Consumer News

How Your Credit Score Impacts Your Car Insurance Rates

Thumbnail image for How Your Credit Score Impacts Your Car Insurance Rates by Guest Post May 15, 2012

Your car insurance rates are determined by many different factors. You know the obvious ones, of course: the make, model and year of your vehicle, your driving record, and where you live. What you may not know, however, is that in most states insurance companies actually use another method to determine your car insurance rates, [...]

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Economic Sexism Lives On… and On

Thumbnail image for Economic Sexism Lives On… and On by Janice Conard May 7, 2012

When I entered the workforce full time in the early 1980s, I was shocked to learn that I could expect to earn only a little over 60 cents for every dollar brought in by men with my qualifications. It’s called the gender pay gap, and anyone who says it no longer exists has his head [...]

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Electric Cars and the Debate Over the Gas Tax

Thumbnail image for Electric Cars and the Debate Over the Gas Tax by Guest Post April 26, 2012

Electric car technology has increasingly become a more viable option for manufacturers and car buyers in recent years. Because the technology is still new and cars are expensive, many are hesitant to shell out for an all-electric vehicle. Although many drivers believe this to be the exciting wave of the future, the development of the [...]

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Overdraft Fees – Will Big Banks be Investigated?

Thumbnail image for Overdraft Fees – Will Big Banks be Investigated? by Kasey Steinbrinck April 23, 2012

It’s been almost two years since new rules concerning overdraft fees went into effect. But it doesn’t seem like a whole lot has changed. Banks are still raking in almost as much money as they were before the regulations where in place. Now the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) says it will review practices and investigate [...]

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Don’t Blame Victims for Student Debt Run Amok!

Thumbnail image for Don’t Blame Victims for Student Debt Run Amok! by Janice Conard April 13, 2012

Yesterday’s Time Moneyland article, College Students Are Credit Card Dunces, by Martha C. White, ticked me off.  Talk about blaming the victim! Her angle:  “So, just how dumb are kids these days?” White cites Financial Literacy and Credit Cards: A Multi Campus Survey, which found that only 14.6 percent of students knew their credit card [...]

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How Tricky Advertising Creates False Memories

Thumbnail image for How Tricky Advertising Creates False Memories by Kasey Steinbrinck April 9, 2012

I’ve been told I have a super-powered, amazing memory, especially when it comes to my childhood. Family members (mostly my mom) marvel at how well I can recall details from Christmases, birthday parties and stories of hilarious hijinks I pulled as a mischievous little kid. But do I really have a good memory, or is [...]

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Will Mobile Payments Kill The Credit Card?

Thumbnail image for Will Mobile Payments Kill The Credit Card? by Guest Post March 23, 2012

Modern technology has changed the way we pay. We are no longer bound to use cash or personal checks for all our purchases. Credit cards, debit cards and online payment capabilities have made it more convenient than ever to pay for goods and services. It’s a pretty safe bet that checks will disappear over time. [...]

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Are the Economics of Daylight Saving Time True?

Thumbnail image for Are the Economics of Daylight Saving Time True? by Janice Conard March 12, 2012

This year Daylight Saving Time (DST) started so early that yesterday morning when I noticed my alarm clock was an hour behind our atomic clock, we assumed a dying battery was the culprit! It was only when we saw another clock that was also lagging that we consulted a 2012 calendar and realized that  yesterday [...]

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Should You Be an Early Adopter or a Laggard?

Thumbnail image for Should You Be an Early Adopter or a Laggard? by Kasey Steinbrinck March 8, 2012

When it comes to the acceptance of new technology, two types of people make up the extremes. There are those who rush out to buy the latest gadget – even camping out next to stores to be  first in line. Then there are the more skeptical folks who take a “wait and see approach” to [...]

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Why Buying a Used Car is Smarter Than Ever

Thumbnail image for Why Buying a Used Car is Smarter Than Ever by Kasey Steinbrinck February 28, 2012

New vehicles start depreciating in value as soon as you drive them off the lot. That’s always been one of the biggest arguments for purchasing a used car instead of a brand new one. But then there is also the fear that your “pre-owned” vehicle was previously owned by a complete idiot who didn’t take [...]

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