Have you received a letter from your credit card company? (It might be bundled in the same envelope as your statement, or it might be delivered separately.) If so, be sure to read it. Why? Because, several credit card companies are changing their terms, rates, and policies. According to Credit Addict, both Citibank and American Express have recently made several changes. A summary of the changes made by American Express – * Cash advance APR is increasing to Prime + 17.99% * Late payment APR is increasing to Prime + 14.99% * Default APR is increasing to Prime + 23.99% * Foreign transaction fee is increasing to 2.7% A summary of the changes made by Citibank – * Purchase APR…
Continue Reading→Month: November 2008
The Financial Sky Is / Is Not Falling
According to ShopperTrak – the world’s foremost provider of shopper traffic counting information, technology and decision support software for businesses in the retail, gaming, hospitality and entertainment industries – Black Friday sales were up 3 percent this year over 2007. That’s right. With all of the news coverage about bailouts, mortgage failures, bankruptcy filings, and financial devastation – Americans spent 3 percent more this year than they did last year. Here’s the full press release from ShopperTrack – CHICAGO – November 29, 2008 – Despite a lagging economy that has left the retail industry collectively holding its breath, ShopperTrak RCT today reported the holiday shopping season got off to a healthy start as GAFO retail sales increased 3.0 percent over…
Continue Reading→Top 10 Ways To Save Money – Number 2 – Live On A Budget
Let’s take ten minutes and create your new budget for December. Write down your expected monthly income. (Use your take-home pay.) Write down your expected monthly expenses. Include everything – gasoline, groceries, rent, mortgage, insurance, food, clothing, gifts, miscellaneous, cell phones, credit card payments, etc. Need help? Look over your bank statements from the past couple of months. These should help you compile a pretty accurate list. Subtract expenses from income. Did you get a positive number? Good! This is the amount that you can budget for extra savings or extra debt reduction payments. Did you get a negative number? Not so good! This is the amount that you need to earn (in the form of more income) or reduce…
Continue Reading→