Analysis Topic: Personal Finance
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Citibank UK U.S. Dollar Current Account Now Charging for Depositing Cheque's, How to Make an Extra 1% on Transfers / Personal_Finance / UK Banking
By: Nadeem_Walayat
Citibank for a number of years has provided UK customers a U.S. Dollar Checking account without fees if the balance across all Citi accounts is above £2,000. This has proved especially useful in depositing dollar cheque's that normally attract significant fees per cheque in addition to exchange rate spread mark-ups.
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Friday, November 18, 2011
Barclaycard’s 11% Cashback Incentive Credit Card / Personal_Finance / Credit Cards & Scoring
By: MoneyFacts
Louise Holmes, spokesperson for Moneyfacts.co.uk, commented: “The news that Barclaycard has added an 11% cashback incentive to its Platinum Balance Transfer card until 31st December 2011, should please consumers.
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Wednesday, November 16, 2011
The New Banking Fees That Are Silently Squeezing You / Personal_Finance / Current Accounts
By: Money_Morning
Kerri Shannon writes:
Customers won a victory in early November when their protests prompted Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) to drop new banking fees on debit cards.
But while you were celebrating, banks got busy finding new ways to recoup that money.
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Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Inflation, the Curse of Savers, Savings Accounts that Track RPI / Personal_Finance / Inflation
By: MoneyFacts
Inflation figures released today show the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) fell during October from 5.2% to 5.00%.
To beat inflation, a basic rate taxpayer at 20% needs to find a savings account paying 6.25% per annum, while a higher rate taxpayer at 40% needs to find an account paying at least 8.33%.
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Saturday, November 12, 2011
How the United States Will Become a 3rd World Country / Personal_Finance / US Politics
By: Ron_Hera
The United States is increasingly similar to a 3rd world county in several ways and is accelerating towards 3rd world status. Economic data indicate a harsh reality that obviates mainstream political debate. The evidence suggests that, without fundamental reforms, the U.S. will become a post industrial neo-3rd-world country by 2032.
Friday, November 04, 2011
Best Cash Back Credit Cards for this Christmas / Personal_Finance / Credit Cards & Scoring
By: MoneyFacts
The festive season is nearly upon us and many people will be contemplating the task of Christmas shopping over the next few weeks.
Cashback credit cards are a good option for consumers who may be facing an expensive Christmas, as they offer rewards in return for spending. A range of cashback cards are available, offering varying rewards subject to how much and whereabouts consumers spend.
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Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Money Market Funds, An Investment Whose Time Has Passed / Personal_Finance / Savings Accounts
By: Terry_Coxon
Terry Coxon, The Casey Report writes: Money market funds began as a bright and useful idea, became a habit, and recently have become a bad habit.
Money market funds were invented in 1971 as an innovative end-run around Federal Reserve Regulation Q, which prohibited paying interest on demand deposits. The purpose of Reg Q was to stifle competition in the deposit-taking business in order to benefit commercial banks – at the expense, of course, of depositors.
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Friday, October 28, 2011
In Praise of Credit Checks / Personal_Finance / Credit Cards & Scoring
By: Jeffrey_A_Tucker
It was maybe third grade when the schoolyard was abuzz with a terrible thing. It was called the "permanent record." If you did something bad enough, it would go on the permanent record. And then a one-day slip up would turn into a deep scar, a mortal sin that would last forever and permanently reduce your chances to make it in life.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Savers, How to Beat Inflation / Personal_Finance / Savings Accounts
By: MoneyFacts
Inflation figures released today show the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose from 4.5% to 5.2% during September.
To beat inflation, a basic rate taxpayer at 20% needs to find a savings account paying 6.5%, while a higher rate taxpayer at 40% needs to find an account paying at least 8.67%.
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Thursday, September 29, 2011
Falling Interest Rates Fail to Deter Savers / Personal_Finance / Savings Accounts
By: MoneyFacts
Latest figures from Moneyfacts.co.uk show that demand for fixed rate bonds has soared in the last few months.
In April, 26% of all savers visiting Moneyfacts.co.uk were searching for fixed rate bonds, but during August this had increased to 45%.
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Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Savers Continue to Pay the Price for High UK Inflation / Personal_Finance / Savings Accounts
By: MoneyFacts
Inflation figures released today show the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose during August from 4.4 per cent to 4.5 per cent.
