US Finance World

We’re back!

After a six-week hiatus, The Personal Finance Hour returns Monday afternoon with an easy-going episode in which Jim and I discuss what we’ve been doing since you last heard from us. (Short answer: Jim’s been trekking across Europe; I’ve been walking and biking all over Portland.)

We would love to have you call with questions and share your own experiences! What have you been doing lately to improve your financial position? Have you had any frugal fun this summer? This will be a fairly open-ended discussion, so feel free to share your story.

There are four ways to hear the show. You can listen through an audio feed at the show page, or you can dial the call-in number at (347) 327-9144. You can also listen through this widget:

Note that the widget always holds the archive of the most recent episode. So, rig

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Why Would You Want To Sell Your Gold Jewelry Anyway?

Perhaps you have a ring which no longer holds any value to you. That ring may hold enough value to someone else that they will be willing to buy it for a nice price. Perhaps it was gifted to you by an ex who you discovered had a penchant for shoplifting. Maybe the jewelry is hideous reminding you of a time when you had questionable fashion sense. However, selling your gold and diamonds for cash can be hard if you want to try to get even a decent proportion of the money you paid for the jewelry back. But if you are tight on money, then selling your gold can get you on the path to meet your goals. Get rid of that outdated, ugly, or broken jewelry you will never wear.

There are a few common ways to sell your gold. Typically, selling your gold is done through a gold broker, pawn shop, jeweler, or a home gold selling party. Selling your gold at a home with friends and family is much more social than just selling it in jewelry store or pawn shop.

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The world’s central banks are loath to take away the punch bowl. Lest you think otherwise, consider the path forged by the Reserve Bank of Australia.

After recently suggesting it might raise interest rates sometime soon, the bank had a change of heart. I quote from the minutes of its Aug. 4 meeting:

What causes inflation?

“A particular source of uncertainty was whether the recent growth in household spending was due mainly to temporary government handouts, in which case it would probably soon fade.”

We’ll see a variation of the Bloomberg headline for that story — “Australia’s RBA sees danger of raising rates too soon” — often in the days ahead. That’s because all of the central banks will be particularly reluctant to snuff out any “green shoots” in the economy.

And, when you remember that business is booming in Australia versus America (via its strong housing and commodity markets), you can only imagine how slow the Federal Reserve will be to take away the punch bowl here.

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If you’re reeling under the high cost of car insurance premiums, just think about how much it could cost you without it. If a cop pulls you over on the road and you don’t have auto insurance, you face big fines. And if your car is damaged in an accident, even a minor one, you may have to pay through the nose to get your car repaired. But you’ve gone over your budget and your premiums are killing you. Don’t worry; there are ways you can get discounts on your car insurance premiums from online insurers that could make it more affordable for you.

First, consider some things you could do which could enable you to cut your car insurance rates. For one, you could consider using public transport more often or car pool with your neighbors. Some insurers give discounts to car owners who drive a lower-than-average number of miles a year, on the theory that if you drive less you’re also less likely to get into an accident. Also, if

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