Category Archives: Personal Finance
Banks Start Charging Fees for Paper Credit Statements
Despite recent credit card reform, credit card companies aren’t giving up all their tricks. If you’re anything like most Americans, you’ve probably been receiving a glut of mail from credit issuers in recent months – most of it notifying you of rather big term changes like higher interest and steeper penalties for exceeding your credit… Read More »
Gift Returns and Exchanges Could Become Easier This Year
Just because that scarf Grandma gave you isn’t your style doesn’t mean you can’t get what you really want – or need – this Christmas. With most folks struggling to make ends meet, there’s nothing wrong with admitting you want to squeeze the most use out of your presents – especially when you’ve dropped big… Read More »
Returning Gifts Gets Easier Thanks to Recession
We all know it’s the thought that will count when we rip off the wrapping paper tomorrow. But that doesn’t change the fact that some presents just aren’t the right fit (sometimes literally). With money tight, I don’t think it’s selfish to admit that we want to make every gift count – especially when we’ve… Read More »
Gift Cards Might Be Convenient, But They Aren’t Always Cheap
With the dawning of the gift card age, gift givers thought we had finally moved past the days of fruitcakes and ugly sweaters. Because you can’t go wrong with plastic, right? Maybe you can. It turns out that much of our good intentions are still going unused. But instead of going in the trash or… Read More »
Minimum Payment Can Cause Maximum Debt
New consumer protection laws might mean creditors have to give up charging sneaky hidden fees, but unfortunately it doesn’t protect against another one of their tricks – the minimum payment. When most folks pay their credit card bills, they pay the minimum due – usually set at between 2 and 4 percent of the balance…. Read More »