According to many mainstream experts, analyst Meredith Whitney's call for a municipal bond apocalypse is dead wrong, and the fears which have knocked that market hard since August are overblown, overdone, and an overreaction. Maybe. But when I read reports like those that follow, which detail an increasingly sorry outlook for municipal finances, as well as the fact that legislators in Washington are weighing legislation that will allow states to go bankrupt, I can't help but think that we've heard such reassurances before (remember "contained'?).
"State Revenues Growing, But Outlook 'Ominous'" (Reuters)
State tax revenues continued to strengthen at the…
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Certain personal finance gurus such as Dave Ramsey argue that you can (and should) ignore your FICO credit score. Others, like Suze Orman, advocate taking control of your score. So who is right?
Given how often credit scores are talked about in various books and on TV, I wanted to dig deeper and see how much impact your credit score can have on your life.
What is a FICO credit score?
Fair Isaac and Company (FICO) has developed a system to help creditors determine a person’s credit risk based on their credit history. Lenders rely on these scores when determining…
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One of the key steps to financial rehabilitation is paying off your debt. With the whole financial system set up that you’d lose money every time you borrow (through charges and interest), the best move is to cut your losses quick. And you’d be your own man.
Do the math. How much do you still owe? This includes credit card debt, car loans, and the mortgage. See how much you’re in the hole and calculate how much you pay.
Pay them quick. For smaller debts like credit card charges, it’s best to deal with them straight away. Pay the whole…
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Do you or someone you know use a cell phone? With billions of cell phones in use across the world everyday, the answer is likely a resounding yes. In fact, finding a household without at least one cell phone would prove to be challenging in today’s society. Cell phones are an integral part of our lives, with many people using their mobile device for more than just checking in with friends. In the past few years, cell phones have evolved from a convenient way to keep in touch into electronic devices with computer like capabilities. Many of the popular cell…
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Im posting our monthly cash flow analysis given how tight things are these days with our downshifting to a single income and starting a family. I believe we need to continue to pay closer attention to our cash flow while we get through this tight period of our journey to financial freedom.
So here an update with our November 2010 cash flow:
Here is our monthly update:
Income - Income is significantly higher due to 1) I've reduced my withholding as I'm expecting we will be due a tax refund. 2) I received a health rebate this month, 3) I…
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Last week we wanted to know all about your biggest budget items. While many of us have budgets we try to follow precisely, we all have our guilty pleasures that may cause us to splurge.
What do you splurge on? Do you spend more than you should on eating out, shoes, or the latest tech gadgets? What can you do to reduce the amount of money you spend on your guilty pleasures?
Share your splurging confessions with us and we'll enter you in a drawing to win a $ 20 Amazon Gift Card!
Win 1 of 3 $ 20…
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What does it take to be one of the most desirable women in the world? AskMen recently unveiled its Top 99 Women ranking, based on votes by more than 5 million people worldwide, and we were curious to find more about the ladies on that list. So we partnered with AskMen to slice and dice the 2011 ranking and discovered some interesting trends. From hair color to age to college degrees and careers, the details are in our latest infographic.
Two days after President Obama’s State of the Union last week, the White House invited new-media outlets to ask questions of Austan Goolsbee, Chairman of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisors.
For nearly 40 minutes, the administration fielded questions crowdsourced from Mint.com, Examiner.com, and MSN Money readers. The emphasis on social media was evident in the State of the Union itself, which namechecked both Google and Facebook, a first for a U.S. administration. Below is a recap of the issues discussed, and above is a video of the event.
Social Security concerns
Goolsbee opened by echoing the theme of the State of…
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