Archive for November, 2009
Banks Offer New Products To Offset Overdraft Regulations
Overdraft penalties can be a major pain for consumers who have trouble balancing their check book. Offered as a “courtesy” from many banks, overdraft protection is available to ensure withdrawals are paid regardless of whether or not you have the money available in your account to cover these transactions. As a result many consumer groups [...]
US Economy: Slower Recovery Than First Reported
Today the US Commerce Department released solid figures for the third quarter. They reported that the US Economy only grew by 2.8% last quarter (July-Sept). Originally it was thought to have grown 2.8%. While the economy is showing signs of recovery, it is a slow, struggling battle. On the positive side, after four quarters in [...]
New Mammogram Guidelines Cause Controversy
The United States Preventive Service Task Force recently released new recommendations for women in regards to when they should start getting mammograms. The task force’s recommendations say that women should start breast cancer mammogram screenings at age 50. Women should then biannually receive mammograms through age 74. After age 75 they recommend for women to [...]
Possible Regulations of Bank Overdraft Policies Upcoming
In a bill currently in front of congress for review, the Overdraft Protection Act of 2009 would “amend the Truth in Lending Act to establish fair and transparent practices related to the marketing and provision of overdraft coverage programs at depository institutions, and for other purposes.” (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-3904) Did you know that many banks currently process [...]
Consumers Lose on Hair Loss Company
Hair loss can be a traumatic experience for a man or a woman. Most people would do anything or spend any amount of money to re-grow thinning or balding hair. Looking for a natural cure to hair loss, many Illinois consumers turned to the Natural Hair Growth Institute headquartered in Chicago. The company claims its [...]
Travel During The Holidays and Pay Double for Your Stuff
With the holiday season already being touted in stores playing Christmas songs, it may be that time to start checking into the travel costs for gathering with family and friends. As travel costs continue to steadily increase, travelers this holiday season can expect to pay double or more just to take their luggage with them. [...]
Consumers Choose Cash Over Credit
Starting in February of 2010 credit card companies will no longer be allowed to suddenly increase penalty fees and interest rates and as a result they are taking advantage of what little time is left. Not a good thing for the consumer. Lawmakers have been sending letters to the credit card companies asking them to [...]
Overuse of Household Sanitizers Could Cause Health Problems
Our homes can never be too clean, right? Thanks to research and technology we now know a lot more about germs, disease and preventing the spread of sickness than generations that came before us. As a result many homes are stocked with sanitizers and disinfectants that can be used to clean all surfaces and fabrics [...]
Worst is Yet to Come With Possible “Double-Dip” Recession
The outlook on the recession continues to be bleak. With another 200,000 jobs lost in October, 2009, the unemployment rate now sits at 10.2%. According to the New York Daily News, if you figure in the partially employed and “discouraged” workers, the figure actually sits at 17.5%. The numbers are bleak, and not looking to [...]
Thanksgiving is the Busiest day for Travel: Here’s How Traveling in 2009 is Different
Thanksgiving is traditionally the most traveled holiday of the year. Digital marketing firm Zeta Interactive conducted a survey and found that 84% of people are positive about holiday travel – with buzz words like “enjoy”, “rest” and “relax” surrounding blog posts about 2009 travel plans. Last year, the same marketing firm found only about 68% [...]
General Motors Positioned to Make a Come back
During the majority of the 20th century, General Motors was one of the automobile industry’s biggest companies. General Motors was the largest car maker in the world between 1931 and 2008 (surpassed by Toyota in 2008). By fall of 2008, General Motors was begging the government for it’s share of the bailout to stay afload [...]
Shop Early Before Inventory Disappears
In the past, retailers have prepared for the holiday shopping season by stocking their shelves with plenty of backup products safely tucked away in the storeroom. Each year a new “must have” product reigns supreme with consumers willing to wait hours just for the chance to get their hands on the season’s prized possession. This [...]
Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) News Users Could Lose Access to News Corp (NASDAQ:NWSA) Papers, Others
Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) News, Topix and other news search services have replaced the morning newspaper for many consumers, but one titan in the media industry won’t have any of it. Rupert Murdoch, CEO of News Corporation, recently commented to one its news channels that he might remove News Corp. paper’s content from Google’s index in [...]
Tips for Using Your Credit Cards Wisely for Black Friday and Cyber Monday
Despite an economy that’s still struggling, the majority of Americans are still planning to use their credit cards during the holiday shopping season – starting with Black Friday and Cyber Monday. In a survey conducted by MarketLive and the E-Tailing Group released on October 19th, it was found that more than half of consumers surveyed [...]
