From the monthly archives:

April 2008

Does Your Employer Have An Emergency Fund?

April 22, 2008

If you are reading this blog, you are probably a financially savvy person.  Therefore, you already know the benefits of having an emergency fund set aside for unforeseen financial emergencies.
Many financial experts, including Dave Ramsey recommend that you set aside money in an easily accessible account of, at least, three to six months of expenses.  [...]

Read the full article →

Carpooling Tips

April 20, 2008

I’m about to start back to school for a graduate program that will have me traveling about 400 miles – round trip – per week. Since my daily work commute is about two miles, I haven’t really felt the higher gasoline prices as much as others that have to fill up on a regular [...]

Read the full article →

SubPrime Mortgages Explained

April 19, 2008

I have read a lot about the subprime mortgage crisis, and found most of the explanations a little hard to get my head around.
A friend e-mailed me a link to a presentation (hosted on Google Apps), that I feel, does the best job of explaining the whole subprime mess.
Warning: The presentation does contain adult language, [...]

Read the full article →

Credit Card Hack: Write "SEE ID" On The Back

April 17, 2008

Here is a great little tip for those worried about Identity theft.  Leave a little room after your signature and write "See ID", on the white strip on the back of your credit/debit card.  If the person taking your card does their job correctly, this little extra step may stop a thief from illegally using [...]

Read the full article →

How To File An Extension

April 14, 2008

Times up!  Well, almost.  If you haven’t even started work on your 2007 tax return, it may be time to consider filing an extension.  The good news is that it is fairly simple and will buy you some additional time to get your act together.
The first thing you should know is that by filing [...]

Read the full article →

Details On Economic Stimulus Payments

April 14, 2008

A short note went out to financial institutions from the Federal Reserve on Friday. It contained details of how, and when, economic stimulus payments will be delivered.
Here are some highlights:
The Department of the Treasury, Financial Management Service (FMS) will begin issuing approximately 130 million Economic Stimulus Payments on behalf of the Internal Revenue Service [...]

Read the full article →

View Foreclosure Rates Visually

April 11, 2008

Real Estate site HotPads has an interesting (and frightening) display option that allows you to view heat maps of foreclosures, by neighborhood, in cities throughout the United States.
Here is a screen shot of the Atlanta metropolitan area:
 
And here is Phoenix:

The red colors indicate a higher foreclosure rate per household, while blue indicates a lower [...]

Read the full article →

Rick Flair Finance!

April 7, 2008

Rick Flair Finance: Home of the “Figure Four Process”!
I wonder if Rick “pays you a visit” if you don’t pay on time?

Read the full article →

Get Your Taxes Filed With This Seven Day Plan

April 7, 2008

It’s crunch time!
You have nine days left (coounting today) to get your 2007 taxes filed. It can definitely be hard to get started, but you don’t want to be staying up until midnight on the 15th trying to make the deadline.
Bankrate.com has a great 7-day plan to get you taxes filed on time, without [...]

Read the full article →

Late Payments On Consumer Loans Reach 16 Year High

April 6, 2008

A recently released survey from the American Bankers Association shows consumer loan delinquencies have reached a 16 year high.
Loans at least 30 days past due in in the most recent quarter totaled 2.65%. This is the highest level of delinquency since 1992, when delinquencies totaled 2.75%.
Source: USA Today – Late payments on consumer loans [...]

Read the full article →