Xin Lu's blog

Could you save money by subscribing to an addictive game?

During the Christmas break my husband and I went to dinner with some of his friends from high school. One couple we spoke with told us that they are trying to save money for a dow

What you can do to aid the conversion to digital TV

The conversion from analog TV to digital TV was scheduled to happen on February 17th, but now it seems like it will be delayed due to various issues with the coupon program and gen

What will be pulled off the shelves? The impact of the new Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act

Recently the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act is making headlines because it required that all products (including clothes) made for children 12 and under be tested for lead

Book Review: Rich Like Them by Ryan D'Agostino

One summer my mother showed me a series of articles in Money magazine by a reporter named Ryan D'Agostino who knocked on the doors of expensive homes to find out how the occupants

What can renters do if their landlords are in foreclosure?

Lately many tenants across the United States who faithfully paid their rents on time were surprised to find eviction notices tacked on their doors because their landlords have not

Five alternatives to 0% yield U.S. treasuries

This week the 4 week T-bill rate was driven down to 0% and the demand for these treasuries was astounding. It seems that investors are so pessimistic that they are willing to acce

Will 4.5% mortgage rates jumpstart the housing market?

It seems like everyday the folks in Washington are rolling out a new plan to fix our economy. The Federal Reserve is running out of room to cut their federal funds rate, so now th

Do we really need help with getting more debt?

Today a new rescue program called the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF) was announced by the Treasury and Federal Reserve to support owners of securities backed by

Restaurant.com 80% off Coupon Code with FatWallet 25% Cashback - $25 Gift Certificates for $1.50

From today to 11/20/2008, a coupon code gives you an additional 80% off so a $25 gift certificate is only $2, and a $10 gift certificate is only $0.60!

Five calls you can make now to save hundreds to thousands of dollars

In the current economic climate, everyone is trying to save a buck. I know some families that have budgets so tight that there is no room for saving, but I think it is possible for

When will the bailouts stop? A summary of 2008 stimulus packages and bailouts in the United States

2008 will probably go down in history as the year of bailouts, crashes, and meltdowns. Here is a quick run down of all the laws and bills congress pushed through with lightning spe

Why young investors should "Stay the Course" and continue to invest

With the recent upheaval in the financial markets, many individual investors are feeling the pain of shrinking investment accounts. In fact, over $2 trillion dollars have been wipe

The Highest Yielding "Safe" Investment Now - Tax Exempt Money Market Funds

Last year I wrote an article about how I used my Vanguard Tax Exempt Money Market Fund as a high yield checkings account, and this week I suddenly got quite a few hits for that art

Shadow Government Statistics - Is the government manipulating numbers to make the economy look better than it really is?

About a year ago I wrote an article about the Consumer Price Index that made some friends say that I am a conspiracy theorist, but apparently I am not alone in believing that the g

Should you spend your money while you can?

A new article on Slate today details a study by some economists that say people should enjoy their money while they are still healthy and young. The conclusion of their study is th

How does the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bailout affect you?

Yesterday Henry Paulson decided to use the power given to him by the housing bailout bill to officially take over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. This is a decision that has a huge im

Seller concessions and buyer bargains - What to ask for in the current real estate market.

It is currently a buyer's market for real estate in most of the United States and there are many ways a buyer could negotiate for a deal beyond getting a great price. Here are som

Eco-Capitalism - How to make money from garbage

Most of us probably have sold a few bottles and cans and got a couple dollars, but could you believe that some people have made millions or even billions of dollars from trash?

How good writing skills save and earn money

A while ago an article on Wise Bread talked about how complaining via a letter works much more effectively than complaining with phone calls. This made me think about all the othe

We Are Our Own Worst Enemy

Today my friend sent me an article titled "We Have Met the Enemy" by Knight Kiplinger, the Editor in Chief of Kiplinger publications. It is a blunt article pointing out that Americ