The use of plastic money in conducting business all over the world has changed the attitude of some people towards spending. It is so easy to whip out your card and charge whatever you want to buy without cash. Sad to say, plastic has taken the value of real money because when you pay for your purchases, it seems so hard to part with your hard-earned cash. Now, millions of people have become victims of debt but the good news is they can find credit card debt help.
You will find that help is readily available for people who need it. You just need to flip through newspapers and magazines and you will find numerous pages advertising companies offering help on problems related to credit card debts.
Flipping on television channels can also help. You can find similar advertisements offering help for debt-troubled individuals. The internet is another medium which offers you so many resources where to find help for your credit card problems. The subject of debt help is also being discussed in parliament. Read more…
Archive for the ‘US Finance World’ Category
Since moving, getting married, and all that jazz, there has been a pretty big change in one of my daily routines:
I hardly ever drive anywhere anymore.
Which means I’ve been walking like a madman all over Portland. Which is great in the summer, and even into the fall, but it’s getting colder now, and I hate being cold.
So I splurged and got a new bike! I love it. It’s really the first major discretionary purchase I’ve made in years besides my wife’s engagement ring.
Here she is:
I paid $975.93 + fenders, a helmet, lock and lights. Just over 1K.
I love riding this thing. I don’t mind walking to my office for example, but it takes about 15 minutes, and when it’s 40-degrees out and raining, I’d rather bike and make it in about 4 minutes.
I’ve also been riding around other parts of town and using it to strengthen my legs to get ready for winter. I want to try som
Oct
Dow Edges Up (Market Update)
Stocks bobbed between positive and negative territory Friday, marking a soft end to a strong October before next week’s Federal Reserve meeting and midterm elections.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 16 points, or 0.1%, to 11098, in recent trading.
Chevron and Merck led to the downside. Chevron fell 2.9% after the oil major’s third-quarter earnings and revenue missed analysts’ expectations. Merck dropped 2.2% as the company’s earnings excluding items topped Wall Street estimates, but revenue fell short of forecasts.
Microsoft was among the Dow’s best performers with a 1.7% rise. The software giant’s fiscal first-quarter profit climbed 51%, benefiting from a continued strong response to the Windows 7 operating system and Office 2010. Microsoft is also the Dow’s best performer this month, up 9.1% over the period.
The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 0.1% to 2510. The Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index edged down 0.1% to 1183.
By Kristina Peterson And Donna Kardos Yesalavich
Worry about the outlook for two corporate heavyweights and a weekend meeting of global finance officials kept pressure on the Dow Jones Industrial Average on Friday, but major stock indexes still gained on the week.
The Dow slid 14.31 points, or 0.13%, to 11132.56 in light volume to end the week as results from American Express and Verizon Communications raised questions about future profit growth.
Both reported better-than-expected earnings, but AmEx fell $1.24, or 3.1%, to $39.03 on concerns that it is seeing weak demand for new loans, and Verizon dropped 43 cents, or 1.3%, to 32.09 on investor disappointment over slowing wireless-subscriber growth.
However, the Dow managed to gain 0.63% for the week, its third week in a row of gains and seventh advance over the last eight weeks.
Strong earnings reports have helped set an upbeat tone for stocks.
Oct
How Much Savings Is Enough?
I’m running into a big dilemma. Granted, it is a very, very good dilemma to have. 2 years ago I never thought I would have this problem…
I’m thinking I need to start “investing” again.
Ughhhhgh. The whole thought of buying a stock again just makes me shiver. But at a certain point, the whopping 1.4% I’m earning in my high yield savings accounts just are not cutting it. CD Rates are absolute garbage, so no point looking there.
I’ve got now well more than enough of an emergency fund, and I know even have enough saved so that I could pay back the rest of the balance I owe my mother (down to around $90K now!).
I’ve already made a significant investment in Lending Club, so I don’t want to put any more money there.
What should I do? Should I bit the bullet and invest in some stocks? (My plan if I ever do this is to get the stock certificates from the purchases and lock them in a safety deposit box…that will make them hard to day trade!). Should I just keep
It is pretty much investing convention that a household should ideally set up an emergency fund of 3-6 months of fixed expenses. The question that rarely gets asked is when do you set up the emergency fund? Or, when do we pay down debt or build or augment an emergency fund?
“As soon as possible” or “always build and augment your emergency fund” is an ideal but sometimes impractical answer. For example, it would be nice for a 23 year old recent graduate to begin to accumulate an emergency fund. Problem is that most 23 year old years are probably trying to pay off student debt on a modest salary and an emergency fund is more of a want than a need at that point in their lives.
Like most things personal finance related, there is no size fits all answer. One wou
I just asked my (new) wife: “What should I write about?”
She said, “Money Etiquette….like who pays for what, and when”.
We are coming into wedding season for us (after just doing our own wedding this summer) and it’s an interesting topic that we’ve encountered quite a bit the past few months.
Here’s my number 1 rule of Money Etiquette
If someone wants to do something nice for you, and it isn’t a financial strain for them, let them.
In many cultures (not so much America) it is very rude to NOT accept a gift, or an offer of food, service, hospitality etc.
You would not believe how many of my parent’s mothers love having me over because I graciously accept their hospitality. Too often we say, “No, thank you, I’m fine” instead of “Oh yes, I’d love to have some of that cake you baked (even though I’m on a diet)”.
Now, when someone offers to cover the whole bill at a group dinner in a passive-aggressive manner, and they aren’t significantly more well off than the rest of the group…then make a little stink. The person is just trying to look goo
Strong earnings from Google powered the Standard & Poor’s 500 higher Friday, giving a big boost to the technology sector as the Internet-search giant leapt above the $600 mark.
Google jumped $60.52, or 11%, to $601.45, its highest close since January after the company posted a 32% rise in its third-quarter profit, topped analysts’ expectations. The climb in the company’s stock boosted its market capitalization by $19.1 billion as investors were encouraged to see Google finally indicating progress in developing other significant revenue streams beyond its dominance in online-search advertising.
Google’s report lifted the broader technology sector, with Apple rising 12.43, or 4.1%, to 314.74, Adobe Systems advancing 59 cents, or 2.2%, to 28.08, and Hewlett-Packard rising 69 cents, or 1.6%, to 42.82. The sector’s strength helped the Standard & Poor’s 500 index close in positive territory despite declines across financial stocks. The S&P 500 rose 2.38 points, or 0.20%, to 1176.19.