Pop Quiz: How much is 5% on $100? The answer is surprising. It can be $5.00 OR $5.24! How? Compounding is how! The difference is HOW compounding takes place! Read on....
Continue reading "Ask D.E. - How 5% Apr Equals $5.00 and $5.24" »
As gas prices continue to soar so does the bill at the grocery store. The good news is that it's summer and the gardens are beginning to yield this years bounty. Even if you're in a small apartment in the city you can grow enough food to save a significant amount of money for your family. Suite101.com offers this advice on growing a garden in containers for a small space.
Homesourcing is the rage. Companies are finding that moving jobs offshore to other countries may not be the brightest idea. Several companies from 1-800-FLOWERS to JetBlue airlines use home workers to handle their phone calls. Why not? Home workers are happier, can juggle their family life successfully and it opens new opportunities for making a living.
Clark Howard has a great section listing all the work at home companies that you can look into.
You hear it in the news all the time: interest rates are changing. What is the deal with interest rates? What purpose does all of this serve?
Continue reading "Ask D.E. - The skinny on interest rates" »
Thinking of buying online? Do it the smart way!
First, pit online merchants against each other by using a shopping comparison service like PriceGrabber.com
Second, see if you can snag a coupon code for the cheapest merchant by heading to online coupon code aggregation services like discountcodes.com,
retailmenot.com, currentcodes.com, naughtycodes.com and wow-coupons.com
Lastly, Use priceprotectr to get money back if the price goes lower within a set time usually 30 days
In person remember that competitors usually match each other on price so ASK! Home Depot and Lowes are famous for this. They will usually match each other going so far as to take each other's coupons!
According to Edmunds.com here are the ten cheapest cars to own and operate. Notice only one hybrid makes the list.
If you thought gas prices were rising too quickly, check out what's been happening to text messaging.
Since 2005, rates to send and receive text messages on all four major carrier networks have doubled from 10 cents to 20 cents per message. This percentage of increase is on par with similar price hikes at the gas pump as crude oil prices skyrocket. In 2005, Americans paid on average about $2.27 per gallon for gas compared with more than $4 a gallon today.
The rest of the story is here [CNet]
If you're confused about the best place to buy airline tickets here's a tip: AVOID Travelocity, Orbitz and Hotwire. Use a fare comparison aggregator first. They aren't travel agencies, they are resources that check several (and in some cases, hundreds of) websites for the best deal, something you'd be hard pressed to do as a mere mortal.
Those sites include ...
All are good for checking fares and comparing with Mobissimo being exceptional at International fares. Go ahead and check them now, links open in a new window.
NEVER go to an airline's site directly unless it's Southwest (unavailable through aggregator fare services). You could take the step of seeing who has the best deal and then booking directly on a carrier's website though.
Thinking about buying a Patriot Bond (Series I)? You might want to think again. Series I bonds have been used to guaranteed principal, interest AND adjust for inflation (thus the "I"). Bonds bought after May 2008 are no longer adjusted for inflation. What that means is that buying a Series I bond is now, by definition, a nearly guaranteed money losing proposition.
When it comes to personal information, your credit report is just the tip of the iceberg. Insurers, landlords, banks and other companies have access to additional personal data about you, and if that information is wrong, you're in trouble.
Among the information in these reports are your current and past medical conditions, residential and tenant history, check-writing history and homeowner and car insurance-claim history. While not every American has a report, many do, and it pays to find out if the information collected on you is accurate.
Guess what? You can get a free copy of that report too!
Specialty consumer reports reveal your secrets [Bankrate.com]