Articles on Consumer Affairs

Why You Can't Stick with a Budget

A good budget is the best tool for reaching your financial goals. If you've ever begun a budget only to give it up days, weeks or months later, or know someone who has, you need to

How You Know When It's Time For Bankruptcy

When it comes to erasing debt, you've got options. You can do it yourself, go to a credit counselor, try debt settlement or go for the nuclear bomb of debt destruction: bankruptcy.

Solving a Debt Dilemma with Debt Settlement

Paying half a bill is better than paying it all. But is going to a debt settlement company the way to do it? Understand how these companies work, then decide for yourself.

Dealing With Debt: Credit Counselors

There are three heavily advertised ways to find help to dig out of debt: credit counseling, debt settlement and bankruptcy. Which is best? Let's find out, starting with a closer lo

Extended Car Warranties: 3 Things to Know

Extended car warranties can keep you from wrecking the family budget. But you need to shop them as carefully as you do your car. Here are three things to look for.

Flying With Valuables? Keep Them Safe And Carry A Gun!

Worried about the safety of your valuables when you fly? Carry a gun and you'll keep them safe.

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

You did WHAT with my SSN?

My bank thinks I should feel comfortable with one of their employees toting around a personal notebook containing my social security number. Should I?

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

How to Prevent Identity Theft

Identity theft is a growing concern: with surprisingly little information, a thief can do lasting harm to your credit score and bank accounts. However, there are steps that you can

Credit Scores

Maintaining a good credit score is important, no matter what your financial goals are.

Uglify Your Stuff To Keep It Safe

I buy things based on how they look as well as what they do. But what attracts you to objects also attracts thieves. And so, has the time come to "uglify your stuff?"

‘Tis The Season To Get A Speeding Ticket! Are You Next?

Yes, speeding tickets suck. And yes, they’re also a necessary deterrent; they come not just with fines and points on your license, but insurance rate hikes. This is also the time o

Is MagicJack a Scam?

MagicJack is a device that claims to offer unlimited local and long distance calling for just $20/year. Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? I decided to dig around for myself.

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

Free $10 on Amazon (or Why to Read Fine Print)

Want to get a free $10 on Amazon.com? Last week I ordered some electronics on Amazon. There was a "special offer" for a free Wired magazine subscription. It turns out I could opt o

My Bank Stole My Grocery Money

My bank charged me almost $100 in overdraft fees, even though my bank statement never went negative. As one of my colleagues here at Wise Bread reported last week, banks use this s

Can Your Spending Patterns Affect Your Credit?

Regardless of how fiscally cautious and responsible you are as a credit card holder, you may still be curious to know just how much credit card companies know about you through you

How to Shop Online Safely

With the uptake in online shopping, so does online crime. Thankfully, there are a few easy things we can do to avoid becoming a victim of it.

Da' Buy World: Considering "Blue Saturday"

The hard truth behind pop culture trends such as Black Friday, is that saving money on items you don't need because of a price drop, is still a net loss. While many shopped until t