Xin Lu's blog

Book Review: Spent: Memoirs of a Shopping Addict

In Spent: Memoirs of Shopping Addict, Avis Cardella writes about her struggles with acquiring more and more stuff without fulfillment for two decades. This is the painful story

3 Reasons Why Keeping Your "Latte Factor" Will Help You Save Money

Here are a few reasons why keeping your "latte factor" will help you save.

How Long Can You Stay in Your Home After You Stop Paying the Mortgage?

Even though the economy seems to be getting better, the number of mortgage delinquencies is still rising. Some homeowners are choosing to walk away because their debts are much

Book Review: The Little Book of Big Dividends

Did you know that from 1926 to the present, dividends have accounted for 43 percent of the total return of the S&P 500 index? The Little Book of Big Dividends by Charles B Carlson,

Things You Should Know About HAFA: The Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program

On April 5, 2010 a new program called the Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives, or HAFA, will further expand the foreclosure prevention efforts of the Obama administration. Thi

Cash for Appliances: Get a Cash Rebate for Buying New Appliances

Last year the Cash for Clunkers program gave out billions of dollars in rebates for purchasing new cars. This spring a smaller rebate program called Cash for Appliances is rolling

Book Review: On a Dollar a Day

Could you survive on one dollar worth of food per day? Vegan high school teachers Kerri Leonard and Christopher Greenslate endured an one month experiment where each of them consum

Book Review: Where the Jobs Are Now

Currently the unemployment rate is hovering around 10% nationwide, and millions of people have been out of work for months or even years. Where the Jobs Are Now is a timely book th

Financial Timing: How Scheduling Important Events Benefits You Financially

Are you thinking of making a big change in your life such as quitting your job or getting married? Time important decisions in your life for the best financial result.

Money Related Traditions for Celebrating Chinese New Year

The Chinese Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, is celebrated annually by billions of people around the world. In 2010, New Year's Day falls on February 14th. Here are some of the

Used Toyotas Are Being Discounted. Would You Buy One?

Recently Toyota Motor Corp. has been plagued with bad news as it recalled millions of cars and stopped selling several of its products affected with braking issues. These problems

What Would It Take For You to Relocate for a Job?

Last year was a challenging year for American job seekers as corporations cut millions of jobs amidst the recession. This is why I was surprised to read that according to Challenge

How Will the Obama Middle Class Tax Credits Benefit You?

This week President Obama is announcing several tax credits for the middle class in his State of the Union speech. Here are some of the details on what the proposals are, and how t

Book Review: Complicit - How Greed and Collusion Made the Credit Crisis Unstoppable

This week a government committee is investigating the cause of the financial crisis by interrogating bank titans what exactly went wrong. Complicit: How Greed and Collusion Made th

How Cleaning Your Wallet Benefits You Financially

It is not quite time for spring cleaning, but if you are a slightly disorganized person like me you may benefit financially by cleaning your wallet or purse. Here are some reasons

Beware of Phony Census Workers

This year the United States Census Bureau will be conducting its regularly scheduled census. Every address in the United States will receive a census form and census workers will b

What Can Retailers Do With Their Unwanted Merchandise?

A recent New York Times article reported that retailers including H&M and Walmart have been destroying perfectly good clothes that were not sold and throwing them in the trash. Th

5 Reasons Not to Apply for a Loan Modification in the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP)

The Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) rolled out last year currently has over 700,000 people in trial modifications and a little over 30,000 in "permanent" modifications.

How to Quickly Compare Rewards Programs When You Shop Online

Wise internet shoppers usually search for some coupon or cash back reward before adding an item to their shopping carts. The problem is that there are so many cash back and mileage

Are Zhu Zhu Pets and Other Popular Toys Dangerously Toxic?

The hottest toy of this holiday season is a little electronic hamster named the Zhu Zhu Pet. The $9.99 toy is this season's Tickle Me Elmo and parents are lining up early to snatch