January 2009

A Comprehensive Guide to Online “Stop Foreclosure” Resources

January 31, 2009

As the economy worsens, more and more families are facing the harsh reality of home foreclosure. According to the FDIC, one in every 200 homes will be foreclosed upon. Every three months, 250,000 more families enter foreclosure. And to make matters worse, some “stop foreclosure now” companies with shady business practices are preying on families [...]

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What Costs More–A Bounced Check, Credit Card Late Payment Penalty or Payday Loan

January 25, 2009

Riding on the DC Metro last week, I saw a billboard that caught my attention. It asked which was financially more costly, a bounced check, a payday loan, or a credit card late payment penalty. The answer surprised me, and it’s worth considering this question. Most all of us at one time or another have [...]

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Review of WT Direct

January 22, 2009

WTDirect offers one of the highest yields available for an FDIC insured account. With balances over $10,000, WT Direct is currently paying 1.01%, making this online savings account is hard to beat. This review will cover the key benefits and limitations of WT Direct’s online savings account, how to open an account, alternatives to WT [...]

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Anatomy of a $15 Million Blog

January 18, 2009

A few months ago a WordPress blog run by one person, Johns Wu, sold for nearly $15 million. The blog is called Bankaholic, and it was purchased by BankRate. The response within the blogging community can be summed up in a single word–shock. The sale was reported on ProBlogger, who had this to say: If [...]

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5 Ways to Finance a New Business

January 17, 2009

This post comes from good friends of mine who recently designed, manufactured, and are now marketing an educational board game that helps children learn to read. In a prior post about how to start a business, they shared their experiences from the early stages of their entrepreneurial adventure to develop Er-u-di-tion, an educational sight words [...]

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An Interview with LendingClub’s Rob Garcia

January 14, 2009

LendingClub, a peer to peer lending site, brings individual borrowers and lenders together to fund loans up to $25,000. I got the opportunity of meeting LendingClub’s Rob Garcia when I was doing my research on how LendingClub and sets interest rates. Rob joined the founders of Lending Club and serves as the Director of Product [...]

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How to Buy and Sell Loans on LendingClub’s New Trading Platform

January 8, 2009

Lending Club is an online social lending portal that brings individual lenders and borrowers together. Individuals looking for money can borrow up to $25,000 for a fixed interest rate repayable over three years. Lenders looking to invest can lend money in increments as small as $25. But until recently, there was one major drawback for [...]

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Festival of Frugality

January 6, 2009

Welcome to the 159th edition of the Festival of Frugality. What follows are articles from personal finance bloggers showcasing how they live a frugal life. It’s become a bit of tradition here at The Dough Roller to include in the carnival some photographs taken by a good friend of mine. So enjoy the beautiful photos [...]

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