Category: Saving and Investing ideas

The average credit card APR is running above 21% in 2026 — over 23% on new accounts — and late fees are back up near their old highs after a court struck down the CFPB's $8 cap in 2025. Both of those facts change how much a slip-up actually costs…

Many of us dream about how it would feel to not have a monthly mortgage payment. Owning your home free and clear is the aspiration of numerous homeowners. But even without – in most cases – that hefty payment leaving your checkbook every 30 days, there are actually some reasons…

It’s hard to believe than another holiday season is upon us. With all good intentions, most of us will make a promise to ourselves that we will shop early and shop smart. But unfortunately, in most cases, life's routines and little emergencies usually force us to shop at the last…

Free checking is coming to end thanks to new Financial reform regulation that will force banks to cut overdraft and ATM fees, which traditionally covered the cost of providing free checking accounts. Bank of America and Wells Fargo, US banks with the largest branch networks, have already started to discontinue…

Trying to find the right investments for your 401k or IRA retirement plans can leave you feeling like you are lost in the middle of a maze. Your retirement plan provider (via your employer or directly) may offer a ton of investment options including stocks, stock funds, bond funds, and…

After about a year of running my business, I'd built up a decent cushion of savings sitting in a checking account earning close to nothing. The account had features I liked, but it wasn't putting compounding to work for me — so after a promotional offer (a bonus rate plus…

Google plays a big part in my life and my blogging business. Apart from it's Adsense publisher program which provides the bulk of this blog's income, Google's search engine provides the basis and background for a number of the topics that I write about. I am not alone with 70%…

[Updated following SOU speech] President Barack Obama has proposed a new round of stimulus spending in 2010, focused on middle class families struggling to pay bills and care for their families. The initiatives in the new stimulus package are a product of a middle class task force headed by Vice…

I recently got my auto insurance renewal policy and was shocked when I saw it was more than double my prior renewal amount. This prompted me to look at factors which drove this increase - market driven or related to my specific situation - and to see if there is…

Read an interesting article in the NY times, discussing states that are suing the various corporate credit rating agencies like Standard & Poor's and Fitch, because of the losses they bore from securities they rated as AAA. They argue that these "incorrect" ratings have cost them millions now and into…

With gold prices soaring, it seems that even central banks around can't get enough of the yellow metal. Recent figures still show the US atop the list, but other nation's are rapidly catching up. After all, every central bank (and the International Monetary Fund) with a large holding of American…

Everyone who has a 401(k) or IRA has read the standard playbook: invest regularly, diversify, keep costs low. Good advice, all of it. But knowing what not to do is just as important — and some of the most expensive mistakes are the ones that feel reasonable in the moment.…

Low cost auto insurance rates are available everywhere, as companies cater to people trying to cut costs wherever they can. Unfortunately, not all insurance companies are equal, and low insurance rates can turn into a big future hike if you do not know what to look for or what to…