Filed under: Credit, Debt, Credit cards
JP Morgan Chase became the first bank to drop its arbitration clause from its credit card contracts, so Chase credit card holders will have the right to go to court to dispute a problem with its credit card decisions.
Filed under: Retire, Retirement advice, 101 retirement
When it comes to retirement living, take your cue from the Boy Scout handbook. Be prepared, and you could truly enjoy your golden years; don’t prepare, and you’re headed for the dark side of retirement living. It’s a choice that 58 million people will be facing by next year, when 20% of the population will be in the 50- to 64-year-old range — those crucial pre-retirement living years. How can you prepare now to secure all aspects of retirement living?Filed under: Borrowing, Budgets, Debt, Real Estate, Saving Money, Wealth, Investing, Personal loans, Mortgages
Who doesn’t have an unmarried friend who lost the house, or at least their investment in the condo, when the relationship went sour?
Filed under: Banks, Saving Money
When we wrote about sneaky bank practices, a lot of readers wrote in suggesting that fee-weary customers ditch the big bailout-recipient banks in favor of small community banks or credit unions. In fact, many professional personal finance advisers say exactly the same thing, so WalletPop talked to a few of them to get their recommendations and advice for how to go about finding one of these friendlier financial institutions.
First, you’ll need to find a place. While finding a bank can be as easy as driving down your local main street or commercial district, finding a credit union can take a little more sleuthing. Since credit unions are membership organizations, you need to find out which ones you are eligible to join, says David Beck, director of policy at Center for Community Self Help, an organization which includes the Self Help Credit Union and the Center for Responsible Lending.
Filed under: Budgets, Debt, Food, Shopping, Economizer
The thrill of the hunt is compelling, especially when your grocer’s ads tout “BIG SAVINGS” on favorite holiday meal fixins.
Filed under: Credit, Debt, Credit cards
About 71.5% of consumers will use cash, checks or debit cards this holiday season versus 28.3% who plan to use credit cards, which is about a 10% decrease from last year and a clear sign that consumers are weaning themselves away from credit cards.
Michigan State University’s College Employment Research Institute’s latest graduate job outlook is pretty bleak.
This year’s college graduates have a mind-boggling 40% fewer job prospects, and jobs for candidates with bachelor’s degrees are expected to drop by 1% in 2010.
Filed under: Banks, Budgets, Shopping, Credit cards
In yet another sign that Americans are still cautious — and growing more so — about their spending, new research shows that fewer of us will be using credit cards to make our holiday purchases this year.
Filed under: Insurance, Health, Insurance-health
Whether you’re a child rushed to an emergency room for care or an adult who has put off preventive medical care, if you don’t have health insurance, you are more likely to die. That’s been confirmed by three different health studies.
Filed under: Banks, Credit cards
A recent report shows that credit card charge-offs have dropped a bit from their highs, but delinquencies — that is, payments more than 30 days overdue – are still on the rise.
This article from MSNBC says that spells continuing trouble for Americans’ personal finances and our nation’s still-shaky economic recovery.