Finance Globe

You may be one of the millions of people who received one of those annoying phone calls, or several phone calls, from “Rachel” from “Cardholder Services” promising to help you reduce your credit card interest rate. Unfortunately, many consumers found out after spending hundreds of dollars that “Rachel” was just part of a scam. The FTC shut down one of the companies behind the scam in November 2012. Now, A+ Financial Center, the company behind the...

Though budgeting has repeatedly been touted as one of the basic financial habits, not many Americans are budgeting their monthly income. According to a recent poll from Gallup, only 32% of Americans budget each month. Based on that statistic, it’s safe to assume the remaining 68% either don’t budget at all or don’t budget monthly. Of those who do budget, the Gallup poll showed that people with higher incomes or college degrees were more likely to...

Students borrowing certain need-based Federal loans after July 1, 2013 will pay a higher interest rate than previous borrowers paid on the same loan. Rates on new Direct Subsidized Loans, a need-based loan otherwise known as Stafford loans, will be 6.8% versus the 3.4% rate that student loan borrowers have enjoyed for the previous six years. The government estimates that 9.4 million loans will be made this year with the new interest rate. The rates for...

People are taking more time paying off their auto loans. Auto lenders, in an effort to get more people to buy more cars, are giving people more time to pay off their loans. The result is lower monthly payments. At the end of 2012, average new car loans were 65 months, just shy of five and a half years. But there are car loans as long as 97 months. That’s more than eight years. After paying...

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Time is money,” but do we really believe this? Do we behave this way? If you’re having financial trouble, consider whether your time management may be, at least partially, to blame. Mismanaging your time can impact your money in ways that aren’t immediately obvious. Do You Spend Enough Time on Your Finances? Being a poor manager of time, you may not set aside enough time to pay attention to your money....

How many times have you said to yourself “If I only had more money?” as you poured over a stack of bills or laid awake thinking about your finances? It may not be much consolation, but you’re not alone. Lots of people have the same thought, that having more money would solve all their money problems. Unfortunately, that may not necessarily be the case. The money you have, or don’t have, isn’t necessarily the reason you...

One of the basic rules of using a checking account is that you should never spend more money than you have available in your account. Break this rule and you'll receive a financial penalty, either an overdraft fee or a nonsufficient funds fee, depending on what the bank does with the offending transaction.How Overdraft and NSF Fees Work When a bank receives a transaction against your account, for example a check you wrote to cover your...

One of the happiest times in a couple’s life is joining together in holy matrimony. As you settle in your life together, one of the decisions you’ll have to make it whether to have separate or joint bank accounts. There are pros and cons to each, so think through the options. Joint accounts With a joint account, both spouses’ names are on the account. You’ll probably both deposit your checks into this one account. When it’s...

Graduation, birthday, wedding, Christmas are all occasions when you’re likely to receive gifts and what better gift than cash. With cash you can buy whatever you like and possibly an even better gift than the giver would have purchased in the first place. While you may be inclined to blow the cash on electronics, clothes, or a vacation, there are some wiser ways you can use your gift. For a big occasion, like graduation or wedding,...

Do you often find that you run out of money before your next payday comes? Feel like your money should stretch further than it actually does? Do you frequently overdraft your checking account? If you make enough money to cover your living expenses, but you’re continually broke, you may be wasting money, you know, spending it on frivolous things. Here are some signs that you’re wasting money. Pay for subscriptions you don’t use. The gym charges...