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While your finances might not be the first thing that springs to mind as Valentine’s Day approaches, your credit can be affected by your partner’s history and spending habits. Credit counselors advise couples to sit down together and disclose their respective debts before they get serious. That might not sound like the most romantic date [...]
Some people think the United States should cap the interest rates credit card companies are allowed to charge, but the prospect of maximum APRs doesn’t sit well with some lawmakers, not to mention the financial services industry. But banks here might want to take note: The United Arab Emirates, a place infamous for its sky-high [...]
One of the biggest debt collection companies in the country recently agreed to pay a $2.5 million civil penalty in a settlement with the FTC — part of an escalating effort by the agency to keep tabs on and, when necessary, rein in the burgeoning bad-debt industry.
Following the Great Recession many young people have become not merely respectful of debt, as we would wish; but fearful of it, which could set them back.
You don’t need to hire somebody to get your creditors to settle for less than what you owe. You can do it yourself, but there are some things you should know. Here are the “secrets” debt-settlement companies don’t want you to know.
It’s easy to see why the start of the year is a slow time for restaurants. Diners tend to stay home and cook not only because the weather’s cold, but because they probably have yet to pay off the credit card debt accrued via holiday season splurges. To spur on business during the early year [...]
The social stigma of going into foreclosure seems to have decreased in the last few years as almost three-quarters of U.S. households found themselves underwater with their mortgages, and “walking away” from a home became commonplace. However, two recently released figures suggest that homeowners feel a renewed sense of financial obligation to their homes and [...]
Men are known to go to great lengths—and great expense—to impress women. This is most obviously the case when the male population outnumbers that of females, and laws of supply and demand kick in.
Athletes, actors and other famous folks lend their recognizable faces to promote all sorts of products, from breakfast cereal to basketball sneakers to prepaid debit cards (see Suze Orman). But a celebrity endorsement is, of course, no guarantee that what they’re pitching is a good deal or a smart investment — a point that’s especially [...]
Americans spent an unexpected $52 billion over Black Friday weekend, and now it’s becoming clear how we managed to afford this shopping spree: we charged it. New Federal Reserve data shows that consumer borrowing surged by $20.4 billion in November — the highest month-over-month increase in a decade. Retailers’ happy holidays are coming at the [...]
Oprah pal Suze Orman never had much in common with reality TV’s Kardashian sisters — until now. The personal finance personality debuted a prepaid debit card, the Approved Card. Prepaid cards are notorious for high fees — and for, in effect, relegating people with little or poor credit to a kind of second-tier financial status. [...]
