Jun
24
Flood Insurance For Renters
June 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Renters need flood insurance. You might think flood insurance is only for home owners. However, renters are just as vulnerable to flood damage. Here are the reasons renters need flood insurance too.
How much would it cost you to replace everything you own right now? Try to estimate the dollar amount in your head or on a piece of paper. Now compare that number to the amount of money you have in your …
Jun
3
Cheap Lunches - Taco Tuesday
June 3, 2008 | Leave a Comment
The price of food is starting to creep up. Even the price of fast food (usually a cheap meal) has gone up. However, you can eat cheap if you remember what day it is.
While I usually try to avoid fast food because of the health (and taste) concerns, every once in a while, I enjoy the guilty pleasure of a quick meal. I was on my way back from gym and it was lunch time. I was in a hurry so I ran …
Apr
18
Prosper Increases Maximum Interest Rates
April 18, 2008 | Leave a Comment
I’m a Prosper.com lender. One of the problems I’ve noticed is the low maximum interest rates for borrowers in some states. Prosper has now fixed this problem for most states. Previously max rates had been as low as 6%. Now most states in the US have a maximum interest rate of 36%.
Some states have usury laws. These laws cap the interest rate a lender can charge a borrower. …
Apr
7
What is Prosper and How Does it Work?
April 7, 2008 | 4 Comments
What is Prosper and how does it work? Prosper.com is a website for personal loans that allows borrowers and lenders to find each other in an Ebay style auction. I've been a member of Prosper for over a year. In this article I'll tell you how Prosper works.
In a previous article about person to person (p2p) lending, I wrote about how person to person lending works in general. I also …
Apr
3
Peer to Peer Lending with Prosper Et Al.
April 3, 2008 | 2 Comments
Maybe you’ve heard of peer to peer ( p2p ) lending. It’s also known as social lending or person to person lending. What is it and how does it work? I have some experience in this area so read on to find out what p2p lending is all about.
Borrowers
Consumer loans are big business. According to Wikipedia there is a $2.5 trillion (that’s 25 followed by 11 zeroes) consumer lending market in the United States. That’s not …
Apr
1
Retirement Revolution - Part Two
April 1, 2008 | 2 Comments
The US retirement system is about to face its biggest challenge. The baby boomers are starting to retire. What can the baby boomers do to prepare for retirement? What will they do with themselves during their long retirement?
Retirement Revolution is PBS show hosted by Paula Zahn. The first part airs on PBS for the first time on March 31, 2008. The second half “On Our Own” airs on PBS …
Mar
25
The Federal Reserve ( the Fed ), the central bank that everyone loves to hate, has lowered its target interest rate to 2.25%, down from 3%. The Fed is reducing rates in an attempt to stimulate the economy and prop up weak financial markets. What does this mean to you?
Well it’s either good or bad depending on your financial situation. If you are a borrower, than its good because it will now cost you less to borrow money. However if you are a saver (or lender) than it’s …
Mar
19
What is Your Investment Philosophy?
March 19, 2008 | 2 Comments
I’ve come to believe the most important investment decision you can make is deciding upon an investment philosophy. I call it a philosophy but it could also be called an investment style, an investing strategy or even and investment system. All of these terms are rather hard to define. Some have clear meanings. Let’s elaborate on investment philosophy.
As usual I searched for these …
Mar
14
Ten reasons to use a credit card for every purchase
March 14, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Many personal finance sites love to pick on credit cards. The credit card industry is an easy target. Don’t get me wrong, some of the reputation is well deserved. However, the savvy and disciplined consumer can take advantage of credit cards. Like any tool, credit cards, used responsibly, can make life easier.
I’ve compiled a top ten list of credit card features that I think are worthwhile. This is a …
Mar
9
Sitemap
March 9, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Posts Category: Banking & Money Alan Greenspan Not Laughing About Sub Prime Mortgage Mess Are Credit Unions Better Than Banks? Back To Basics Bank Loans Have Not 'Dried Up' Close Old Or Unused Accounts Interest Rates Increasing? Online Savings Account Rates Not Keeping Up With Inflation Putting the Blame Where It Belongs Searching for a Safe Short Term High Yield Investment …