Jan 24
For a lot of Americans, the week between Christmas and New Year’s is a time of relaxation and inactivity. Many adults do not have to work, and kids are out of school. In short, nothing 
too exciting tends to occur during the final week of the year.
That was certainly not the case in 2011 for Verizon Wireless, who announced a new convenience charge for its customers — and then rescinded the fee almost immediately after an unexpected backlash. What’s more, this ordeal represented a monumental event in the constant battle between corporations and consumers.
Let’s take a closer look at how this saga unfolded:
- On the morning of December 29th, an internal memo was leaked on the Internet which detailed how Verizon Wireless was going to begin charging its customers $2 each time they paid their bill using their credit cards — either online or over the phone.
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Jan 21
Ruined credit ratings have become normal in this economy. Bad credit gas cards can help you begin to rebuild your credit rating.
Credit card lenders who specialize in offering accounts to consumer with bad credit have come into their own in the current economic crisis. There was a time when presenting a credit card for payment was embarrassing when the card was issued by one of the few recognized lenders who provided secured credit cards for those with bad credit scores.
Today those lenders have come into their own and even major banks have begun offering secured credit lines to help consumers rebuild their all important credit rating.
A secured credit card that reports to major rating agencies is a great way to begin rebuilding your credit after bankruptcy or foreclosure. Another step you can take is to apply for a bad credit gas card.
It will take some research to find gasoline companies that accept applications from those with black marks on their credit files.
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Jan 21
Consumers in the U.S. continue to pay down credit card debt and make credit card payments on time, Equifax said in a recent report.
According to Equifax’s latest National Credit Trends Report, U.S. credit card users have made steady improvement in the last 18 months. All told, 2011 say credit card write-offs by banks tumble 39 percent year-over-year.
“Declining write-offs, growing card originations and the stabilizing of card balances are a precursor to balance increases, which can help to return the banks to profitability in this lending sector,” Michael Koukounas, Senior Vice President of Special Client Services for Equifax, said in a statement.
Bank credit card write-offs ended 2011 at 5.53 percent of accounts – a 39 percent decrease from 2010 write-offs.
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Jan 14
Gambling debt is not only a pecuniary responsibility; it is also an early sign of an addiction to gambling. There are a handful means to get by the financial problem of gambling debt, yet you may want to look into your gambling lifestyle to steer clear of a further upsurge on debt as well.
1. Speak with the casinos where you gamble to learn about how much you exactly owe them. Such circumstances also deem accounting for whatever loans you put your name down for to fund your gambling.
2. Create a list of supplementary resources of funding that you utilized to compensate for gambling. A number of gamblers obtain money out of family savings accounts and college funds. You will want to strive to return the money into such funds past the repayment to loan companies and casinos.
3. Establish a payment timetable in order to cope with paying off gambling establishments. Interest rates differ from casino to casino, but you can perhaps try to reach a deal for lower rates if you concur to pay higher sums.
4.
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Jan 14
When it comes to remodeling, exterior replacement projects have routinely rewarded homeowners with more bang for their buck. This year is no different, as Realtors recently rated many exterior improvements as among the most valuable home investment projects as part of the 2011-12 Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report.
“This year’s Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report shows the value of putting your home’s best façade forward, so to speak,” said National Association of Realtors President Moe Veissi, broker-owner of Veissi & Associates Inc., in Miami. “Inexpensive exterior replacement projects are not only crucial to a home’s regular upkeep, but are also expected to recoup close to 70 percent of costs. Specific exterior projects such as siding, window and door replacements are part of regular home maintenance, so many homeowners are already undertaking them.
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Jan 13
House Speaker John Boehner this week called for “honest conversations” about Medicare.
Fair enough. Let’s begin this honest discussion by admitting no one knows for sure how to reduce Medicare costs. And that’s a problem, because Medicare expenditures are projected to grow almost 6% a year for the rest of the decade.
To understand why program costs are exploding, you just have to look through the annual Medicare Trustees report on the financial condition of the program. The 2011 report comes out on Friday, but it will surely have the same analysis you can find in all the other reports. If you want to engage in this honest discussion, a good place to start is on page 45 of the 2010 report. There you will find the four trends driving Medicare costs:
- Growth in the number of beneficiaries
- Increases in the prices paid per service, which reflect both higher wages for health care workers and higher prices for the goods and services purchased by health care providers
- Increases in the average number of services per beneficiary
- Increases in the average complexity of services
Let’s take these one at a time.
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