March 19, 2009 – 11:30 am
Are you ready for the monthly total? $6,528! This translates into $78,336 annually. That figure doesn’t include saving for the kids’ education, or the extra costs associated with having more than a baker’s dozen of little ones like nannies, a bigger vehicle (try a bus!) or therapy.
Today I bought a ticket for the Band of Horses concert in Baltimore. As you can see at this link the tickets are going for $25. But by the end of the transaction, I was paying $33.50 thanks to $2.50 in taxes and $6 in fees. $2 of that fee was assessed when I chose to print the ticket on my own computer! So I ended up paying a fee that amounted to 24% of my purchase, which is more than fees for a $25 ATM withdrawal, short-term loan, or wire transfer. The only scam worse is those pesky overdraft fees (which can run $35 a pop even if you only go over by 1 penny)!
You’ll have to forgive us for a bit of self-indulgence, but we’re pretty psyched to once again have an ad up on USAToday.com: Luckily the celebs are making it easy on us, as the list of celebrities who’ve mismanaged their finances continues to grow by the day: Hélio Castroneves, the Brazilian-born IndyCar driver who’s perhaps [...]
March 13, 2009 – 11:55 am
And just like you don’t invest your kids’ college fund based on Terry Bradshaw’s Sunday morning football picks, don’t treat financial television “experts” as if they were preaching the gospel.
WSAV News Channel 3 in Savannah, GA had this useful report yesterday which suggested questions to ask your bank to make sure you are aware of all its conditions and rules. The bulk of the questions are aimed at determining the bank’s policy on overdraft charges. The list is a good one to keep in [...]
As federal legislation is being considered to hopefully reign in the sometimes questionable practices of credit card companies, it’s important for consumers to continue to protect themselves financially–especially in today’s tough economy. The website CreditCards.com has a glossary of credit card-related terms that can help indicate to users when they may be in financial trouble. [...]
The latest unemployment numbers show the nation lost 655,000 jobs last month, bringing the unemployment rate up to 8.1%. In four states, Michigan, California, Rhode Island, and South Carolina, the rate was above 10%. So if you haven’t already, this is a good time to think about what you’d do if you lost your job. [...]
“Americans are managing their credit better as the recession deepens,” according to this AP article. The unemployment rate is rising fast, but a major credit tracking agency found that “the number of people three months behind on bankcard payments fell 11 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008.” So are things getting better or worse? [...]
A new poll by Junior Achievement, an organization working to educate kids about financial literacy and entrepreneurship, finds a sudden drop in interest for business careers among teenagers. Junior Achievement’s press release notes: According to the results of the ninth annual Junior Achievement “Kids and Careers” poll, teen interest in a career as a “business [...]
