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Fixing the foreclosure crisis

Because homeowners are also voters, and because the subprime lending crisis threatens the whole economy, the federal government is trying to come up with ways to head off a massive

Credit Card Rewards Programs

A commenter on a recent article of mine on credit card usage, suggested a follow-up post with an eye to uncovering the mysteries of credit card rewards programs. And in my research, I discove [more]

They used to call it "loan workout"

It has never been unusual for borrowers to run into difficulty, and sometimes it becomes clear that a loan will never be repaid in full. The lender's job then is to recover as

This Season, Give Your Child the Gift of Fiscal Responsibility

Kids may think they know what they want to get for the holidays this year, but that doesn’t mean they have a

HOW MUCH?! The free stuff you’ll have to pay for, sooner or later.

I flew to New York for business over the weekend. As I looked at the list of $8 pay-per-view movies and $5 snacks available, my mind went back in time to a few years ago, when free

Grandpa’s Penny: “If you never spend it, you’ll never be broke!”

With the holiday season upon us, it seems everyone just wants us to buy. Apply my Grandpa's simple principle to avoid drowning in purchases.

Business Advice from a Billionaire

Someone who showed me unprecedented, unexpected kindness in a brief, but efficient, meeting years ago is now one of the world's richest people, according to Forbes magazine. You

Playing Around: Frugality as a Game

Most people don't find frugality fun. Describe a thing as frugal and people will tune out. Describe a person as frugal and he immediately seems uninteresting. However, this

AD&D Insurance: No Good, No Bad, Just Ugly

Accidental Death And Dismemberment insurance. Wow – doesn’t that sound just lovely? I mean, at least Life insurance has a euphemistic name (they call it “Li

Product Feedback Is Worth Your Time

Taking time to give quality feedback is an opportunity that can often reap great rewards. Go ahead and let companies know how you feel.

Living within your means isn't nasty

How bad could things get? The New York Times asked that question about the economic situation. It's a good question, but they gave a really bad answer.

On Cyber Monday, Don't Miss a Single Coupon Code

RetailMeNot gadgets can smoothe your online bargain-hunting experience on Cyber Monday. Which will come in handy if you're trying to get your holiday shopping done before the b

25 Great Gifts for $5 or Less

Need some non-crafty, hardly homemade gift ideas, all for less than $5? Here are 25 with something suitable for nearly everyone on your gift list.

The sinking dollar, as viewed from overseas

To someone in the US, the decline in the value of the dollar has mainly made itself felt up to now in the form of increases in the prices of globalized commodities--everything from

Revive Old Toys for Extra Christmas Savings (and Sanity)

It has officially begun. My four-year-old has tuned out the real world in favor of loud Saturday morning commercials advertising the best of mu

Black Friday...black in more ways than one

Today, November 23rd, is Black Friday. A day that as a Wisebread writer and bargain hunter I love. There are deals everywhere, we all get a chance to save a bit of dough before

This Year’s Hot Toy is Next Year’s Trash

Our commitment to saving money has always prevented my family from buying the current year’s “Hot” toys. Every year that I hold tight to the de

Doubling Your Money with the Rule of 72

Did you ever wonder how financial professionals can so quickly mentally calculate how much money you’ll have in 30 years based on an investment return? Seems like magic, huh? Well,

10 Tasty Ideas for Leftover Turkey

So it's The Day of the Turkey (at least here in the US) and we all know there will be leftovers. Since I can only eat so many TLT (Turkey, Lettuce, and Tomato) sandwiches, I&#

High-End Content for WWW Prices

Why are you reading this blog post when you could be reading acclaimed journalism or award-winning authors for free? Well, blogs like this one are good for money-saving tips. Bu