Credit Card Offers

Pouring the foundation is the first step in building a new house. Ensuring it is level, stable, and on solid ground is more important than any subsequent step in the building process. Your finances are no different. Setting up a stable financial foundation will be paramount in ensuring your finances are in good shape.

Fortunately, the steps towards establishing a sound financial foundation are very easy. The hard part is knowing what those steps are and, unfortunately, those aren’t taught in many schools. I

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You’ve probably heard that your most valuable asset is time. For new graduates, that line actually refers to two different ideas, both of which are critically important to understand. The first idea is that with few entanglements and draws on your time (mainly no kids), you can devote more of it to your career and engineer the largest advancements in your career.

The second refers to the power of compounding interest and that’s important to understand with regards to your retirement in forty+ years.

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Despite previous reports indicating credit card issuer Citibank and leading jeweler Zale would end their private label credit card relationship, wire services confirmed the lender will defer a $6 million penalty fee at the heart of the dispute.

The one-month agreement allows Zale more time to raise the capital it needs to fulfill obligations it made at the start of the companies’ contract. Hurt by slumping jewelry sales in a down economy, the private label credit card business failed to generate enough fees and finance charges to satisfy contractual minimums.

For Citi to continue offering instant credit in Zale’s retail stores, the jeweler must make up the difference between actual sales and the contract’s projections. O

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I’m sure you’ve heard about the TEA Party, “Taxed Enough Already,” and how they want change (if you haven’t, turn on the news!). Well, did you also know that, according to a USA Today’s article, we are paying the lowest amount of taxes in 60 years? Federal, state, and local taxes consumed 9.2% of all personal income in 2009, the lowest since 1950 and far below the 12% average of the last fifty years.

Remember, the tax brackets are just a starting point… after deductions and credits, very few people pay anything close to their marginal tax rate.

Here are this week’s choice cuts:

• 60 Minutes had a short piece today about strategic defaulting, where homeowners who are underwater on their mortgages willingly walk away from a loan. I ‘m OK with it

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If you are preparing your personal finances in order to apply for a loan or a credit card your credit report will used to make the decision. You can receive an absolutely free credit report if you would like to know what’s in it before you apply.

If you can keep a close eye on your credit report you will know before you apply for a loan whether there are any blemishes on your credit. Most negative items on a credit report can be fixed with a little diligence and follow through on your part.

Lenders and credit issuers make use of three major credit reporting agencies to help them in their decisions. Some lenders use only one, while some use two or even three. Read full post…

First it was Cash for Clunkers, then Cash for Appliances, and now “Cash for Caulkers” aims to boost the home construction sector as the next significant economic stimulus proposal to provide rebates and encourage home energy efficiency. Lawmakers in the House approved a $6 billion measure to reimburse homeowners up to 50% rebates on the cost of installing energy-efficient appliances and retrofit projects.

Formally known as the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act, “Cash for Caulkers” is a crowning piece of Obama’s strategy to create jobs and strengthen the economy. Homeowner

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