Steadfast Finances

 Budgeting, Credit Cards, Debt Reduction         8 comments

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I drafted this article after spending two weeks of discussions with an old friend who finally acknowledged her debt was beginning to influence her behavior. By creating a budget and drawing up a plan to aggressively pay down her debt within 15 to 18 months, she now claims she can …

 Administration, Bargain Hunting, Saving Money         7 comments

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With my least favorite holiday behind us and my favorite holiday around three weeks away, I think it’s time to start discussing some new and clever ways to save a few bucks on Christmas gifts. I’m all about bargain hunting, but loath shopping, so I’ve been looking for novel ways …

 Banking, Consumer Education, Credit Cards         15 comments

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I’m convinced that the current administration will fail to significantly alter the regulatory framework that governs the investment banking community, as well as the fee based business model practiced by the institutional mega-banks. Regardless of the new regulations that will be drafted, or the old regulations that might be reinstated, …

 Credit Cards, ETFs, Index Funds         5 comments

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Charles Schwab wants to get into the index fund and ETF business. Badly!
In doing so, Schwab has created a series of funds to undercut the industry leader — Vanguard — by offering the lowest expense ratio ETFs and index funds on the market. With an expense ratio as low as …

 Consumer Education, Credit Cards, Risk Management         4 comments

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Have you ever wanted to buy that certain something from the Internet, but hesitated because you were fearful of having your credit card number stolen?
How about that post transaction anxiety you felt after giving away your credit card information over the phone? Are you 100 percent certain the person on …

 Banking, Credit Cards, Financial Crisis         No comments

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I’m a firm believer that the stock market will tell you the answer to nearly any financial related question if you know how to ask the question, and similarly, where to find the right answers.
So when someone posed the following question to me today, I did a little digging.
What happened …

 Frugal Living, Green Living, Personal Finance Tips, Savings Accounts         1 comment

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2008 sucked!  The only folks who seemingly made any money last year were the bankruptcy lawyers and the uber bears that shorted the market. 
Like most, I’m welcoming the new year a little more than usual.
That said, most of us have the pleasant (or foolish) belief that a new year brings new hopes and new …

 Bargain Hunting, Consumer Education, Real Estate         2 comments

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Every now and again, you stumble across one of those rare comic strips that compresses years of utter stupidity into ingenious simplicity.  At the same time, you hope it grabs your funny bone and gives it a good shake.
I found one of those this week with good ol’ Dilbert.

Now that …

 Credit Cards, Financial Crisis         15 comments

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I have officially been hit by the credit crisis.
According to a letter I received from Discover Card today, my credit card limit has been reduced by $2,500 ($7500 to $5000).  Even though I have an excellent credit score in the mid to high 700s, I’m not immune from a credit …

 Consumer Education, Personal Finance Tips         No comments

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It would appear that an old custom which predated the days of quick and easy credit has began a revival of sorts.  Albeit a small one.
Kmart has officially reinstated their layaway plan specifically for the Christmas Holiday Season.
If you’re too young to remember, a layaway plan is essentially a delayed …