10 Tips for Credit Card Responsibility
As President Obama and federal legislators debate with credit card companies on fees and rates, consumers are still responsible for paying their credi...
Ilyce Glink on WSB Radio – April 26, 2009
Today on the Ilyce Glink Show, Ilyce talked about the Time Magazine article on the "New Frugality." Are you being more frugal? Time says we are:
- 63% have cut back on entertainment (72% of 18 to 34-year olds)
- 56% are spending less on eating out at non-fast-food restaurants
- 38% are spending less on sporting events
- 46% are seeing fewer movies
- 35% are spending less on newspapers and magazines
Ilyce also took more personal finance and real estate questions from callers. Do you always listen to the show here on the website or download the podcast? Join Ilyce in person at the May 9 Ilyce Glink Makeover Your Money event in Atlanta and get to ask her and other financial experts your questions in person. Don't forget to use discount code "savememoney" (no spaces or quotes) to save 50%.
Today on the Ilyce Glink Show – April 26, 2009
Today on the Show, we talked about the Time Magazine article on the "New Frugality." Are you being more frugal? Time says we are: * 63% have cut back...
How To Keep Your Identity and Credit History Safe
Who is responsible for protecting your identity and credit history? Only you are responsible for making sure your personal information is safe. The best way to protect your credit is to check your credit regularly through AnnualCreditReport.com. If you discover any errors or mistakes, report the errors immediately so the banks and credit reporting bureaus can help resolve your credit disputes. If you do want to hire a credit monitoring service, make sure you use a service that will help prevent fraud, protect your personal information, and resolve any disputes.
New Home Sales Fall 0.6 Percent In March
Yesterday I blogged that sales of existing homes fell 3 percent last month. Sales of new homes also fell. HUD and the Census Dept. released this info ...
National Mover Rate Lowest In 60 Years
In 2008, the national mover rate fell to its lowest level since the Census department began tracking that data in 1948. The rate fell to 11.9 percent ...
Can Reverse Mortgages Save Seniors Facing Foreclosure?
What can you do if you're retired and your investments plummeted during the financial crisis? One option may be to get a reverse mortgage, where a mortgage lender either pays you a lump sum or a monthly payment based on your home equity. To repay the loan, it must be repaid either through a home sale or with other money. The older you are the more money you can tap through a reverse mortgage, but be aware that fees tend to be high.
Declining Home Value May Spur Short Sale Instead Of Refinance
What can you do when you owe more on your mortgage than your home is worth? If you owe more than 105 percent of the value of the home you can't refinance under federal programs. If you're really eager to sell your home and move on you may want to try to do a short sale with your mortgage lender. In a short sale, the mortgage lender forgives the balance of the loan that's above the amount you receive for the sale, and at the moment you can do this without paying federal income tax on the difference.
Can Real Estate Agent Help With Foreclosure Home Purchase?
Do you need a real estate agent when you're buying a foreclosure? If you already have a property in mind and have a real estate attorney, you probably don't need a real estate agent to help you with a foreclosure home purchase. The lender who's selling the foreclosure may be working with a real estate agent and that agent may get double commission if you don't have your own real estate agent - but it's unlikely you can change that. A real estate agent may be able to add value by helping you find and buy a foreclosure at an even lower price than advertised.
Keeping Property Or Assets When You Owe Money To IRS
If you owe money to the Internal Revenue Service and you want to buy property can you get a family member to be the buyer using your money? And can that family member later give you the property via a quit claim deed? Trying to get around paying back the IRS or protecting assets from the IRS can be a messy business - it can result in you being charged with a crime. If a family member wants to transfer a property to you upon his or her death (and you didn't contribute to the purchase), a trust may be the way to go.