interest

The Three Interest Rates

Posted August 4, 2009 - 05:00 by Philip Brewer

Personal Finance

Tiger Shark!

I got a notice from one of my credit cards a bit ago, announcing that they were raising the interest rate. It's only of theoretical interest to me, of course--I use credit cards for transactions, not to borrow money--but looking at the rate they're charging reminded me that there are really three interest rates.

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Debit Cards vs. Credit Cards: Fees and Fraud Protection

Posted December 23, 2008 - 05:33 by Will Chen

Credit Cards

visa debit card

Debit cards might be better than credit cards because in theory, you'll spend less if you are only paying with money you have. But how do debit cards stack up in terms of fees and fraud protection?

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Book review: Cash-Rich Retirement

Posted April 28, 2008 - 05:08 by Philip Brewer

Personal Finance

Cover of Cash-Rich Retirement

Do you need a kick in the pants to get you saving for retirement?  Do you need someone to wave their arms and run around screaming that your whole future is at risk, in order to motivate you to put some serious money aside and take the time to learn how your 401(k) works?  If so, this is the book for you.

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Join the rentier class

Posted January 6, 2008 - 06:40 by Philip Brewer

Personal Finance

Penthouses as viewed from central park

You don't hear much about the rentier class any more. Perhaps that's because we all expect to be members by retirement age. Perhaps it's because even the very wealthy now all seem to work at something, if only at being a celebrity for our entertainment. Whatever the reason, I recommend that you take advantage of its modern social acceptability, and join the rentier class sooner, rather than later.

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How low interest rates might save the world

Posted September 3, 2007 - 03:39 by Philip Brewer

Green Living

Stone Wall

Low interest rates generally lead to inflation, which is bad for everybody. But if inflation were really low, then low interest rates would tend to follow, and in that situation, low interest rates just might save the world.

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My car payments are too much! What should I do?

Posted July 29, 2007 - 17:22 by Andrea Dickson

Cars and Transportation

tire wheel

Last August, I decided to purchase my first new car ever. I had only ever owned used (and entirely paid-for) vehicles prior to this. I researched the type of car that I wanted and settled on a 2007 Mazda3. It's a sexy little hatchback. It's sporty, zippy, and has all the trimmings. Problem is, it's busting my budget. I decided to ask three of my favotire personal finance bloggers for advice on whether or not to sell.

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I'll have one Visa credit card, hold the APR

Posted 2 years ago by Andrea Dickson

Filed Under: Credit Cards

Why bother with middling details, like the interest rate? Just go ahead and get that card. Bank of America can help!

I do most of my banking at Bank of America. I don't adore Bank of America, but they've always been pretty good. Customer service is handy and friendly, and they've never really tried to screw me over. That's why I was surprised, while visiting my local branch, to see a big dry erase board behind the counter with the words "WANT 20,000 FREE AIR MILES? ASK US HOW!" written on it.

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How to Build Your Own Amortization Schedule

Posted 2 years ago by Julie Rains

Filed Under: Real Estate and Housing

project-ready couple

Looking for a dull, but financially eye-opening home project? Great! Today, we're going to build an amortization schedule. All the tools you need are: 1) an electronic spreadsheet with PMT (payment calculation), addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication capabilities (I use Excel) and 2) this guide.

Let me go ahead and answer the questions you may have after reading this guide and completing your project:

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Money Metaphors (You wouldn't punch a kitten, would you?)

Posted April 10, 2007 - 19:49 by Andrea Dickson

Personal Finance, Extra Commentary

Money, to me, is often something to just be tossed at problems. I don't look at my receipts after buying groceries. I don't worry about being charged too much, since I figure that carefully studying my receipts makes me look petty. In fact, this is an attitude that gets me nowhere. I don't protect my money. Maybe I would if I thought of it like a kitten.

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Get $25 FREE for opening a savings account with 5.05% interest. - UPDATED

Posted 2 years ago by Paul Michael

Filed Under: Investment

fat piggy bank

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