The Most Reliable Cars in 2012

There are a lot of cars to choose from out there, and they come in all sorts of price ranges. Along with those prices, though, is the consideration that not all cars – even within the same price range – are going to be equal. Every now and then a manufacturer puts out a lemon, and it is going to need a considerable amount of repairs and costs to keep it running. Before you buy your next car, it is important that...

You Have Less Money in Your Checking Account Than You Think – How Banks Maximize Fees by Reordering Overdrawn Checks

Most banks and financial institutions provide account holders with a debit card. These cards are generally used as cash and immediately take money out of your bank account when used.  The bank, however, treats each of debit card use as if you had written a check.  Just like with a check, a debit card transaction can cause you to overdraw your checking account.  Furthermore, your bank may have a policy that...

Know Your Issuer’s Policies on Debit Card Overdrafts

Two years ago, banks were ordered by congress to provide consumers with easy to understand rules concerning banks fees, including those for debit card overdrafts. Further, banks were to make “overdraft protection” an opt-in feature of checking accounts so that the consumer could decide if the protection and costs were something they wanted. The Pew foundation, a charitable foundation that studies and makes...

Five Financing Tips for Used Car Buyers

While the great recession continues its slow way to recovering a bright spot for consumers is that lenders are beginning to lend money for car buyers. While the American made new car market especially is growing, many folks have been scared by economic hard times and have damaged credit ratings. For them, it is probably easier to buy a used car. Sure, the interest rates will be a bit higher, but the amount of the...

It’s Now Fashionable to Make Extra Money by Having a Garage Sale

I remember when I first encountered the term “used cars”. It connoted doubts and worry. Then I heard the term “pre-owned” cars. Before I knew it, my upscale neighbor in the McMansion was driving a “luxury pre-owned vehicle” and boasting about his great deal.  Cars were officially okay to be pre-owned, but would “gently used” items also come into vogue? As a garage sale enthusiast, I certainly hoped...

Getting an Auto Loan When You Have Bad Credit

Anyone who has read a newspaper or watched television news knows that lenders are not lining up to make auto loans when you have bad credit. If your car is past repair, it is a challenge to get financing for a new car with bad credit. However, it is not impossible and car buyers must manage their expectations. First an Overview Folks with bad credit cannot afford to drive brand new luxury cars. They are too...

Ten Tips to Reduce Your Gas Bill

Next to food, air and water, most of us require regular trips to the gas station for our other life necessity – gasoline. Gas has become so expensive there will soon be armed guards at every gas station protecting the supply of gas and the cash in the register. As gas is now so costly, everyone is trying to save on its use. While buying a fuel-efficient car is one way of reducing fuel costs, it is an option that...

Can a Credit Report Affect Your Chances for a Job?

Increasingly, employers have been requesting that job applicants consent to a credit check for hiring purposes. Applicants do not have to consent to a credit check. If they do, they should be aware of the dangers of authorizing their credit report to be released. Applicants should also know their rights, and how their credit report could disqualify them for a job. The first danger that applicants face is that the...

The Time to Budget is Now!

According to The National Foundation For Consumer Credit Counseling, Americans are not very adept at budgeting. Despite a staggering $900 billion dollars that the American consumers have incurred in revolving debt, over half of Americans do not have a budget to guide them. That’s right, 56 percent do not have monthly budgets – no wonder so many of us run out of money before we run out of month! But, the truth is...

Six Tips To Avoid Fees on Your Bank Debit Card

When you open a bank account today, the bank will usually issue a debit card also known as an ATM card or “check card”. A debit card looks like a credit card, acts like a credit card but is not a credit card. A debit card withdraws money from your bank account and does not extend you a credit line as a credit card does. Debit cards are convenient, you do not have to carry much cash on you, used properly you only...