Filed under: Family Money, Retire, Credit Cards
You probably wouldn’t realize it from the way credit card companies market to consumers willy-nilly, but there are big differences between the “ideal” credit card for a college grad and those marketed toward his or her grandparents. According to experts WalletPop interviewed by phone recently, you really need to keep in mind what stage of life you’re in (young adult, married, senior and so on) when you shop for a credit card.
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Filed under: Borrowing, Credit, Debt, Real Estate, Retire, Saving Money, Refinancing
A friend of mine nearing retirement is looking longingly at a new Harley, but getting financing is going to be a challenge. He’s contemplating refinancing his house and using some of the equity to buy the bike.
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Filed under: Retire
By Caitlin Dewey, Kiplinger
Striking a balance between a high quality of life and low cost of living can be a difficult challenge for retirees. With that in mind, we at Kiplinger offer five destinations that seniors might find attractive places to live in the second half of their lives.
SLIDE SHOW: See the 5 Great Cities for Retirees, at a Glance
We started our search for top retirement destinations using the criteria we used to select our overall list of Best Cities for the Next Decade. What more are seniors looking for? Retiree-friendly factors such as a high number of doctors and large percentages of populations over 65 helped to drive a unique list of 20 growing cities.
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Filed under: Credit, Debt, Credit Reports, Personal Loans, Retirement Advice
A new study released on June 24 highlighted some troubling facts about the financial awareness and stability of today’s American women. The research, conducted by Harris Interactive for the Lending Club, found that only 65% of women knew their credit score vs. 74% of men. What’s more, only 72% knew the interest rates on their credit cards, compared to 84% of men.
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Filed under: Insurance
There are types of insurance that Americans don’t buy enough – renters insurance, disability insurance, long-term care insurance, flood insurance. Then, there are others that we buy way too frequently and are, for the most part, a waste of money.
Today, I am more worried about the latter — and there is good reason to be concerned. This morning, the New York Times published an op-ed column by Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman who wrote: “We are now, I fear, in the early stages of a third depression.” Hammering that point home, more than one million people are expected to lose their unemployment benefits this week.
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Filed under: Banks, Extracurriculars, Wealth
Today’s gold price shows that people believe in the intrinsic value of gold. Which countries have the largest hoards of the lovely yellow stuff? Click on a country in this Mint.com infographic to see its holdings.
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Filed under: Debt
Americans in debt are worried. And not just a little worried, but a lot of worried. In fact, they’re spending 3.5 hours a day worrying about their financial troubles.
While it isn’t surprising to find that debt and concern go hand-in-hand, the number of hours the average in-debt American is actually spending worrying about their financial woes is compelling. Thanks to a survey sponsored by DebtPlan.com, an online paid membership service (seven day trial period, then $14.95 a month) that’s designed to help people pay down their debts, now we can see just how much time we waste worrying about money. The survey, released in June, was conducted by Survey Sampling International.
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Filed under: Banks
Beginning July 1 for new bank accounts and August 15 for existing ones, banks will now have to offer you the option of enrolling in overdraft protection programs. In other words, they’ll have to ask for your permission before they slap you with a $30 fee if you overdraw on your debit card for a $4 cup of coffee.
As a result, banks have been trying very hard to get their customers to sign up for overdraft protection, making it sound like all sorts of dire consequences will come to pass if you pass on their offer of “protection.”
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Filed under: Banks
Identity thieves are getting smarter and more devious, especially when their victims are affluent. As you may have heard, John Menard, a billionaire hardware chain founder in Wisconsin, was recently targeted by identity thieves.
Back in April, someone called Menard’s bank in Eau Claire, Wis., and requested $475,000 be wired to a bank account outside the country. Whoever it was — he or she hasn’t been caught yet — had Menard’s account numbers, passwords and Social Security number. And when the bank called Menard’s house to confirm the transaction, the thief was able to intercept the call and give the go-ahead to wire the money.
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Filed under: Banks
Identity thieves are getting smarter and more devious, especially when their victims are affluent. As you may have heard, John Menard, a billionaire hardware chain founder in Wisconsin, was recently targeted by identity thieves.
Back in April, someone called Menard’s bank in Eau Claire, Wis., and requested $475,000 be wired to a bank account outside the country. Whoever it was — he or she hasn’t been caught yet — had Menard’s account numbers, passwords and Social Security number. And when the bank called Menard’s house to confirm the transaction, the thief was able to intercept the call and give the go-ahead to wire the money.
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