MoneyWise
Headline News Archive
2008
July
01
- Student loan changes good for borrowers. Like your driver's license and your high school diploma, your first student-loan payment is one of those milestones that mark the journey from youth to…
June
30
- Carry-on luggage to get more scrutiny. Admit it. That chunky carry-on bag of yours would never fit into the sample box displayed outside the airport gate. Don't expect that bag to…
- Northeast braces for home heating oil increases. New Englanders struggling this summer to pay gas prices topping $4 a gallon should brace for more bad news — home heating oil costs next…
29
- Bring product placement into the open. I love TiVo. The ability to skip TV commercials is right up there with microwave popcorn as one of those life-altering advances that make the…
- The safe deposit box goes online. Say somebody steals your wallet while you're traveling. Wouldn't it be convenient to recover copies of crucial credit card information and other documents from any…
- All consuming problem: obsessive shopping. Shannon Hassemer went on a shopping spree when she got her first credit card in college. Tired of owning just one pair of tennis shoes,…
28
- Keep watch on your credit report—free. If you're thinking about buying a home or refinancing a mortgage, you may want to avail yourself of a forthcoming free service that could help…
26
- Beware, your credit score may have fallen. Just as Americans grow more reliant on credit cards to help pay monthly bills, they're being hit with a one-two punch: Card companies are reducing…
25
- Citi may repeal change-of-terms pledge. Last year Citigroup made a promise to millions of people who flex its credit cards: “A deal is a deal.” The slogan was used to…
23
- Grads caught in health plan limbo get creative. This year, 1.4 million graduates are tossing their mortarboard caps into the sky and receiving bachelor's degrees. Almost immediately, many will face another rite of…
- Cable firms' ads leave fuzzy impression. Avery Axel was annoyed with his cable company, Comcast, and was considering switching to Verizon's new FiOS fiber-optic TV and Internet service. The picture on…
- Cities fight foreclosures with unusual tactics. Just two months ago, Aaron Brokenbough had no clout and little say when lenders moved to foreclose on his home. His Philadelphia row house was…
- Can Congress really lower gas prices?. Will Congress do something to cut gas prices before you drive off to the beach this summer? Not a chance, energy experts say. The truth…
22
- Medicare cards may be targets of ID theft. Social Security officials, concerned about the risk of identity theft, are calling for immediate action to remove Social Security numbers from the Medicare cards used…
- Gourmet eating for less. Marketing consultant Shauna Dawson likes good food and good deals, and that has turned her into a bold shopper. The 34-year-old Carthay Circle resident will…
- Credit users can't afford lax management. There is no leniency. Credit card companies and banks are worried that people are drowning in debt and will fall behind on payments. With home…
- Faithful customer dumped by wireless company. Tamara Granger got dumped by snail-mail. Despite a relatively drama-free, five-year relationship, the Dear John-esque letter Granger received this month gruffly informed her that things…
- Using debit card to buy gas can bring a surprise. Some drivers paying for gas with a debit card are experiencing a different kind of pain at the pump. Gas stations concerned about collecting on…
- Stretching your money in tough economy. To save a buck, would you separate two-ply toilet paper to create two rolls out of one? Would you duct-tape holes in your winter coat?…
21
- FHA targets downpayment 'gift' programs. What's wrong with down-payment "gift" programs in which all or most of a home buyer's equity stake comes from the seller, funneled through a third…
18
- Speeders to pay extra for police fuel. The surging price of gasoline has come to this: a "fuel surcharge" on your next speeding ticket. Drivers caught speeding in this north Atlanta suburb…
16
- Electricity bills going up, up, up. Here's a shocker: Electricity bills are heading up. Way up. Utilities across the USA are raising power prices up to 29%, mostly to pay for…
15
- Winter worries come early. It may seem crazy to fret about winter, with summer’s official start just days away. Yet the rising price of winter is on my mind,…
- Starting your first job?. To the hundreds of thousands of young people who have landed entry-level jobs that come with health insurance and a retirement plan, I offer my…
- Peer-to-peer lending for home loans. Homeowners who are having trouble borrowing against their house are starting to look to an interesting new source for cash: strangers. Online networks have emerged…