Credit Card Offers

If you’re feeling a bit fuzzy about what prepaid cards can (and can’t) do for you, you’re not alone. There’s a lot of conflicting information out there right now. Let’s take a look at three common misconceptions and debunk a few myths.

Misconception #1: Prepaid cards can help you qualify for a credit card

  If you’re considering getting a prepaid card because you can’t qualify for a credit card, I understand your dilemma. But keep in mind that prepaid cards—that is, cards that don’t offer credit but are instead preloaded with your own money—will not help you qualify for an unsecured credit card. A secured credit card, on

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With the proliferation of debit cards, you just had to know that debit card fraud was close behind. While you may not have any control over hackers, phishers, or other thieves, there are plenty of things you CAN control that will help you avoid becoming a debit card fraud victim.

Don’t just check you bank balance, ask your bank if it offers banking alerts. Your bank will then contact you by email or text message when your specified activity occurs with your account.

By signing up for paperless bank statements you can reduce (or even eliminate) your chance of becoming a victim of debit card fraud since your bank account information can’t be stolen from your mailbox. Als

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International travelers can easily save up to 14.7% on currency exchange by using their credit cards. This has been found after a study was conducted by Card Hub. The US Dollar to Euro conversion rates were analyzed, where around 15 of the largest banks in the nation examined. MasterCard, Visa, and Travelex that are the largest airport currency exchange companies had showed that the lowest exchange rates were provided by credit cards. Consumers can save around 14.7% and 7.9% relative to airport services and banks respectively.

Card Hub’s study not only showed the benefits of currency exchange on credit cards but also that the best banks for conversion of currency were Harris Bank and the Northern Trust. B

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The interest rates on credit cards have reached a record high this week, as per the Weekly Rate Report. The APRs on new credit cards have risen to 14.91%, which is the highest level since the credit card website started tracking APRs on credit cards in 2007. The highest level was seen previously in the month of May where it had reached 14.85%.

This has been the second rise in 3 weeks and the national average has been pushed up by almost half a percentage point, which is higher than what it was in July 2010.

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Youve probably heard of the 120 minus your age diversification rule: subtract your age from 120 and thats how, as a percentage of your investments, much you should have invested in stocks. The rest should be in bonds. The idea behind that rule is that stocks are risky and bonds are safe. Are bonds really any safer than stocks?

At its core, a bond is a simple instrument. You are basically buying a debt instrument and loaning a company or municipal government or some other entity some money. The bond has terms like a regular interest payout (coupon rate), a life span, and a par (face) value.

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The rise of the smart phone has provided us with opportunities to do almost anything no matter where we are. Indeed, many of us take advantage of financial apps on our phones that allow us to track our spending and keep up with our accounts. There are even apps that allow you to store loyalty card and coupon barcodes on the phone for easy scanning. Banks offer apps that allow you to engage in different transactions via your cell phone. However, these apps have stopped short of being truly universal payment devices.

Until now. With the recent release of the Google Wallet, a new era is dawning for smart phone users.

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