mentioned before, “high-yield” is currently a joke; just a few years ago, you could deposit cash in high-yield savings accounts and count on slightly beating inflation. It is ... Continue reading this article…

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Unexpected Income: What Should You Do With a Windfall?

by Kelly Whalen

This article is presented by Kelly Whalen, Consumerism Commentary staff writer, who hosts a weekly internet show called the ¢entsible show. Unexpected income is a problem many people would love to have, but it happens more frequently than people realize. Whether it’s a $20 birthday check from your eighty-something grandmother or a raise, there are ... Continue reading this article…

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