Financial Services

Getting married is oftentimes one of the best things to happen in someone’s life. While most couples plan on staying together forever, sadly many marriages fall apart. Some couples recognize this and opt to sign a prenup before they say their vows. However, other couples avoid signing a prenup because they believe their love will stand the test of time.

Do you have a prenup? Why or why not? If you aren’t married yet, do you plan on signing a prenup when you get married?

Tell us if you have a prenup and we’ll enter you in a drawing to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card!

We’re doing three giveaways — one for random comments, one for random Facebook “Likes”, and another one for random tweets.

If you’re inspired to write a whole blog post OR you have a photo on flickr to share, please link to it in the comments or tweet it.

Giveaway Rules:

Good Luck!

If you’re like me, you like to learn from the experience and wisdom of others. It’s much cheaper that way! When it comes to being an investor, few things can beat the knowledge you and I can absorb by reading books. Plus I just like to read.

Photo by jeffpearce

The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham. Graham was Warren Buffet’s professor and Buffet has declared that this book is “the best book on investing ever written.” Strong words from someone who’s used those investing strategies to make billions.

Payback Time or Rule #1 both by Phil Town. Town’s investment philosophy mirrors those of Warren Buffet and Ben Graham, that price and value are two different things. He shows you how to intensely scrutinize any business you invest in and how to make an educated guess about it’s value based on its past, present, and predicted future.

The Little Book That Beats the Market by Joel Greenblatt. The author’s private investment partnership, Gotham Capital, has produced 40 per cent a year returns over the past 20 years. The last time I c

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No, this is not another article about how to save money on gifts. There are already way too many people out there whose only “financial” thought right now is whether to buy their nephew an expensive new iPad or stick with a cheaper video game. And while that’s an important decision, there are also a number of personal financial loose ends that you should be taking care of before the end of the year.

Here are some ways to save (or at least not lose) your hard-earned money:

Season of giving.

Do you itemize deductions on your income tax? If so, donating to a non-profit serves two purposes: you get to feel good for doing good and lower your taxes at the same time. Just be sure to check out the rules for donating from the IRS.

Flex your (medical spending) muscles.

Remember that flexible spending health care account you signed up for at the beginning of the year? The one where you could put money into an account for medical expenses and not be taxed on it? Prett

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December 14th, 2011

If youre looking for a rewards credit card, you can stop reading now. The Capital One Platinum Prestige Card has several attractive benefits for cardholders, but a lucrative rewards program is certainly not one of them.

What this card offer does provide is low ongoing interest rates coupled with 0% introductory APRs on both purchases and balance transfers for 14 months. That makes it one of the best low interest credit cards on the market for people with good to excellent credit. 

1. No annual fee
2. 0% interest rate on purchases and balance transfers for 14 months
3. Low ongoing interest rates of 10.9%, 14.9%, or 18.9% depending upon your credit level
4. No foreign transaction fees
5. MasterCard Platinum benefits include 24-hour travel and roadside assistance, extended warranties, travel insurance, and auto rental insurance

The absence of a rewards program makes this a less appealing card offer for consumers who never carry balances and only want a credit card to earn miles, cash back, or other rewards.

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They say that if an offer seems too good to be true, then it probably is. Therefore, one could be forgiven for dismissing some generous credit card sign-up bonuses on that basis, as many do. Nevertheless, travel credit cards really do offer some amazing bonuses that allow my family and I to travel extensively. When handled responsibly, these offers are legitimate ways to earn points and miles while giving banks the chance to compete for your business.

At first, finding a great credit card sign-up bonus may seem like luck, but there is actually a good deal of skill involved. The first order of the day is research. Many of the offers below do not apply to everyone who fills out an application, and you have to spend some time looking for the best deal and applying online from the link that is promoting it. Once you have learned what the most competitive offers are, the next strategy is patience. Banks love to promote their best deals over and over again as limited time offers, so if the right deal isn’t currently on the market, just wait a month or two and check again. T

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Last week, with the exception of the Nasdaq, the world’s major markets again managed to regain some ground. In Europe over the course of the week, the FTSE made 2.4% and closed at 5432.5; the Dax made 5.1% to close at 5965.5; the CAC climbed by 4.0% to end the session at 3219.5.

