January 6, 2012 – 8:30 am | One Comment

Your best defence against making credit card mistakes is knowledge, and understanding some of the most common myths and misconceptions about credit cards can help you know what you need to manage the plastic in your wallet.

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Credit Card Debt

How to get out and stay out, as well as other sticky issues like dealing with debt collectors and loan consolidation.

Credit Cards

Reviews, Tips & Tricks, and everything else you need to know about getting the most out your credit cards.

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Budgeting, frugal living, saving, and all kinds of other money and finance related subjects.

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Learn how to repair and improve your credit score. Learn about Beacon and Fico scores, and much more!

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Don’t like the idea of spending money you don’t have? Get the scoop on bank and prepaid debit cards.

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Articles by Jack

Jack is a personal finance writer from Pittsburgh. He also serves as a contributing editor for Primer Magazine. You can see his work at JackBusch.com.

Best Credit Cards for Bad Credit, Average Credit, Good Credit and Excellent Credit
March 17, 2010 – 4:35 am | No Comment
Best Credit Cards for Bad Credit, Average Credit, Good Credit and Excellent Credit

If you grew up in an egalitarian society with a loving family, you’ve probably been told over and over to reach for the stars and set your sights high. You can achieve anything if you …

Credit Card Fees: The Fed’s Latest Proposal
March 10, 2010 – 8:52 am | One Comment
Credit Card Fees: The Fed’s Latest Proposal

In its ongoing efforts to protect consumers, the Federal Reserve rolled out a preliminary ruling that aims to limit credit card fees, particularly the troublesome over-the-limit fees which have received much media attention in the …

Rewards Credit Cards: Are They Still Worth It?
March 3, 2010 – 9:08 am | One Comment
Rewards Credit Cards: Are They Still Worth It?

There were no words minced when the credit card companies let the world know that it’ll be tough for them to be so generous in the post-CARD Act era. And now, they’ve followed through. Our …

The Death of the Credit Card: 5 Futuristic Ways to Pay (Today!)
February 24, 2010 – 8:16 am | No Comment
The Death of the Credit Card: 5 Futuristic Ways to Pay (Today!)

This month’s Wired has a great article entitled The Future of Money: It’s Flexible, Frictionless and (Almost) Free which focuses on how technology is helping cut institutional interlopers out of the equation when moving money …

The CARD Act: How it Will and Won’t Protect You After February 22
February 17, 2010 – 10:06 am | No Comment
The CARD Act: How it Will and Won’t Protect You After February 22

Nine months later, the Credit CARD Act of 2009 is finally going into full effect. We’ve seen banks slowly react to the new laws by working the loopholes, rather than complying ahead of time, but …

Hit ‘em High, Hit ‘em Low: Credit Cards for the Rich and the Poor
February 10, 2010 – 7:15 pm | One Comment
Hit ‘em High, Hit ‘em Low: Credit Cards for the Rich and the Poor

Credit cards are far from one size fits all and the big names in lending know it. That’s why they’ve devised each credit card to target a specific demographic and income level. Whether it’s so …

Pissed About Credit Card Business Practices? Take Action
February 3, 2010 – 10:13 am | 6 Comments
Pissed About Credit Card Business Practices? Take Action

Washington Post recently ran some required reading for all credit card users entitled “Five myths about America’s credit card debt.” Don’t be deceived by the somewhat banal title – this piece is actually very illuminating …

Watch Your Back: 8 Up and Coming Credit Card Fee-Creep Tricks
January 27, 2010 – 11:20 am | 2 Comments
Watch Your Back: 8 Up and Coming Credit Card Fee-Creep Tricks

February 2010 is almost upon us, which means the CARD Act is about to kick in to full effect. Of course, the credit card companies haven’t been resting on their laurels, waiting for the government …

Treated Like a Criminal at Checkout? Don’t Put Up With It
January 25, 2010 – 10:53 am | 4 Comments
Treated Like a Criminal at Checkout? Don’t Put Up With It

Credit card fraud is a serious issue, and retailers and credit card issuers have enacted a number of measures to help protect your identity and their bottom-lines. But the backlash of tighter security is that …

Are You a Credit Card Junkie?
January 20, 2010 – 7:33 am | No Comment
Are You a Credit Card Junkie?

If you haven’t seen the movie Maxed Out, go watch it now (you can stream it on Netflix). Not to say that there’s anything completely revelatory about it – we all know that the credit …

Links with Your Black Friday
November 27, 2009 – 10:00 am | One Comment
Links with Your Black Friday

Happy Black Friday, shoppers. Did you go out a-spending this morning? Are you still waiting in line as you read this post? We hope you’re having fun and took some of our advice for retail …

Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Get More Rewards!
November 25, 2009 – 9:35 am | No Comment
Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Get More Rewards!

Here come the sales. And the crowds. And the flurry of plastic and cash in exchange for plastic goods and novelty knickknacks. For some, there’s nothing quite like the smell of commerce in the morning. …

Dear CitiBank: What the heck is an “interest rate rebate?”
November 24, 2009 – 7:13 am | 2 Comments
Dear CitiBank: What the heck is an “interest rate rebate?”

Yesterday, Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich) fired off a letter to the Federal Reserve Board urging it to tweak the rules implementing the CARD Act. Among them, Levin took time to identify a litany of wily …

Credit Card Subsidies: Three Ways the Minority is Paying for the Majority
November 19, 2009 – 7:02 am | 5 Comments
Credit Card Subsidies: Three Ways the Minority is Paying for the Majority

Good credit card customers don’t make money for the likes of JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America. They take money. If you’re like me, you rack up tons of points on your card, pay it …