To beat inflation, a basic rate taxpayer at 20% needs to find a savings account paying 5.63 per cent per annum, while a higher rate taxpayer at 40% needs to find an account paying at least 7.50 per cent.
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Monday, September 12, 2011
My Advice to Young People, Save, Multiple Streams of Income, Eliminate Debt and Acquire Some Physical Gold / Personal_Finance / Money Saving
By: Robert_Murphy
Over the last few years I've been freely dispensing financial advice to young people. I usually preface my remarks by saying, "I feel funny telling you what to do with your life, but since I'm bald you know I'm older and that I worry a lot." In the present article I'll summarize my recommendations. I am comfortable reproducing them for wide distribution, because they are conservative tips that would be appropriate in any setting, but are particularly important given my dire views on the Western economies.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Inflation Headache Returns for UK Savers / Personal_Finance / Savings Accounts
By: MoneyFacts
Inflation figures released today show the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose during July from 4.2 per cent to 4.4 per cent.
To beat inflation, a basic rate taxpayer at 20 per cent needs to find a savings account paying 5.50 per cent per annum, while a higher rate taxpayer at 40 per cent needs to find an account paying at least 7.33 per cent.
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Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Average 5 Year Fixed Interest Rate Savings Bond Falls to 2 Year Low / Personal_Finance / Savings Accounts
By: MoneyFacts
Average savings rates for long-term fixed rate bonds have fallen significantly over recent months. The current average five-year fixed rate is 3.74%, its lowest average for two years.
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Saturday, August 06, 2011
Personalising The Debt Ceiling Crisis / Personal_Finance / US Politics
By: Walter_Brasch
You have a credit card with a $25,000 limit.Because you have a good job, you only have $6,000 on the card, and routinely pay the monthly statement and a little extra on the principal.
But then you decide you need a 52-inch high-def LCD TV screen to go into your “man cave,” and your family rightfully decides they need a vacation. So, you add a few thousand to the credit card. But, it’s all OK since you just got a promotion at work.
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Tuesday, August 02, 2011
Obama, Idle Thoughts For The Ides Of July / Personal_Finance / US Politics
By: Andrew_McKillop
Most persons vaguely heard of the Ides of March, associated with the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC, but in fact the ides were periodic Roman pagan calendar-based days, that repeated right through the year, with the Ides of March, May, July and October being the most magically powerful.
Although we missed this year's Ides of July by a few days, the slippage between the Roman calendar, and our own, variously called the "christian" or "modern" calendar (named for the not-so-modern 13th century Pope Gregory), can easily cover this problem.
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Monday, July 18, 2011
UK Graduate Bank Accounts Analysis / Personal_Finance / UK Banking
By: MoneyFacts
As another academic year closes, many graduates are leaving university uncertain of their future. Unemployment remains high and could increase further once public sector cuts are fully realised, leaving limited job opportunities for graduates.
The transition of moving from full time study to full time employment can be a difficult period, but its important graduates prioritise on tackling what is likely to be a large student debt.
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Monday, July 18, 2011
Student UK Banking Services Analysis / Personal_Finance / Student Finances
By: MoneyFacts
Many students will be preparing to leave home next month 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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Friday, July 15, 2011
Your Paying a Bankers Bonus 3% Tax / Personal_Finance / Credit Cards & Scoring
By: Rudy_Avizius
Are you WILLINGLY paying a 3% tax? Are you then paying this money so that it can leave your community, so it can be shipped to tax havens abroad and to pay for the bonuses of bankers and the Wall Street types?
Sunday, June 26, 2011
UK Safe Retail Banks List / Personal_Finance / UK Banking
By: Nadeem_Walayat
The following table lists Britain's major retail banking groups (separate licences) in terms of the percentage probability that your deposits above the UK compensation limit of £85k and Euro-zone banks 100,000 (current £/E £86k) would be secure in the event of a series of euro-zone debt defaults starting with Greece and that the crisis is contained to these smaller peripheral euro-zone countries i.e. Greece, Portugal and Ireland, if Spain comes under real risk of default then that would require a revaluation of this list as banks such as Santander would come under far greater pressure given exposure to Spanish government debt.