Black Friday Getting More Ridiculous

As if the feeding shopping frenzy that is Black Friday could get any worse.  Best Buy has decided to jump on the bandwagon and open up at midnight on Thanksgiving night for Black Friday shopping.  This comes on the heels of recent announcements by Target, Macy’s and Kohl’s.  Seriously? Writes the Wall Street Journal: Best [...]

Why I Belong to a Credit Union

I’ve belonged to my credit union for more than 15 years. I’m reminded again today why that was one of the best banking decisions I could make. Reuters/Huffington Post reports: CHARLOTTE (Reuters) – Bank of America Corp plans to charge customers who use their debit cards to make purchases a $5 monthly fee beginning early [...]

Financial Advice Not Reaching Black America

According to an article distributed by the Afro American Newspapers, we aren’t getting the same financial advice as our white counterparts: Only two out of every 10 African-Americans are on a path to achieve their retirement goals, according to a six-month-old survey of Blacks conducted by a major wealth manager. The study, entitled “The African-American [...]

Sites We Like: CreditScoreQuiz.org

What: CreditScoreQuiz.org, an informational tool developed by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and VantageScore Solutions. Why: Lots of factors go into your credit score.  And given its importance in getting a loan, a job, or a mortgage, figuring how you’re being measured is critical. The two organizations developed this credit score quiz and website to [...]

Where (And How Long) to Keep Financial Records

Tax time is here.  I’ve got to begin sorting through the reams of paper files and records to make some sense of my 2010 tax year.  I keep everything.  I think I even have my tax returns from the mid-1990s.  But a declining amount of space in my office and on my computer has me wondering [...]

The Money Mom: I Am Thankful!

This past November we celebrated Thanksgiving. For many of us, we had turkey, dressing, pies, cakes, and family on our minds. And I was no exception. I love that time of the year because I get to take time off from work to be with my family. This is not always easy for me to [...]

Check Your Mailbox for New Credit Card Rules and Fees

Fortunately, I’m holding a zero balance on my store credit cards. So I was curious when I received mail from the World Financial Network National Bank and HSBC. Both mailings were similarly written to alert me about new rules on my credit card accounts. First up, late fees. According to my statements, late fees can [...]

Annuities, Yeah…What Are Those Again?

In my (insert air quotes) financial portfolio, I have annuities.  I barely understand what they are.  I get it in the abstract, but not enough to explain it to anyone else. Fortunately, I have a great financial advisor that I trust so this lack of knowledge isn’t costing me money.  In fact, it’s making my [...]

Personal Finance Roundup

Several articles worth reading for getting your finances in order. Newsweek has a great article outlining the five signs that you’re headed for bankruptcy.  Those signs include using your credit cards for groceries and other housing expenses, not having health insurance, abusing a home equity line of credit, living paycheck to paycheck, and co-signing loans.   But [...]

Remember Layaway?

Remember when you actually had to put your school clothes in layaway in July and August so you could have enough time to pay it off before school started in September?  There was no instant gratification back in the day.  If you wanted that new purse or new outfit, you had to put more than [...]

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