Archive for February, 2009

City of Houston considered paying deadbeats’ credit card bills!

February 24, 2009

Where will the insanity end? A proposal under consideration under the name ”Credit Score Enhancement Program“, the City of Houston would use surplus funds from a program to repair Hurricane Ike storm damage to pay off debts for first-time homebuyers to help raise their credit scores so they could better qualify for a mortgage. The program would have provided [...]

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in News/Trends, Taxes No Comments »

Dealing with a layoff BEFORE it happens: Part 4 – Preparing for the steps ahead

February 23, 2009

I posted three installments discussing steps to take before you get laid off (saving vital information, limiting expenses, and retirement and savings account considerations), and here is the final installment on preparing for the next steps ahead. If you do get laid off, you’re primary objective is to find new employment for the purpose of [...]

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Working No Comments »

“The government is promoting bad behavior” – Rick Santelli for President!

February 19, 2009

Is there actually a voice of dissent in the media about what Obama and the Democrats are doing to this country? CNBC reporter Rick Santelli expresses his outrage over the mortgage bailout plan and is applauded by traders on the floor of the CBOE. He sums up my feelings about this pretty well. Here’s a [...]

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in News/Trends 2 Comments »

Dealing with a layoff BEFORE it happens: Part 3 – Retirement and investment account considerations

February 17, 2009

I posted previously about some things to consider before a layoff hits. The first of four installments discussed saving vital information and the second installment discussed work-related expenses. This third installment discusses items to consider as it relates to your retirement and savings accounts. Decisions you make in your final few months of employment could make a difference of [...]

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Investing, Retirement, Working No Comments »

Dealing with a layoff BEFORE it happens: Part 2 – Limiting expenses

February 16, 2009

I posted previously about some things to consider before a layoff hits, and this is the second installment of that list. This section discusses work-related expenses. We all expend some money because of our employment, some of it reimbursable by our employer and some of it not. Regardless, here are a few things to make sure [...]

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Working No Comments »

Excuse me, sir. Could you spare $65.5 TRILLION?

February 14, 2009

So are you not scared by the $787 billion spend-ulus package being rammed down our throats, or the idea of our national debt being a whopping $10 trillion (and that’s before the Obama Road to Communism Act of 2009). Well if the idea of our country being on the hook for $10 trillion doesn’t scare [...]

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in News/Trends 2 Comments »

Dealing with a layoff BEFORE it happens: Part 1 – Saving essential information

February 12, 2009

I have seen quite a few lists and articles out there about how to survive a layoff, but I’m not sure I’ve seen any with real practical tips on how to prepare for one. Once you’ve lost your job is not the time to figure out what you should have done before it happened and [...]

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Working 4 Comments »

Chase: Just because your rate is fixed doesn’t mean we can’t add new fees!

February 9, 2009

Here’s a gem for you, courtesy of USAToday.com: apparently Chase is assessing new fees and raising minimum payments on credit card customers who are floating balances under promotional fixed rates. In the latest fee rolled out by a bank, JPMorgan Chase, the nation’s largest card issuer, has begun charging hundreds of thousands of borrowers a $10-a-month, [...]

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Banking, Credit Cards, Scams No Comments »

More preparations for an economic depression

February 4, 2009

I posted back in October some thoughts on preparing for a major economic downturn and argued that frugal living was an excellent defense against the hard times that are to come. Well, I happened upon another list of preparations to make for an economic depression that are a little bit more detailed. Suggestions are given [...]

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in News/Trends No Comments »

Another $200 Chase Business Checking Bonus – Expires 3/28/2009

February 3, 2009

Our buddy over at Hustler $$$ Blog found this offer for a $200 bonus with a new Chase business checking account. Simply print the coupon found here (go ahead and print it now, as Chase has been pulling online coupons early recently) and go into a branch to open. If you fund the account with a [...]

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Graveyard No Comments »