Don’t have a 401(k) plan at work? Do a ROTH IRA.
Currently about 50% of American workers have employers that offer some form of retirement plan, whether it be a 403(b) plan, a 401(k) plan, the thrift savings plan or even a Roth 401(k), but there’s still a significant percentage of people that don’t have any form of employer sponsored retirement plans. Employers that do offer [...]
40% of Employers Check Applicants’ Credit Scores, Despite Lack of Correlation with Job Performance
More of your personal information is available for potential employers to check on than at any time in history. Employers are checking social networking profiles, websites, and even credit scores to check out how their potential employees might perform. Although there’s not any hard statistics available, the best guess is that anywhere from 40-50% of [...]
How to Reduce Your Grocery Bill by Canning Your Own Food
Americans are remarkably resilient and adapter consumers, often times much more than we’re given credit for. As shoppers are looking for new and innovative ways, some have moved to planting their own gardens as a means to supplement their weekly shopping trip to the grocery store and have an affordable source of organic vegetables. The [...]
Kmart Black Friday Deals Released
Looking for Black Friday deals? Kmart’s Black Friday list of deals has been released. Without further adieu, here are Kmart’s Black Friday deals. Items categorized as “Door Busters” have been marked with an asterisk. Automotive Comfort Cushion w/Heat Massage – $17.49 DieHard 10/2/50 Fully Automatic Battery Charger – $39.99 DieHard Wheeled Battery Charger/Starter – $69.99 [...]
Lowe’s (NYSE: LOW) and Sears (NASDAQ:SHLD) Black Friday Ads Released
As Thanksgiving gets closer, bargain hunters are scouring the web for various “Black Friday” ads. Although most of the ads aren’t available yet, both Lowe’s (NYSE: LOW), Sears (NASDAQ:SHLD) and Old Navy’s Black Friday ads have been released in some form or the other. Lowe’s is taking advantage of the Black Friday hype and posting [...]
Thefts at Open Houses Return to Real Estate Market
An old scam is making its rounds again in the world of real-estate. During an open house, criminals may work in tandem with one of the criminals distracting the realtor while the other rifles around the house looking for jewelry and other valuable items. Often, the criminals may arrive separately within minutes of one another [...]
Don’t Wait for the Supreme Court, Save on Mutual Fund Expenses Today
The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing a case regarding the disparities in fees that consumers pay on mutual funds compared to largest institutional investors, but you shouldn’t wait for a court ruling to lower your investment expenses. Instead, review your existing investments and use these tips to save on your overall investment costs. First, you [...]
Systems Engineer the “Best Job in America” According to CNN Money
The U.S. unemployment rate is currently somewhere between 10% and 16% depending upon what statistic you believe and many are hurting for work, but there are some people that are making it through the recession and general economic downturn without too much trouble, depending on their job situations and the industries that they’re in. CNN [...]
Car Buyers Show New Declines in Brand Loyalty, Hurting US Auto Manufacturers, including GM (NYSE: GRM), Ford (NYSE: F) and Chrysler.
A new report from CNW Research indicates that car buyers have all bust lost any sense of brand loyalty they once had, dragging down profits of General Motors (NSE: GRM), Ford (NYSE: F) and Chrysler. Historically, it was generally a given that new car buyers would likely buy the brand that they are already driving, [...]
Pets Latest Victims Of The H1N1 Virus
Concerns surrounding the spread of the H1N1 virus now includes household pets. The first official case of the swine flu in a cat has been confirmed by Iowa health officials. It appears a thirteen year old family cat that lives indoors has contracted the H1N1 virus from someone living in the home. This is the [...]
Green Labels Do Not Guarantee Green Products
In recent years the green movement has gained momentum as more people understand the importance of preserving the earth. The more we learn about how our actions affect the planet, the more people are making a conscious decision to live a greener lifestyle. Whenever there is a shift in consumer habits, new services and products [...]
T-Mobile Unveils $49 Per Month “Even More Plus” Unlimited Phone Service.
T-Mobile has launched a new calling plan under its “Project Black” marketing initiative, which T-Mobile is now referring to as “Even More.” The new calling plan will allow customers basic unlimited calling for just $49.99 a month, putting another nail in the coffin for the “bucket of minutes” model, where consumers pay for a set [...]
How to Sell Unwanted Gold Jewelry Without Getting Ripped Off
We’ve all seen late night television ads for services that promise to turn you unwanted gold jewelry and turn it into cash. Some of us have even been invited to “gold parties” where we can bring our gold and trade them in for cash, but attending gold parties and using mail-in services the best way [...]
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