Banking


Time to Switch Banks? - October 20, 2011

Have you wondered recently if you should find another bank?  If you’re like me, you started receiving letters a month or so ago saying there are new fees coming your way.  My bank was going to begin charging me a few dollars per month if I used my debit card, which I frequently do.  Of course, the new fees are the result of the Durbin Amendment that recently went into effect.

Do You Waste Money? - July 14, 2011

I recently was reading an edition of my Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine, and I came across an article that listed various ways we waste money.  I don’t know about you, but that type of topic grabs my attention.

Protecting Your Identity - April 28, 2011

Whenever there's a lot of fear, there also seems to be a lot of misinformation, and sometimes good information is mixed in with bad. This is certainly the case with identity theft, which now, according to a 2007 survey of the Federal Trade Commission, counts some 8 million people a year as victims.

 

So what can you do? A recent viral e-mail, purportedly sent out by a corporate attorney who had been victimized, offered some advice. The web site "Scambusters" analyzed the advice and did a little research, and found that some of the points were good ones, and clarified others. By combining the attorney's advice with the web site's, we can offer some tips on how to protect yourself. The good news is that most of it is common sense, and the rest is not that complicated.

 

Get Past the Roadblock to Budgeting - February 1, 2011

I don't know if you're the type of person that cringes when you hear the word budget. Of course, there are a few people who actually have a budget and rigorously work to maintain it and control spending.