Hot Finance Tips

Filed under: Borrowing, Budgets, Debt, Family Money, Real Estate, Consumer Ally

If you’re having a problem with a business, Consumer Ally can help. Write us at HelpMe@WalletPop.com.

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Filed under: Credit, Debt, Credit Cards

Here’s some news from the silver-lining department: A new poll shows that the recession has made Americans more aware of their spending habits and instilled in us a desire — if not necessarily the funds — to pay down our debts.

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Filed under: Banks, Budgets, Technology

Bundle, the website known best for its Everybody’s Money tool that compares your spending in various categories to people who are in similar life situations, has just launched a full fledged personal financial management app inside of Bundle that brings the comparative nature of Everybody’s Money to account aggregation, budgeting and goals. (Continue the story…)

Filed under: Money College, Debt

Times may be tough, but some students are still managing to make payments on their student loans. The U.S. Department of Education just released an extensive list of colleges where students have the best — and worst — track record of repaying their loans — and some interesting trends have emerged.

U.S. News and World Report sorted through the list, which ranked 8,412 colleges, job training programs, and graduate schools across the country. One finding: students at nursing schools and institutes of technology are among the most diligent about paying their student loans. Among the top 20 colleges on the list, are the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) and Medcenter One College of Nursing located in Bismark, North Dakota, both of which saw more than 90% of students repay their loans in 2009. (Continue the story…)

Filed under: Banks, Credit, In the News

More than one-tenth of U.S. banks continue to be at risk of failure even as some sectors, such as credit quality, are showing some signs of recovery.

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Filed under: Debt, Shopping

Sure, everyone’s watching their spending — but in some areas, women in particular are blowing it. “There is some dangerous impulse buying going on, and it’s being driven by fear, and our obsession with buying bargains,” says Kit Yarrow, professor of psychology and marketing at Golden Gate University. She says we overindulge at warehouse clubs, outlets … and, most predominantly, here:

Sample Sales
“People are just buying stuff for the label even though what’s on sale may just be slow-selling merchandise, irregulars, liquidation of a previous season, overstock, or items that buyers didn’t want,” says Kathryn Finney, author of “How To Be a Budget Fashionista: The Ultimate Guide to Looking Fabulous for Less.” “You’re better off paying full-price for something you’ll wear all the time than half price for something you’ll wear once, or not at all.” (Continue the story…)

Filed under: Retire, Retirement Advice

Kiplinger, one of my favorite personal advice sites, today offered 12 rules for making money, especially retirement savings, last. Nothing wrong with their advice, but it neglects what I think is one of the most important considerations — how to keep Uncle Sam out of your pocket.

Here’s what Kiplinger advises, plus some tax and other advice worth considering:
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Filed under: Debt

While most of the economic news out there isn’t too encouraging, here’s something positive to think about: The amount of debt Americans owe on their credit cards is dropping.

In fact, it’s at its lowest level in eight years, according to TransUnion, one of the nation’s largest credit bureaus. The average amount that people owe on their credit cards is currently $4,951, down from the $5,719 it was a year before. In addition, more borrowers made payments on time in the last quarter compared to the year before.

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Filed under: Debt, Consumer Ally

If a debt collector calls and threatens to sue or have you thrown in jail unless you immediately authorize a payment from a bank account, hang up because it’s a scam, says Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.

Madigan has issued a consumer alert warning people to be on the lookout for scammers posing as payday loan debt collectors. They call and threaten either a lawsuit or even arrest unless a payment is made. The state has seen a rise in consumer complaints of these bogus collection calls in recent weeks. In most cases, the callers already have some personal information about the consumer, including a place of employment and Social Security number. They also say they have the consumer’s bank account number on file and ask to confirm the number.
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Filed under: Banks

Not all bankers are villains.

Though you probably find that pretty hard to believe these days, what with all the loan foreclosures and obscure and punishing fees banks are charging even their best customers.
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