Browsing Tag »fee«

Emily’s list: Non-Violence Day edition

October 16, 2009

Sometimes the state of our personal finances can make us a little hostile. When you see how much you have lost in your retirement account due to a plunge in the stock market, you may want to throw a chair across the room. When you realize you’ve overdrafted your checking account, you may want to [...]

Fee-weary consumers to banks: We’ll see you in court

October 16, 2009

Banks in the United States have certainly had a rough year, amid a slew of high-profile failures, scrutiny from regulators and those angry torch-bearing borrowers congregating outside CEO castles. But some experts predict that domestic lenders could take even more heat, based on what has been already happening to credit card issuers overseas. In the United [...]

‘Bailout’ blues falling on deaf ears

October 16, 2009

I heard a song playing on the radio in Austin, Texas, one recent night that brought back memories of the classic blues music that I listened to growing up. Austin singer/songwriter Larry Shannon Hargrove belted out a bluesy tune called “I Need a Bailout” in the style of R&B greats Johnnie Taylor, Bobby Womack and Al Green. (You 20-somethings: [...]

Emily’s list: Boss’s Day edition

October 16, 2009

Today is Boss’s Day, an annual holiday celebrated in America. A bad boss can make your world a living hell, but a great boss can make your life much easier. Today is a time for employees to thank their superior for being a good and fair boss (though right now, I think it’s simply a [...]

Consumer Reports’ Credit Cards Worth Holding

October 16, 2009

In the November 2009 issue of Consumer Reports magazine, they had a rundown of “credit cards worth keeping.” This is an especially useful list now that terms are changing and many of us are considering moving on. Here are Consumer Reports’ picks: Balance-Transfer Cards Consumer Reports likes American Express Clear, PenFEd Visa Platinum and People’s United Bank [...]

MasterCard, Visa (Cauldrons) to 7-Eleven (Kettle): You’re so Black

October 16, 2009

Let’s play a quick game. Guess by who this comment was made and at whom: These companies “used deceptive language to trick their customers into signing something they thought would save them money.” (WSJ) You might think the party being accused of deceiving consumers with deceptive language was the very same industry that was recently [...]

Wednesday Links: The ripoffs continue, BofA charges annual fees and how to pay off your credit card debt with micropayments

October 16, 2009

Greetings, MYC readers. There’s a lot of buzz about credit cards this week and so I thought it’s time for another roundup. Here’s what’s in the news: Still Getting Screwed PressofAtlanticCity.com has a reader writing in to complain that, in spite of the new CARD Act, they are still getting jacked around by credit card companies, namely [...]

FICO vs. VantageScore and the Truth About Free Credit Scores

October 16, 2009

Ever have this happen?: you pull one credit score and you get say, 667 and then you pull it again from another bureau and get 573. Has something gone terribly wrong with your credit rating since you first pulled your report? Or have the agencies got you pegged all wrong? The answer is likely neither [...]

The MYC Link Roundup: Free Credit Scores, Debit Trends and More

October 16, 2009

Today, we’ll be taking a look at some essential and interesting links and articles from around the web on the topic of credit cards. With the economy in a rut and new credit card and banking legislation on the horizon, now is an especially important time to be aware of all the news and views [...]

Bank of America: The Nice Guys?

October 16, 2009

The results are in, and according to numerous studies, we’re pissed about our credit cards. We’ve had our credit limits slashed, our rewards cut back, our interest rates hiked and our coffers raided by fees, fees and more fees. Some vindication came in the form of the Credit CARD Act, but for the most part, [...]