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Latest Posts from Consumerism Commentary (page 7)

SteveDH January 2013 Net Worth

Published Tuesday, February 19, 2013 - 11:46 by Consumerism Commentary

Naked With Cash is the year-long series on Consumerism Commentary where seven readers’ households share their financial progress on a monthly basis. I’ve partnered with financial planners who will offer some guidance along the way. Read this introduction to learn more about the series. SteveDH is retired, and he and his wife have two grown kids. […]

Now Covered By Umbrella Insurance

Published Monday, February 18, 2013 - 11:14 by Consumerism Commentary

There is nothing that can derail your financial success or path to independence as fast as being held liable for some kind of catastrophic loss without the appropriate level of insurance coverage. Automobile and homeowners insurance (or renter’s insurance) cover only up to a certain amount of your liability if you or your property is involved in an accident. […]

Anne and Matt January 2013 Net Worth

Published Friday, February 15, 2013 - 12:12 by Consumerism Commentary

This month is Insurance Month in the series Naked With Cash. Each month, seven Consumerism Commentary readers anonymously share their financial reports to gain insight about their progress towards their goals. Read this introduction to learn more about the series. Anne and Matt are twenty-seven years old, living in the Midwest, with two children. […]

Stock Market Reaching Highs: Time to Exit?

Published Thursday, February 14, 2013 - 12:16 by Consumerism Commentary

On November 12, the world was still reacting to the election of Barack Obama to a second term in the White House. The financial media began its relentless coverage of the fiscal cliff. Market confidence was down, and so were the stock market indexes, immediately following the election results. This seemed to me to be a good time to ramp up investing in index funds. […]

Raising the Minimum Wage to $9

Published Wednesday, February 13, 2013 - 13:08 by Consumerism Commentary

In his State of the Union address to the United States Congress and the television-viewing audience around the world, President Obama called for an increase in the federal minimum wage as a way to reduce poverty. If you believe that business owners have a right to pay whatever the market will bear, minimum wages, whether endorsed by the federal government or the state, are unacceptable. […]

Maker’s Mark Adds Water

Published Monday, February 11, 2013 - 12:49 by Consumerism Commentary

I’ve never had Maker’s Mark, but I do have friends who enjoy this particular brand of bourbon — or the bottles in which the bourbon is sold. With this latest piece of news, I’m wondering if the company believes the bottle is the product being sold rather than the alcohol inside. Beam, the corporate owner of Maker’s Mark, has announced it’s reducing the alcohol content to meet demand. […]

How to Adjust to a Global Employment Marketplace

Published Friday, February 8, 2013 - 14:27 by Consumerism Commentary

Chances are good that there is someone else in the world who can do your job better than you can, who is willing to work a lot harder, who can spend more time on the job, and who will accept a lower salary for the same position. Thus is the inequity in the employment marketplace when living expenses are drastically different around the world. […]

Capital One 360 Savings Account Review

Published Thursday, February 7, 2013 - 14:22 by Consumerism Commentary

Capital One’s decision to acquire ING Direct was a great strategic move, but the deal had a few problems. Because ING Direct’s parent company, as part of a European bail-out agreement, was required to sell ING Direct in the United States and in other global locations, and to cease using the ING Direct name, Capital One was forced to change its branding and marketing. […]

U.S. Postal Service Ending Saturday Delivery

Published Wednesday, February 6, 2013 - 12:54 by Consumerism Commentary

The U.S. Postal Service announced today that Saturday delivery of first-class items will end in August. When I asked a few years ago whether we should eliminate the Postal Service entirely, the question generated a good discussion, with many readers agreeing that the best solution to the perennial problem of the service not generating enough revenue to operate would be to cut back service. […]

Should Public Employees Go Bowling?

Published Tuesday, February 5, 2013 - 13:53 by Consumerism Commentary

Whether you’re watching a twenty-four hour news channel, the local news, or national news “magazine” programs like 20/20 and 60 Minutes, the program directors need to be concerned about ratings. Television ratings are everything to those who work in this industry. If you can’t get an audience to watch a program, there are no eyes for potential advertisers to reach. […]