Financial

“Content is King,” the saying goes, but words are cheap, the king is dead, and cheap is the new king.  What you knew has been turned around and twisted inside out in this brave new world. Folks are rabid for bargains and thankfully, they’re still not all that hard to come by … if you [...]

With the credit market still frosty and gasoline prices nearly a third of what they were at their peak this past summer, sales of 2008 hybrid models have plunged precipitously. Green Car Congress reports that hybrid sales are off by 50% for the month of November. It’s a far cry from six months ago, when [...]

Using credit cards for groceries is a dangerous trap. By deferring the cost of food you purchase today until another day, you run the risk of bloating your account with an unpaid balance. When you put off the cost of groceries purchased with a credit card, you mortgage your future.
As I was poking around the [...]

New credit card offers dominate the deluge of direct marketing material that lands in our real world mailboxes. Around these parts, the never ending stream of pieces hawking plastic piles up on the counter until I have the chance to sort things into one of the two most appropriate places … The new credit card [...]

The question begs to be asked. Did spammers fuel the sub-prime mortgage crisis? This is no common conspiracy theory, my friends. It’s common sense. Indulge me if you will and take a gander at the raft of unsolicited mortgage offers that fill your inbox. A huge percentage of these loan offers tout remarkably low teaser [...]

Have you ever wanted to try your hand at Forex trading, but have been afraid to ask? Forex.com is offering a deal for folks to “Experience the exciting world of currency trading with a FREE practice account.” Forget about your online poker addiction, my friends. With the US Government’s crackdown on Internet gambling, this just might [...]

Talk about second lives. The fuzzy wiseacre formerly known as the Pets.com sock puppet has enjoyed a long and illustrious career as the pitchman for car financing firm 1-800BarNone … longer than his namesake gig. A true cultural icon, replicas of the adorable pooch still command respectable sums in eBay auctions. All that VC money spent [...]

Online mortgage calculators are indispensable, whether you’re thinking about refinancing your home or buying a new place. Can you afford that new house across town? How about a nice little vacation condo in Florida or Colorado? Gather up your numbers and get ready to run the what-ifs. In the wink of an eye, a home [...]

Are adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) big fat time bombs? An article at ABC News runs the scary headline: Foreclosures May Jump As ARMs Reset.” It’s a sobering thought. With the rise in interest rates, the monthly payments on adjustable rate mortgages are on the way up, with no end in sight. Imagine the cost of [...]

Gone off the deep-end charging computer gear? When for better turns into for worse, credit counseling can appear to be the only way out. If you’ve fallen into troubled financial times, you may be tempted to turn to a credit counseling agency. Be warned: all credit counseling agencies are not alike. A recent Internal Revenue [...]

Just now, a student loan consolidation pop-up appeared on my computer. I happen to think that student loan consolidation is an important subject. But I’m just not sure why this appeared in front of my face at this very moment. I’ve been fastidious about running my new favorite programs to avoid seeing things like this. [...]