Dec 18
Stocking stuffers have to be one of the most overlooked aspects of holiday giving, and it makes sense why. Gifts for stockings are often the last ones you buy, there’s not a lot of space to work with, and unless you shell out for expensive jewelry or an iPod, it can seem difficult to find anything worthwhile.
Bah to that, I say. With a little exploration, you can find lots of inexpensive – and cool – stocking stuffers for people from all walks of life. The only rule is that all of these items are under $10!
Seasonal Soaps
Luxury Lane offers soaps in all different festive shapes and scents. Get an Oatmeal and Apricot Seed Scrub in the shape of a snowflake, or a Gingerbread Bath Bar made with nutmeg, clove and exotic spices, then frosted with a rich butter cream icing.
Reusable Snack Bag
The store Sack Savers on Etsy offers a ton of cute designs for reusable sandwich and snack bags for only $6 or $6.50.
Read more…
Dec 14
They’re a hallmark of the Christmas season: men and women in front of department stores, grocery stores, and other high-traffic shopping destinations.
Read more…
Dec 12
You may be surprised to learn the lowest interest rate credit card may not be the least expensive credit card to use. For years, we based our decisions to use one credit card over another on the interest rate charged by the lender.
Credit lending has become more complex in recent years. One of the most surprising things about credit accounts is that the interest rates charged seem to have little to do with interest in the wider consumer marketplace.
At a time when mortgage rates and interest on consumer loans such as auto loans and home improvement loans are at record lows, it’s a shock to find the lowest interest rate credit card is much high than interest charged on other consumer credit products.
When credit cards first began to gain popularity the profit for lenders came from the interest rates charges and from an annual fee. As competition heated up among big banks vying for consumer accounts, annual fees disappeared.
Read more…
Dec 06
Freddie Mac released its weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey yesterday, which revealed that 30-year fixed mortgage rates fell under 4 percent again and remain near record-low levels.
Average rates for 30-year fixed mortgages fell below 4 percent for the first time in history during the week ending October 6, 2011. Currently – for the week ending December 8, 2011 – 30-year fixed rates dipped below the 4 percent mark again.
In this most recent survey, 30-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 3.99 percent, a slight drop from 4.00 percent one week earlier. Shorter-term 15-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 3.27 percent after averaging 3.30 percent last week.
Read more…
Dec 06
If we want to make the right financial decisions in our lives, we could rely on the same resources the wealthy read. Different iconic financial resources say the same thing:
TIME TO BUY A HOME!
Here are all four well-known financial resources.
Wall Street Journal: It’s Time to Buy That House
Forbes Magazine: The Next Mortgage Crisis
JP Morgan Market Insights: Housing: A Time To Buy
MarketWatch.com: Now Might Be the Best Time Ever to Buy a Home
Dec 03
Clarkson University has established a Young Entrepreneur Award program, which will identify a limited number of entrepreneurially-minded prospective students annually, who have demonstrated success in operating business ventures.
The award recipients will have an opportunity to attend Clarkson through a combination of merit-based financial aid and the acquisition by the University of an ownership interest in their business ventures in lieu of tuition payments.
The unique initiative is in furtherance of the educational mission of Clarkson, which has a long-standing tradition of educating successful entrepreneurially-minded business leaders who understand how to grow a business, harness innovative technologies and seize opportunities in the marketplace.
Matthew S.
Read more…