It’s been a while since I’ve received anything in the mail that screams out for attention more than this latest “pink nightmare.” I encountered my first instance of this type of attention-getting tripe when I received a “OFFICAL NOTICE” from a sleazy outfit known as National Magazine Exchange some years ago. This time, however, the [...]

Although it has not been officially reported by the company, a Wall Street Journal report says that Bank of America had decided to drop its plans to impose a $5-per-month fee on customers for using their debit cards. A $5-per-month fee may not sound like a large amount and many customers may just shrug it [...]

I guess I’m not the only one that is fed up with the proliferation of these automated phone-answering systems that just about every big company is now employing. “Press 1 for billing,” “Press 2 for customer service,” “Press 3 for technical support.” You know what I’m talking about. One of the biggest problems I have [...]

Before you jump to conclusions and assume that headline has anything to do with the current “Occupy” protests, hang on a second and see what I’m talking about. I’m actually suggesting that you “occupy” your local credit union with your money! In other words, if you are doing your banking through a traditional bank, I [...]

It’s obvious that scam artists are opportunists and I think it’s save to presume that they are a lot like sharks that smell blood in the water more so than usual in recent years due to the lousy state of the economy. Scams come in many different flavors, and although we tend to focus a [...]

Many of us have seen the advertisements on television. A motorist driving a General Motors vehicle is involved in an accident and the OnStar system automatically notifies OnStar operators who are able to call emergency services and provide them with the information they need to come to the rescue. The system also boasts other capabilities [...]

That appears to be the case. I cannot say exactly how I came to possess this particular piece of mail, but all I will say is that it was not addressed to me. Yeah, the economy has been lousy for a while, and we’ve certainly not been living the high life, but we have not [...]

With the sad state if the economy these days, I’m seeing my share of ads on TV and online that tout the benefits of credit counseling services. I don’t know a whole lot about that industry, but I presume their stated intent is to assist consumers who want to reduce their debt and learn how [...]

It’s not uncommon to hear stories about stupid criminals. There are even television programs devoted to the subject. I suppose it’s bad enough being exposed as a crook, and even worse for earning a reputation as a stupid crook. This description seems to fit Maria Elena Booker, a 40-year-old woman from Arizona who actually used [...]

Now here’s something I had never heard of before. Who would have imagined that closing a credit card account could have a negative impact on your credit score? One would think it would be a positive move, since you certainly would not be using that card to rack up more debt. But, like the Wall [...]