All Entries in the "Discussion" Category

There have been enough limelight on the usage of credit cards, which have always been in the news and loads of advices have been published in this regard. Yet the list seems to fall short as they fail to cope up with their burgeoning credit problems.  Now when BB&T sits art the top in dictating free checking, and has recently announced to end it, it has created a tumultuous situation among the common mass. People are now desperately finding ways to come out of the high interest rate debts. To bring an end to this unrest among the individuals prepaid debit cards seem to be the only relief. A fresh new trade group has come up with prepaid debit cards that solicit to end the credit problem. These debit cards are stuffed with funds and the loaded funds can be used as the normal debit cards  [...]

Ok, so I can be a heartless so and so with a special place reserved in hell for me because I cracked a joke about funerals. Go cry me a river if that offended you. The fact is that I like to meet adversity with a bit of humor because it’s all that keeps me from going completely batty. Now, let’s get a bit serious and touch upon the somewhat sordid topic of funeral costs. These costs vary from one state to the net, but generally speaking the cost of having a funeral in the United States falls in the range of $12,000 - $15,000. All of this is of course dependent on your choices for the funeral. The more you want, the more you have to pay (obviously!). Presently, there are pre-paid insurance plans out there to take care of these funeral costs for you, but make sure to read through the policies  [...]

The culture of instant gratification that we have created for ourselves has ended up spawning most of the problems that we have faced as a nation and as an economy. The fact that we can’t deny ourselves instant gratification is a cause of worry; most Americans just don’t know how to live within their means. There is this crazy roller coaster of spending and saving that Americans regularly ride on. We spent more than we could afford to (much more) and then saved a whole lot more than we should have. Now that people are saying the worst is behind us, we are getting back towards spending as if there is no tomorrow. It’s a bit insane if you ask me. Personally, I’m not entirely sure the American consumer is spending like they did previously. There is still an air of caution hanging over  [...]

Chances are that if you own an investment account of some sort and wish to have it transferred it somewhere or the other, the brokerage in question will charge you a fee to do so. They can call it whatever they want to, but for you it is nothing more than an opportunity cost. And if you want to transfer money into a Tax Free Savings Account, you can possibly transfer your investments into this Tax Free Savings Account of yours in the New Year. If you managed to transfer money into one of these accounts in December itself, you can then retransfer it into a brand new Tax Free Savings Account in January and avoid paying the transfer fee that would be charged to you. Some call it the December Shuffle, I’ve seen some call it the sideways shuffle and I’ve even seen one imaginative soccer and  [...]

Remember this and remember it well; there is such a thing as overkill. I've been to homes that have been the textbook definition of overkill during the festive season. Most of these homes look less like a festive celebration than a drunken festive orgy in which several seasons worth pf joy were regurgitated all over the place, most of it mistaken for festive cheer. I mean, come on now; singing wreaths? Really, guys? And what's with those electric candles and the life size figure of Santa? It's creepy, you know. And I haven't even gotten around to discussing the main decorating items that have got my goat! I just thought to myself, someone needs to give these guys home decorating tips, and I just figured why the heck can't I do that? And so here I am. Talking about home decorating tips in  [...]

I recently had a bit of a torrid discussion with some friends of mine, all of this centered around a question I threw very innocently out there. “Do you actually hate your debt?” The responses I got ranged from “hate is a very strong word” to “stop being a buzz-kill” to “it’s something you bring upon yourself, so no”. Now, just for the record, I do not hate my debt. In my mind, I know that my debt was something I brought upon myself, so there is no way I’m going to feel that I have been wronged in any way. Hate is a very all-encompassing word, a bitter, harsh word. It cuts like a knife when a kid runs away from you screaming, “I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU!!!!!” Now, I’m a reasonably passionate guy, and its hard for to be objective since I always tend  [...]

The idea of frugality doesn’t really get me all excited. However, it’s simply a routine now. More important, it’s a means to an end. Frugality helps you save money every month. But your efforts wouldn’t be worth if you don’t plan what you would do with saved money. Saving or earning lots of money is great. But if you don’t use your money appropriately, what’s the whole point of saving? All right, since we have started discussing this issue, let me ask you, why have you planned to become frugal? Do you have a specific goal on mind? Most of us adopt frugality either because they don’t want to work more or they have a financial goal to meet. Many people argue having a passive income is better than being frugal. While that might be true, why don’t they consider doing both?  [...]