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The U.S. Open is in full swing, and ticket resellers are serving great deals—at least if you’re interested in catching players in early rounds before the competition really heats up.

Prices for the first rounds of the tournament, which began Monday and wraps up Sept. 12, are lower than last year’s. First-round tickets are currently going for $109, a 13% decrease, according to ticket-search site FanSnap.com. Even quarterfinals prices, at an average $247 per ticket, are 12% cheaper than in 2009.

Like other major sporting events, the U.S. Open is still recovering from consumers’ cutbacks during the recession. “Dema

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A while back I did a post about the death of the “high yield savings account“.

Now, over a year later, rates are only lower.

Yep, the days of a 4-5% yield for an online savings account are gone. But will they ever return?

Not any time soon, say most economists.

2010 has been a year of massive withdrawals by investors from equities (stocks) and into more conservative investments (bonds, treasuries, CD’s, etc).

And it’s a simple law of supply and demand. There is lots of supply of money going into these lower yielding investments, which in turn, drives yields even lower.

So don’t expect to see rates on savings accounts up anytime soon. The fed p

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It’s perhaps no surprise that Robert Eckert’s office looks more like a toy store than an executive suite. There’s a trove of Barbies on the floor near the door, a giant Winnie the Pooh nearby and a huge display of Hot Wheels and Masters of the Universe action figures. Behind his desk, there are even a few dolls in his likeness, including a “Bob Barbie” with gray hair, dress shirt and mini employee badge.

Yet even after a decade at the helm of the world’s largest toy company, Eckert, 56, says he still doesn’t know what children really want. Every winter, he tries to predict a best-selling “toy of the year”-and his record is hit or miss.

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Many people have considered consolidating the debt that they have accumulated on credit cards in an effort to pay off their debt faster and preserve their credit scores.

A large percentage of consumers that have considered consolidation an option have decided against it because they simply did not understand the process. Before making any decisions about consolidating your unsecured debt, take some time to learn about what it truly is.

“…Debt consolidation companies work for consumers and contact the consumers’ creditors on their behalf. These companies try to negotiate lower interest rates, a reduction in fees, and sometimes a reduction in the overall balance. The n Read more…

A fire is not only emotionally devastating and life threatening, it can be financially devastating, as well.

Even with great insurance you may find yourself having to pay out of pocket for things you didn’t have covered or for unexpected expenses. If you don’t have insurance, or not enough enough insurance, you could be out hundreds of thousands of dollars. And, in the worst case, if a fire you cause injures someone else or damages their property you could be liable for millions of dollars. The best way to prevent these losses is with simple fire prevention. Mos

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