Monthly Archives: June 2010

Feeling Nosy? New Ways to Find Out What Others Are Making

Talking salary with your friends and coworkers remains a persistent taboo — and for good reason. Each employee brings a unique set of skills and abilities to his or her job, and will presumably be appropriately compensated based on their respective backgrounds. Sharing salary information without context leads to hurt feelings in most situations. But [...]

Could You Be Denied A Bank Account?

If you’ve ever overdrawn your bank account, there’s a decent chance that a company called ChexSystems knows about it. Classified as a consumer credit reporting agency, ChexSystems operates a database that member banks can use to report bounced checks and other activity it classifies as “suspicious.” On the record, ChexSystems is a tool that banks [...]

Tuesday Top 5: Starting Small

Welcome to this week’s edition of our Tuesday Top 5, Econ4U’s weekly tips post to help you manage your money in five easy steps. The secret to wealth building isn’t necessarily stock-market prescience or a brilliant business idea. Everyone starts somewhere, and it’s often just a small decision that snowballs to big rewards. Take one of [...]

Could New Banking Rules Spell the End of Free Checking?

The Wall Street Journal took a fascinating look this week at how new banking regulations that were designed to protect consumers may instead lead to more fees: Bank of America Corp. and other banks are preparing new fees on basic banking services as they try to replace revenue lost to regulatory rules, in a push that [...]

Tuesday Top 5: Live Well and Still Retire Rich

Welcome to this week’s edition of our Tuesday Top 5, Econ4U’s weekly tips post to help you manage your money in five easy steps. If you’ve ever uncovered “found money” and decided to save most of it, you’re already acquainted with the idea of consumption smoothing. It’s the economic principle that people avoid abrupt swings in [...]

Tuesday Top 5: Planning for a Big Purchase

Welcome to this week’s edition of our Tuesday Top 5, Econ4U’s weekly tips post to help you manage your money in five easy steps. If you have a major purchase on the horizon — be it electronics, home furnishings, or a vehicle — now is the time to start considering your options to keep costs low [...]

Homeowners Gamble by Not Paying Their Mortgages

Last summer, we touched on whether refusing to pay your debt at some point becomes a moral issue. In this week’s New York Times, the topic proves timely still. The article follows the Pemberton family in St. Petersburg, Fla., who have stopped paying their mortgage so they can put their money to more fun use, such as trips [...]

Tuesday Top 5: Prioritizing Retirement Saving Now

Welcome to this week’s edition of our Tuesday Top 5, Econ4U’s weekly tips post to help you manage your money in five easy steps. Making retirement saving a priority is the recognition that it’s easier to go without now (when you’re young and able-bodied) than at the end of your life when your options are fewer. [...]