Spending less and saving more is a goal for many American consumers. But the problem is that we keep on consuming, and a few bad habits can add up to thousands of dollars in wasted money over the years. So how do we go about developing good spending habits? Let's take a look at ten habits of a budget-conscious shopper. 1. Set a budget You can't be budget-conscious without having a budget. A budget is an...
Residential mortgage delinquencies homes rose for the first quarter 2010 to a seasonally-adjusted rate of 10.06% of all loans outstanding, according to the National Delinquency Survey released last week by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). Unadjusted, the rate of delinquencies fell from 10.44% in the fourth quarter of 2009 to 9.38% in the first quarter of 2010.The survey includes loans for residences of one-to-four unit homes, and considers loans to be delinquent when there is at...
The Federal Trade Commission announced today that approximately 3,500 consumers who paid for phony work-at-home scams will be sent checks worth a total of $95,000 in redress. The victims of the scam were misled by mass-mailings sent out by a company called EDI Healthclaims, the FTC said. Representatives of the "home-based business opportunity" tricked consumers into believing that they could work at home for healthcare providers by electronically processing medical billing for insurance reimbursement, according to...
Start thinking about savingSaving money is something that most of us know we should do. But even though we know we should, some of us are better than others at actually following through on putting away cash for our future needs. It can be very difficult to form the habit of regularly building our savings account balance because it's very easy to put off saving for things we don't have an immediate need for. Even more...
Owning a vehicle costs much more than just the dollar amount of the sticker price. Yes, the down payment and then the monthly payment are the two big numbers to take into consideration when buying a car or truck.But before you make the purchase, consider the other costs involved in owning each particular vehicle you're considering. Here's a few things to think about, research, and add up to get a true cost of ownership for the...
Consumers should be very skeptical about offers from companies who claim they can reduce credit card interest rates, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned on Friday.The FTC, the nation's consumer protection agency, said that consumers are being flooded with robocalls - automated sales calls - from companies who offer to negotiate a lower interest rate. Of course, these companies charge a fee for their "services" but the FTC said that many of these claims are fraudulent.The...
As the deep recession brought about severe job losses among workers, families have been struggling to manage on less income and cut costs in every way possible. And many Americans have dealt with a tough situation by reducing the biggest expense for any family - maintaining a separate household.According to a study released by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), 1.2 million households were lost during the period from 2005 to 2008 even though the population increased...
Despite widespread unemployment, consumers in the last half of 2009 have been working hard to pay their debts on time. According to the American Bankers Association (ABA) Consumer Credit Delinquency Bulletin, consumer loan delinquencies in the fourth quarter of 2009 fell in eight out of eleven loan categories. This was the second quarter in a row for a broad-based improvement in consumer delinquencies, which the ABA defines as late payments that are 30 days or more...
The deadline to file your income tax return is just around the corner - it really comes up fast for those who aren't ready. But don't panic. If you don't see being able to complete your tax return before the deadline, just file for an extension by April 15th and you'll automatically be granted another six months to complete your tax return.To be timely for your extension, follow the same rules as if you were filing...
The nation's unemployment rate hit 10% last year, and a long, two year global recession has threatened the financial security of families around the world.It comes as no surprise that state governments are the next to feel the painful effects of a shaky economy; less money being earned and less money being spent across the nation has resulted in a severe drop in state income. State governments reported that tax collections decreased $67 billion in fiscal...
