banks - The Fun Times Guide to Personal Finance

How Your Debt-To-Credit Ratio Affects Your FICO Score & Home Buying Potential

With the current economic conditions, the housing market is wide open for qualified buyers. Interest rates are at their lowest in decades. Combine that with all the government-sponsored incentives, and the time to buy your first home is right now! Of course qualifying for that 30-year fixed rate mortgage will require your credit rating to be higher than what was acceptable just a couple of years ago. Did you know that your credit rating score depends on more than just the fact that you've been … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Home / Health / Auto, Jobs & Money, `Popular Tagged With: banks, credit rating, debt relief, home buying, loans

Tips For Negotiating Closing Costs When Buying A New House Or Refinancing Your Current Home

According Ray Martin, the Early Show's financial guru, average home closing costs are between $2,500 and $3,500. Depending on the amount of your loan, your closing costs could be much higher. Typically, closing costs run between 3% and 5% of your loan amount, so if you're borrowing $100,000 you can expect closing costs of $3,000 to $5,000. If you're borrowing $200,000 you can expect closing costs of $6,000 to $10,000. Source As Martin points out in the above video, some closing costs … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Home / Health / Auto, Jobs & Money, `Popular Tagged With: banks, home buying

5 Reasons To Use A Safe Deposit Box + 5 Reasons To Think Twice About What You Keep There

You put your money in a bank. You put your food in a refrigerator. You put your clothes in a closet. Where do you put your jewelry, your rare stamps or coins, or your important papers? These items belong in a safe deposit box. A safe deposit box is a miniature safe-like box inside a bank. These boxes are vaulted and sealed for the ultimate safety and protection of your items. Here are 5 pros and 5 cons to storing valuables in a safe deposit box... … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Home / Health / Auto, Jobs & Money, `Popular Tagged With: banks, death and dying, homeowners insurance, insurance, saving money, Spousal issues, wills

Checking Accounts 101: The Best Way To Find A Bank With High Interest Checking

Do you keep a large amount of money in your checking account? If you do, you may want to consider moving it to a high interest checking account. There are several banks that offer high interest checking, but figuring out which one is the best one for you can be a little tricky. That is unless you use Checking Finder. Checking Finder is an online tool to find banks that are offering high interest checking. The main goals behind CheckingFinder is to help you find free checking accounts from … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Budgeting Tips & Debt Relief, Jobs & Money Tagged With: banks, frugal tips

Easy Tips On Saving Money… Painlessly!

It's hard to save money in a world where the economy isn't doing so well. But the fact of the matter is saving money is not as hard as you might think. There are some ways that you can save money that are completely painless and will help you to gather a nest egg in case the worst happens -- like you get laid off. Check out these 7 tips for saving money painlessly. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Budgeting Tips & Debt Relief, Jobs & Money Tagged With: banks, saving money

3 Reasons Automatic Bill Pay May Not Be For You

There's no question that automatic bill pay is convenient. But is it for everyone? I don't think so. Personally, I'm not a big fan of automatic bill pay myself -- because it's too easy for your bank account to get messed up. Since you have to monitor your bank account closely when you use automatic bill pay, for me it's just easier to mail a check, or pay online when I know the money is there. And, I'm not the only one who feels that way. These hidden dangers of automatic bill pay may be enough … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Budgeting Tips & Debt Relief, Jobs & Money Tagged With: banks, monthly bills and utilities

Fun Ways To Keep Track Of Your Money Online, On The Go, And At Home

Of course, the best way to keep track of your money is to know where all of it is at any one time.One of the easiest ways to do that is to use a handy dandy program, application, or template that makes managing your money FUN! Here are a few examples:Ace Money LiteiBank for MacDave Ramsey Allocated Spending SpreadsheetGoogle Docs Budget TemplatesDaily Finance iPhone ApplicationMint.com iPhone ApplicationThat's just a sampler! There are lots more on this great big list of 75 budgeting … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Budgeting Tips & Debt Relief, Jobs & Money Tagged With: banks, debt relief

3 Ways To Simplify Your Investments

Do you have multiple investment accounts? These days many people do, and it's no wonder that some of us are confused about where our money is. The good news is there are 3 things you can do to simplify your investment portfolio: Put all your investment accounts in a spreadsheet by asset class. Or use one of the free online tools on Vangard Group or Morningstar. When it makes sense, combine retirement accounts with your spouse. Update the beneficiary information on your insurance … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Budgeting Tips & Debt Relief, Jobs & Money Tagged With: banks, investments, retirement, saving money

Identity Theft Insurance – 9 Things You Need To Know Before You Buy It

Even if you've never had your identity stolen, there is always that very real fear that you could be the next victim of identity theft. The FTC says that 9.3 million people are the victims of identity theft every year. Many people purchase identity theft insurance with the hope that they will have peace of mind knowing that someone else is protecting their identity. Before you purchase identity theft insurance, there are a few things you should know first. For starters, some … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Home / Health / Auto, Jobs & Money Tagged With: banks, credit cards and gift cards, credit rating, identity theft, insurance

Credit Card Companies Are Profiling Shoppers & Adjusting Credit Limits

There is a lot of talk in the news lately about credit card companies having unfair business practices. Here's how to tell if your credit card company is unfair or not. Now, consider this... Can you imagine your children being overlooked for admission into a good college because other students who went to their high school did poorly at the school, even when your child's scores are superior to those other students? Can you fathom a dentist drilling and filling teeth that don't need … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Reports & Scores, Jobs & Money Tagged With: banks, credit cards and gift cards