Best Credit Cards for You!

A few years ago I wrote about how the Citi PremierPass Elite card makes me smile every time I use it. Well, unfortunately I was forced to stop using it since my beloved card no longer exists.  It must have been too good because Citi scrapped it!

However, I am happy to report that Citibank recently replaced my card with one that still makes me smile for many reasons.  So here’s why the Citi ThankYou Premier Card remains a top choice in my wallet:

1.) I’ll still earn 1 point for every mile I fly on any airline. Of course, this is in addition to the points I earn per dollar spent. What other card allows you to rack up points for the miles you fly on any airline plus what you spend?

2.) There are no foreign transaction fees. This is a new benefit, and it’s one that I love!

3.) I’ll earn an anniversary bonus (Up to a max of 5%) for each additional year I hold onto the card.

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Tags: Smile

Savings Accounts and Money Market Rates provided by 31 May 2011 The idea of a “bucket list” gained some cultural traction in recent years, but according to research from LIMRA, just 40 percent of workers have such a list for their retired years.

This research seems to indicate that many current pre-retirees havent thought that much about what theyll do once they finally leave the workforce – or how theyll pay for those years. Given the financial turmoil of recent years, the toll that the mortgage crisis took on the retirement accounts and home values of many Americans and the uncertainty of the employment situation, this is not entirely surprising.

“LIMRAs research indicates that less than a third of pre-retirees within three years of retirement have a written retirement plan,” said Paul Henry, managing director of LIMRA retirement products. Full Post…

Tags: Just, Just 10

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released two drafts of a proposed mortgage disclosure form that would make understanding your mortgage a lot easier. You can take a look at these forms for yourself.

This is long overdue. I’m all for simplifying using charts and graphs in a standardized way, not whatever way the mortgage lender felt like showing it. It also makes for a more informed and educated consumer. You can’t look at this form and not understand that, should you get an ARM, your payments could jump in the adjusting year (and each year afterwards). It also gives you a better understanding of the other costs, like taxes and insurance, which the mortgage lender may neglect to show you (though I doubt they ever do).

I don’t, however, think this is a panacea nor would it have prevented the “mortgage meltdown” that started a five years ago.

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Tags: Forms, Mortgage Disclosure

Some things in life are meant to be shared while others most certainly are not. Of course, then there are those in-between things that could arguably go either way. For many couples, finances are a black and white issue. Most couples either have combined finances or separate finances, depending on their preferences and financial situations. Some couples may have separate accounts as well as combined accounts. It really comes down to a comfort level in most cases.

Sometimes couples choose to keep separate finances to avoid one person taking on the other person’s debt. Others feel finances are a private personal matter, which can be a bit concerning in cases of marriage with separate finances. When you look at the whole picture, a couple’s decision to combine or separate finances really does come down to the individual couple, their habits, and their communication style.

Money is a common point of contention for many couples at one time or another in their relationships.

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Tags: Finances

After the variety of horror stories that people tend to see in the news these days regarding credit card fraud and identity theft it is little wonder that so many people are nervous about shopping online for fear of becoming one of the victims of this type of crime. This is particularly true when it comes to older shoppers who are more nervous about this type of crime as they are not as trusting of advanced technology as the younger generation.

However, officials have said that people should not lose out on the money and time saving benefits of shopping online for fear of this type of crime, as they can avoid becoming victims if they are vigilant and careful with their details when making online purchases and payments.

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Tags: Card, Credit Card