January 2007

Keep an eye on your own credit report. You get to know which companies are accessing your report to figure out the offers to be sent to you. Interesting? Well not so much if you do not need those offers anymore.

And how do you check your credit report? Visite AnnualCreditReport.com to get one of the three free annual credit reports available there. Did you know that all citizens of the United States are legally entitled to these reports? Get more of this at Credit Cards at T.J. Maxx Hacked, Checked My Credit Report. Time to gain some common sense knowledge that is sort of uncommon:)  

Flexo is giving away copies of Maui Millionaires. If you are interested in knowing other peoples rags to riches adventures, do get your copy. Its available for free, so whats the harm anyway:)

Jokes apart, I am guessing it should be a good read. There are around 34 copies left. All you need to do is go to Final Reminder: Giving Away Copy of The Maui Millionaires and add a comment to teh blog entry. This way Flexo gets some traffic and links and you get your copy free. Thats a win-win. right?

I am a regular reader of consumerismcommentary and must admit I get some really sound tips time and again. Just when I thought that the post on choosing the right card for balance transfer was very informative, here comes another extension to this post. That too in the form of an instant messenger transcript. This one provides a decent understanding of both Discover and Amex simplycash cards. You should check out Discover Business Card or AmEx SimplyCash Business FreedomPass if you are a balance transfer enthusiast.

Have a great day!

Bargaineering articles traded places with Five Cent Nickel to host the 84th Carnival of Personal Finance. This will be the last one to appear on this site. The number of posts relating to this subject seems to be simply overwhelming and uncontrollable for bargaineering articles.

 This one should be interesting. We know what the known bloggers have to say. The new and unknown ones would be interesting to watch out. the blogs are broken into three sections for better representation of views. Check this out at 84th Carnival of Personal Finance

If you well realize that Index funds are not risk free and that you should do your research thoroughly before investing your dollars, then Index funds may be a sensible thing to look at. Its clearly not without risk and just like any other investment, can pose some dangers, if you are not cautious. 

That said, you should definitely  consider other options and not rely solely on Index funds. Put your eggs in different baskets… remember? To get information on this, read Don’t Just Buy Index Funds. Although not a very detailed article, you should get an idea of the Index funds scenario here.  

I saw a recent post on how to know if you have too much money. Check it out at Five Signs You Have Too Much Money.  Its a fun article but if you read between lines, there is a pointed message to the overspenders of this world. Its good to spend, but do this understanding your limits.

I started reading it to pass time, but slowly got engrossed. I could soon identify some people around me with these examples. In some cases, it also made me look inward and take stock of my personal expenses. Time and again, such articles get you thinking and in effect, help you mend your own ways. This ones a good read for those seeking some timely lessons in life!

For the interested, “Women and Money” author Suze Orman is making news with a new relationship. No I do not mean a personal one…..Suze Orman is now partnering with TD Ameritrade. She will be promoting their account and providing the save yourself plan to subscribers. You can get the details here at Suze Orman Teams Up With TD Ameritrade.

I have been watching her call-in show for sometime, although not religiously. I am not so sure how well people relate to this show but I guess the information is handy. You definitely get a tip or two when it comes to personal finance, don’t you? I think it would be interesting to know how many people have actually benefitted from this advice practically. Its good to hear it from some one who is an authority on the subject but implementation is the key, remember?   Check the article at Suze Orman Teams Up With TD Ameritrade

Have you ever thought of credit card arbitrage? I mean balance transfers here.

I used to wonder how to make sure that I am gaining money through balance transfers and not making the credit card company rich instead. And most importantly, I wanted to know which cards would provide the best balance transfer options in my given situation. I found some answers to my query at Best Credit Cards for 0% Balance Transfers.

This article provides quite a few interesting  tips to follow while selecting a card from an  arbitrage perspective. Things like avoiding fees and interest and checking that these cards do not charge you any annual fees. Worth a read….check it out.

How many times before have you heard of a paypal account getting compromised by an intruder? And how many of these have been able to get their money back? Not many. Often touted as an easy way to process payments, we tend to forgive the fact that it can be hacked into and result in a big loss of money.

Well, there is good news in the pipeline. Paypal is now concerned about this issue and is introducing secure ID tags. I liked this concept of  security. Heard about HSBC doing a similar stuff for its online customers sometime back. Assurance from paypal that my money is safe, adds to the convenience that it already provides. Read more

All this while I have been reading about credit cards and the menace they can cause. Higher debts that is. 

Most advisors have been preaching about monitoring your expenses closely. I too have been watching my pocket and trying to implement some of those tips myself. And to be honest, I did manage to keep a few expenses under control….but the temptation to swipe my card is a difficult thing to resist; some thing that requires a high amount of disipline!

More on that later. Here is a question. How many of you think you know all the facts about credit cards and are equipped to use them wisely? Well, for starters, I stumbled across  few things I was fascinated to know about credit cards, in general, and a few other things that confirmed that credit card companies are getting richer due to my inability to resist the temptation to swipe it. Take a look at this article and you can judge for yourself…all about credit cards! Read this and let me know your opinion.