The Dow ended the week up by 4.2% at 11566. The Nasdaq rather spoiled the party and ended the week down by 4.5%, to close at 2367.3.

The Nikkei closed higher over the course of the week, making 2.7% to end the trading session at 8840.

On the currency markets last week, the Euro had the best of the trading for a change. Partially this was due to optimism that a solution to the sovereign debt crisis will be forthcoming and partially because it had simply been oversold. The Dollar was weaker against Sterling, falling 1.6% and closing at 1.5783 to the Pound. The Greenback lost ground against the Euro last week, shedding 2.8% to close at 1.3807. The Dollar made ground against the Japanese currency, closing at 77.0768 to the Yen, a gain of 0.51% on the week.

The Euro closed up against the Yen ending at 106.42, making 3.3% over the course of the week. T

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Taking the time to teach your children a few financial lessons can insure they become fiscally responsible adults. Though nothing is set in stone – no one is doomed because of their parent’s choices – parents are in a unique position to deliberately mold their children’s financial attitudes and behaviors. And it all begins with talking and setting a good example.

Recent studies indicate that parents who regularly talk with their kids about money tend to raise much more financially responsible adults. Those parents also tend to encourage their children to set money goals and work towards those goals.

Just as important as talking to your kids about money is setting a good example – practicing what you preach. Children a

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A payday loan is something that tempts a great many people within the United Kingdom, particularly when a salary doesn’t quite stretch far enough towards the end of the month. Despite this, many people are put off the idea of taking advantage of this superb short term credit solution simply due to the fact that they are not sure what effects a payday loan will have on their credit file.

Many people are deterred by the possibility that taking out a payday loan might serve to have an adverse effect on their overall credit rating; in all reality, this could not be further from the truth it simply means, like any loan you might take out, you must ensure that you pay it back by the agreed date.

Prior to taking out a payday loan, a person’s credit file will have a credit check ran against it; the payday loan will then leave a footprint on their credit file.

When the payday loan is payed back in full, a report is made to the credit agencies which can then actually improve your overall credit rating. Read more…

The recent hubbub about debit card fees could have a big impact on you and your credit card.

In case you missed it, Bank of America proposed a $5-a-month fee on use of its debit cards, which it planned to roll out in 2012. But after much public outcry, Bank of America backtracked on these plans. Other banks had proposed similar debit card monthly fees, which were also rescinded.

Bank of America and other banks that had announced this fee did so in the wake of new regulations on debit card transaction fees, which were cut an average of 44 cents per swipe to 21 cents. That regulatory change is costing banks an estimated $8 billion annually, so the debit fee was one way to recoup the loss.

How banks may replace lost debit card fee revenue

While consumers won this round with the banks when Bank of America and other banks cancelled their debit card fee plans, the banks desire to replace that $8 billion in revenue hasnt gone away.

Banks may lie low for a while to let consumers cool off.

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The 50,000 point signup bonus for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card is unfortunately flying away just as fast as it flew in last month.

I doubt the promotion is getting the axe due to lack of popularity.  In fact, my guess is this card offer has been extremely popular among the millions of consumers searching for ways to bring down the cost of their holiday travel this year.  Its difficult to turn down over $800 in free money for travel, even if there is a $69 annual fee attached to the card!

If youve been waiting to pull the trigger and bank enough points for 2 free roundtrip tickets on Southwest, youve only got until midnight tomorrow, 11/11/11 (wow, what a cool date!) to do it.  After that, it could very well be a long time before we see this type of promotion again from Southwest and Chase.