Month: August 2010

Transferring money domestically is pretty straightforward and you can normally work with one bank or financial institution to take care of the entire process. However as I and other friends who have moved overseas have found, transferring money across countries is not as straightforward. Further, the process, terminology and requirements…

Mortgage lenders often attract homeowners seeking to lower their mortgage interest rate with some simple math, usually presented in one of two ways: 1) Comparing the nominal closing costs to the total savings from 30 years of a lower monthly payment, or 2) How few months it will take before…

With the economic outlook uncertain to say the least, investors are now looking ahead to what the best stocks next year could be. Investors need to ensure that they still have growth in their portfolios to deal with inflation and higher taxes, while also picking stocks that protect their portfolio…

Mortgage interest rates are at their lowest point in decades (about 4.5%) and the housing credit has been in effect for more than three years, yet the housing market is tepid at best, with foreclosures at record highs and government housing institutions having to put more distressed assets on their…

A $26 billion state aid package was approved by Congress (and will be signed by the President) that saves thousands of state teaching and government worker jobs. The package provides $16.1 billion to extend (for six months) Medicaid funding for states, known as FMAP. The measure also provides $10 billion…

Annuities have been a viable investment option for many years. However, there is still a great deal of confusion on what exactly they are and how exactly they work. Understanding the concept of annuities can help you to determine if they are right for you, and if so, what type…

AMEX Fraud Protection When checking my mail this morning, I saw an email from the American Express Account Security Group notifying me that I had received a suspect charge of $113.40. You can see the email below. The card they were referring to was my back-up American Express Blue Cash…

This is a guest post by Tony Parker, an outspoken business owner and investor, looking at the intersection of politics and money. While I don’t agree with all his views (see my rebuttal in the comments section) I do think he makes some valid points worth discussing. Please share your…

The journal reports that according to data complied by Deutsche Bank 25% of Americans have a FICO credit score of less than 600, which is considered a low credit score by lenders, employers and more financial institutions. The standard FICO credit score range is between 300 and 850, and a…