Infographic - The average cost of a Funeral. How Much You Spend On Gambling? This interactive infographic shows how much ... Know The Odds. Whether you’re at home, at the grocery store, in your office or out socializing with friends and family, you can find plenty of opportunities to place bets and try to win money.
Unfortunately, gambling can take a toll on your financial situation and your health. More than four million people in the United States meet the criteria for problem gambling every year. The Surpising Ways Americans Spend Their Tax Refunds. History of American Tax Cut in the Last 20 Years. Surprising Ways Americans Spend Their Tax Returns.
Average Cost of Wedding - LarsonJewelers.com. What's the Average Cost of a Wedding?
People say buying a home is the largest financial decision most people will ever make. Well, at around $27,000 for the average cost of a wedding in 2012, that means a wedding is either the 2nd or 3rd biggest financial decision, most people will ever make in their lifetimes. What makes it the 2nd or 3rd biggest purchase, depends on if the car you drive is more or less than $27,000. John DeStefano: Scoring the Banks: The Community Impact Record Card as a New Tool for Measuring Bank Performance in Meeting Community Needs. At a time when trust in our nation's banks is at a 40-year low, consumers need a way to feel confident that the bank they use is meeting their needs.
They need the ability to comparison shop between banks to make sure they are bringing their business to the bank that offers them the best rates, speaks their language (literally and figuratively), and offers flexible and useful products that they can understand. This last point is an important one: tied up in the lack of trust in financial institutions is a frustration with banks over the level of transparency of their products and services. Consumers often do not know which bank is most suited to meet their needs, and have a hard time sorting through the fine print of complex account terms. Financial literacy and access to traditional banking services are prerequisites for wealth creation today and are critical to a resurgent American economy. The best part about the system: anyone can use it. Don’t be fooled by “gas rewards” credit card offers. Credit card offers at gas stations are becoming increasingly popular and more difficult to ignore.
These cards offer discounts and rewards for using them on gas purchases and, in some cases, additional incentives for using a specific brand of distributor (co-branded offers). So with the rising cost of gas and the convenience of swiping a card at the pump, why not take advantage of these incentives? The truth is, they’re not for everybody and most of the offers come with serious limits and restrictions anyways.
How to Avoid Getting Ripped Off on Your Auto Loan. Written by Jeffrey Trull Buying a car can be an exciting yet sometimes frustrating experience.
With the back-and-forth of negotiation, checking every detail before signing an agreement, and understanding your financing package so as not to get ripped off, you’re likely to feel a little overwhelmed with the car buying process. Luckily, saving money and avoiding rip-offs on your auto loan doesn’t require you to be a financing expert. Here’s some simple information you should know before walking into the dealership. How to splurge without going into debt. I love lobster.
Whenever I go out to eat and I see it on the menu, I have a hard time choosing anything else. And since it’s usually one of the most expensive options, and I’m not made of money, it’s not a decision I take lightly. But every now and then, I go for it…because I can. And even though the occasional lobster dinner won’t send me into debt, I can probably do better by my budget. 5 Ways to Build Solid Credit as a Young Adult. Written by Jeffrey Trull Getting an early start on building credit is essential, especially if you plan to take out a loan as a young adult.
Trying to buy a house with no credit history is a nearly impossible task. Better yet, the difference between an ok and an excellent credit score can save you money - hundreds or thousands of dollars over the life of a loan. Instead of waiting until you need credit, think about preparing for the future now. Here are five easy ways to build your credit in early adulthood and avoid some common problems later in life. Start With Just One Credit Card. Refinancing your home – Is it worth it? If you own a home and have a mortgage, like me, you probably get [practically daily] offers in the mail to refinance at a lower rate.
And while some of these offers might seem too good to be true, it can actually save you a lot of money… and right now might actually be the best time to do so. But that isn’t the case for everyone. Can You Afford to Die? Perhaps it’s more accurate not to say that people don’t want to think about their death, but that people are just reluctant to plan for it.
Thankfully, considering the options for your own funeral won’t hurry up the process. In fact, one could argue that planning ahead for the future can provide a person with the peace of mind that in turn stimulates good health and longevity. More Americans Paying Credit Card Bills on Time. American consumers may be seeing their credit card balances increase this year, but they are managing to pay their bills on time, according to a new report from credit reporting agency TransUnion.
Even as credit card debt increased 6%, the national credit card delinquency rate, or card holders who are at least 90 days late in making payments, dropped from 0.63% in the second quarter of 2012 from 0.73% and maintained the lowest levels in 18 years. Paying your credit card bill on time is a major factor that contributes to your credit score. The average credit card debt hovers just below $5,000, increasing from $4,699 earlier this year. Survey, Bernanke Say Americans Need Greater Financial Literacy. American high school students learn the basics of government and history, mathematics and science (or at least they are supposed to), but many students graduate from secondary school, and even college without a rudimentary understanding of personal finance.
Organization is key in maintaining a good credit rating. You don’t need to be wealthy to have a good credit. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on your credit cards each month. How much money you make or what’s in your bank account isn’t a factor. Your credit score isn’t a measurement of wealth or spending, it’s a measurement of responsibility. Your responsibility with credit.
Understanding the Terms of Your Credit Card. Written by Jeffrey Trull Like anything that comes with pages of fine print, credit card terms are complex and difficult to understand. But, thanks to regulations and changes in the industry, understanding fees, interest charges, and your statements is easier than ever before. Why everybody needs health insurance. I’m not a huge fan of politics.
So I’m not really interested in discussing whether the PPACA is a good or a bad bill, whether the mandate is a tax or penalty, or get involved in any of the other partisan bickering about the specifics of “Obamacare”. The truth is, whether or not you like the idea of the government coercing you to buy insurance is irrelevant to whether or not you should have it.
Why everybody needs health insurance. An Economist's View: Andrew Schrage on Financial Literacy. Ray Brescia: Fomenting Fraud: How Weak Enforcement of Bank Misbehavior Threatens to Bring About the Next Financial Crisis. Results of a recent Gallup Poll reveal that the American public's trust in banks has hit a record low. Just 21 percent of Americans have faith in the nation's banks, the lowest recorded number since the poll was first taken in 1973. It is lower now than it was in 2009, in the teeth of the financial crisis. One can speculate that, like distrust in Congress, this lack of faith appears across the political spectrum. From the left, banks are criticized for engaging in risky conduct that helped to bring about the Great Recession. Similarly, many on the populist right vilify government intervention designed to prop up poorly managed financial institutions as threatening capitalism itself.
Throughout the year, as more information comes out about bank misconduct before and after the financial crisis, public perception of the financial sector remains poor. All signs indicate that the current situation finds just these types of forces at work. Fomenting Fraud: How Weak Enforcement of Bank Misbehavior Threatens to Bring About the Next Financial Crisis. 6 Types of people who probably shouldn’t use credit cards. Why it’s not always frugal to pay down debt. What it means to be Frugal. A Lannister always pays his debts. A Lannister always pays his debts. A Lannister always pays his debts. 15 of the Best General Financial Information Blogs. There are many great websites and blogs on the web with financial information, but some of the information that some of these sites post may not be totally correct.
15 Blog Posts with Tips to Avoid Wasting Money. Does America Save Enough? Does America Save Enough? Free Credit Score Report – Credit Score.net.