Analysis Topic: Personal Finance
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Three Steps to Your Monetary Freedom / Personal_Finance / Fiat Currency
By: LewRockwell
Richard C.B. Johnsson writes: What is needed for us to have real monetary freedom? Do we have to repeal legal tender laws? Abolish the central bank? Introduce a gold standard? Denationalize money á la Hayek? Or perhaps to introduce some other major policy change?
Not really. We just have to use some magic, some monetary magic.
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Thursday, September 09, 2010
Banks Hit Customers With Increased Overdraft Intereat Rates Despite No Change in Base Rate / Personal_Finance / UK Banking
By: MoneyFacts
Recent figures from the Bank of England show overdraft rates at an all time high.
In the last 18 months, more than a quarter (26%) of current accounts have seen increases in their authorised overdraft rates, despite no change in the bank base rate. (See appendix for full details)
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Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Four Ways to Make Your Money Work Harder / Personal_Finance / Money Saving
By: Nilus_Mattive
After a great Labor Day weekend, a lot of Americans are now back at their desks, hard at work … and I’m no exception.
But while you might rather be back at the beach or the family barbecue, the good news is there are things you can do to make sure your hard-earned money is working hard for you in return.
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Saturday, September 04, 2010
HMRC PAYE Tax Error To Cost Workers £1,400 Each, £400 Rebate for Others / Personal_Finance / Taxes
By: Nadeem_Walayat
A Treasury department audit of the Inland Revenue (HMRC) has revealed huge blunders in calculation of tax owed under the PAYE system which means 1.5 million workers have paid too little tax amounting to an average tax bill of £1,400 each or £2 billion in total. Against this HMRC was found to have over deducted tax from 4.3 million workers totaling £1.8 billion which averages out at a tax refund of £400 each.
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Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Retirement Distress as Annuity Rates Hit All Time Lows / Personal_Finance / Pensions & Retirement
By: MoneyFacts
The prospects of securing a comfortable retirement have taken a further blow with news that pension annuity rates have hit an all time low.
Research from Investment Life & Pensions Moneyfacts has revealed that annuity rates have fallen steadily over the summer months following a spate of re-pricing activity amongst providers.
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Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Reader's Question: Will the Gov't Confiscate my 401K and Should I take My Money Out? / Personal_Finance / Pensions & Retirement
By: JD_Rosendahl
I absolutely love getting great money questions. It might be my favorite thing about blogging about money, investments, trends, and strategies. Recently, I wrote a blog: More people tapping 401(k)s . In that blog, I wrote about unfortunate reasons why people are taking premature distributions from their 401K plans. A reader responded to that blog with a very well thought out and pro-active question:Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
The Perils of Tapping a 401(k) / Personal_Finance / Pensions & Retirement
By: Nilus_Mattive
Fidelity just released a new report and it’s pretty depressing.
The upshot? A record number of Americans are making hardship withdrawals from their 401(k) retirement plans. Worse yet, the number of U.S. workers borrowing from their plans is also at a 10-year high!
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Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Gold Falls with Stocks & Euro as Yen Hits 15-Year High / Personal_Finance / Pensions & Retirement
By: Adrian_Ash
THE SPOT PRICE of wholesale gold dropped to a 7-session low Tuesday lunchtime in London, as world stock markets fell hard in thin trade and the Japanese Yen reached a new 15-year high vs. the Dollar.
"Monday was about as quiet as it gets," says one London bullion dealer in a note.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Protect Your Wealth From the Government, Expatriate Your Wallet / Personal_Finance / Investing 2010
By: Casey_Research
Terry Coxon, contributing author of Casey Research’s ‘Going Global’ Special Report writes: If everything you own is held in your own name in your own country, then you are not merely exposed, you are vulnerable absolutely, to whatever decisions the government might make about how you should behave and who gets the wealth you've earned. Tomorrow's new government measure, which might land out of the blue, could be a law that affects everyone, or it could be a rule devised to deal with people like you. Or, it could be an administrative action aimed at you alone. In any case, with all your assets at home, you'd find out how the lobster feels when his trap is being hauled out of the water. Nothing he can do about it.
