January 2010

APR vs. APY – How One Letter Can Mean So Much

January 22, 2010

Knowing the difference between APR and APY may not seem like a big deal on the surface, but it’s something that can save every consumer hundreds, if not thousands of dollars over the course of their lives.  Chances are that you’ve heard of both of these terms but haven’t given much thought to how they [...]

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Does Getting an Auto Insurance Quote Hurt Your Credit Score?

January 21, 2010

Yesterday we wrote about how to compare auto insurance rates online. One question that has come up is whether getting an auto insurance quote will lower your credit score. Car insurance companies today routinely pull your credit report and use your credit score and history as one factor in setting premiums. As we’ve discussed in [...]

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How to Instantly Compare Auto Insurance Quotes Online

January 20, 2010

I‘ve had my car insurance through Nationwide for almost 30 years. My parents used Nationwide when I started driving, so that’s who I used. Of course, back then there was no Internet or easy way to compare auto insurance quotes. You had to call agent after agent to get rates. Today, comparing auto insurance is [...]

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Flying Can Be a Financial Sinkhole

January 20, 2010

There use to be a time, if you’re old enough to remember, when the total cost of a flight was in the ticket price.  Now, it seems that the airline and airport companies are trying to increase profits every way possible, which means bad news for consumers. If you’ve ever thought about it, the total [...]

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List of Online Discount Brokers To House Your IRA

January 19, 2010

Online discount brokers have a variety of resources that the average investor might not know about.  One of those resources is housing your Independent Retirement Account, commonly known as your IRA.  Whether you are looking to open a traditional IRA, Roth IRA, rollover or SEP IRA, an IRA is an excellent way to set aside [...]

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Does Bouncing a Check Hurt Your Credit Score?

January 18, 2010

Some time ago we asked What Costs More–A Bounced Check, Credit Card Late Payment Penalty or Payday Loan? Earlier this week, a reader left a comment on the article asking whether a bounced check could affect your credit rating. Since most of us have probably bounced a check before, I thought it was a good [...]

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SmartyPig – The Ultimate Online Piggy Bank

January 18, 2010

Among high yield savings accounts, the folks at SmartyPig have come up with a unique way to save money. If you haven’t heard of SmartyPig, you’re not alone.  Unlike some of the other online banks available, SmartyPig doesn’t get tangled up in anything other than savings accounts.  Their tag-line of “Simple, Smart, Savings” says it [...]

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5 Downsides To Using a Debit Card

January 17, 2010

Debit cards have revolutionized the way that consumers can make their daily purchases, as the hassle of carrying around cash is all but obsolete these days.  Knowing that your money is safely tucked away in an interest bearing, FDIC insured savings or checking account is more than enough reason to carry a debit card. However, [...]

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5 Financial Goals Every Baby Boomer Should Set

January 14, 2010

Financial Goals Every Baby Boomer Should Have A reader recently asked about financial goals for those 50 years old or better. Here’s her question: Now I’d like to know if you can list ways of setting up long term goals for people 50 years and over. At least some examples would do the trick. While [...]

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