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Another New U.S. Mortgage Fee, Five Golden Rules for Applying for Mortgages / Personal_Finance / Mortgages
By: Amber_Dakar
If you’re in the market to buy a new home, be aware that the U.S. Treasury Department is considering a new mortgage fee to fund the backstops it gives for loans purchased through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Analysts say the fee may be up to 1.5 percent of the borrower’s mortgage, which would be a big increase from the current 0.25 percent that both Fannie and Freddie currently charge mortgage borrowers. Plus, it remains to be seen if this new charge would be in addition to that current charge!
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Monday, August 02, 2010
Student Finance Best Current Accounts / Personal_Finance / Student Finances
By: MoneyFacts
In the next month, many students will be preparing to leave home and head off to university.
For many it will be the first time they are fully in charge of their finances, with budgeting and bill paying becoming a necessary evil.
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Monday, August 02, 2010
Graduate Finance Best Current Bank Accounts / Personal_Finance / UK Banking
By: MoneyFacts
As another academic year closes, many graduates are leaving university to enter very challenging times. Unemployment remains high and could increase further once public sector cuts are fully realised, leaving limited job opportunities for graduates.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
2011: The Year Of The Tax Increase / Personal_Finance / Taxes
By: Pravda
Michael Snyder writes: Unless the U.S. Congress acts, there is going to be a massive wave of tax increases in 2011. In fact, some are already calling 2011 the year of the tax increase. A whole host of tax cuts that Congress established between 2001 and 2003 are set to expire in January unless Congress chooses to renew them. But with Democrats firmly in control of both houses that appears to be extremely unlikely. Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, July 19, 2010
UK Government Pulls Plug on Savers Inflation Theft Protection NS&I Index Linked Certificates / Personal_Finance / Savings Accounts
By: Nadeem_Walayat
One of the few defences against the governments inflation stealth tax, the NS&I Index Linked Savings certificates has been withdrawn from the market. The certificates paid RPI +1% resulting in an current tax free return of 6% per annum which is typically double the rate offered by the banks.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Retirement Planning, Why the "100 Minus Your Age" Rule is Wrong / Personal_Finance / Pensions & Retirement
By: DailyWealth
Tom Dyson writes: The other day, a millionaire asked me to construct a retirement portfolio for her...
Unfortunately, I don't have the right government certifications for this type of work, so I had to refuse the job. But it got me thinking...
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Halifax Children's Regular Saver Waste of Time Applying Online / Personal_Finance / Savings Accounts
By: Nadeem_Walayat
Savers could find they are wasting their time in trying to complete a lengthy online Halifax Children's Regular Saver application form, as the account application process resolves in the following error page (on several attempts) :
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Thursday, July 08, 2010
Time to Hit the Reset Button on Life / Personal_Finance / Employment
By: DailyWealth
Dr. Steve Sjuggerud writes: "We're going to have to write a big check to get out of our house," a friend told me over the Fourth of July weekend.
He's moving far away from here.
Monday, July 05, 2010
UK Fixed Rate Saving Bonds Hit All Time Low / Personal_Finance / Savings Accounts
By: MoneyFacts
Savers taking out a fixed rate bond today will receive up to 23.3% less interest than they would have nine months ago.
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Tuesday, June 29, 2010
FDIC Deposit Insurance, Yet Another Bailout for Reckless Savers and Investors? / Personal_Finance / Credit Crisis 2010
By: Nilus_Mattive
We all watched in horror as Washington bailed out failing financial institutions … dishonest lenders … and greedy borrowers and speculators with our tax dollars.
And as responsible savers and investors, we continue to suffer from the fallout as the Federal Reserve’s policies are keeping interest rates on traditional savings vehicles near zero.
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Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Cash ISA Reforms, Current Best Savings Accounts and Fixed Rate Deals / Personal_Finance / ISA's
By: MoneyFacts
The Office OF Fair Trading has today announced changes to the cash ISA market, which it has said will improve fairness and transparency for customers.
Michelle Slade, spokesperson for Moneyfacts.co.uk, commented: “The reforms to the ISA market are a welcome boost for savers, many of whom lost vital interest through the delays in transferring ISA money between providers.
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