Another week, another credit card policy change. This time around the news is that American Express will dock rewards points for certain co-branded cards when a cardholder doesn't pay on time. To get the points reinstated, cardholders will first need to pay the obligatory late fee and then an additional $29 to recoup docked points. The AmEx cobranded cards hit with this new policy are Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, Hilton MORE
Carla Fried - Nov 30, 2009 1:56 PM ET
Personal finance from around the Web to get your week started:
Take advantage of a one-day sale from JetBlue to get some great travel deals Monday. But whatever airline you fly next, Luggage Limit helps you minimize baggage fees. [It's Your Money/Lifehacker]
Bank of America today launched a program called Credit Card Clarity Commitment -- what it says is an easy-to-understand list of terms and conditions for each account. [Charlotte Business Journal]
A MORE
Tania Chen - Nov 30, 2009 12:30 PM ET
My colleague Alexis Jeffries and I had fun reporting a recent story called "Five Ways To Pump Up Your Income," which ran in the December 2009 issue of MONEY. Who couldn't use some ideas right now on how to make more dough?
As Alexis recently blogged, many of the ideas we came up with didn't make it into the final piece. But there's an idea that did make it into the MORE
Donna Rosato - Nov 26, 2009 8:44 AM ET
You won't get trampled in search of great deal on Black Friday, as major retailers are preparing crowd control measures to keep the shopping frenzy under control. (The Washington Post)
Being underwater on your home is a more significant factor than being unemployed in predicting the likelihood of mortgage default. (Housing Wire)
According to one blogger, it might actually be detrimental to your income to have two adults working in a household. MORE
Q: My fiancé, Alan, recently had a heart attack. If we go ahead with the wedding, he will be covered by my health insurance (he has none), but I'll become liable for all his current medical bills. What should I do?
A: Like Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, you've been misinformed. Individuals are not legally liable for debts their spouses incurred before they were married. As a practical matter, though, those MORE
Jeanne Fleming, Ph.D., and Leonard Schwarz - Nov 25, 2009 10:33 AM ET
In researching "5 Ways to Pump Up Your Income," a story that ran in the December 2009 issue of MONEY, my co-author Donna Rosato and I discovered a few helpful tips for people who want to make a business out of their hobby. Unfortunately, not all of these ideas made it into the published article. So here they are: To make the transition from hobbyist to small-business MORE
Alexis Jeffries - Nov 24, 2009 4:30 PM ET
Personal finance from around the Web:
Laptop warranties pay for themselves -- taking into consideration a 20% failure rate, a 10% accident rate and the near-certainty that the battery will die. [Gadgetwise]
Many economists believe tax deductions for mortgage interest are a bad idea. Here's the history behind the deduction and why it does no one a favor. [NPR]
This really cool time-lapse map shows a really uncool thing: How unemployment has infected America, MORE
Ana Patricia Ferrey - Nov 24, 2009 12:09 PM ET
Personal finance from around the Web to get your week started:
The delinquency rate on bank-issued cards dropped 6 percent between June and September, according to credit-reporting agency TransUnion. The company cites the unemployment rate, limited credit, and higher interest rates as the main cause of cutting the delinquency rate. Still, it's too early to tell how new credit card regulations and holiday retail sales will affect credit behavior in the MORE
Tania Chen - Nov 23, 2009 12:41 PM ET
Now that the home buyer's tax credits are back up and running through May, the next bit of housing-related economic stimulus is focused on homeowners who are willing to spend money to make their homes more energy efficient.
Carla Fried - Nov 23, 2009 12:16 PM ET
Personal finance from around the Web on Friday:
Fixed-income king Bill Gross doesn't like earning 0.01% on his cash. But he does like utilities. [PIMCO]
You may end up owing taxes next April because a little tax credit ended up being too big. One more reason to check your withholding. [Bucks]
A convicted Long Island mortgage fraudster will be serving a month in jail for trying to rip off a 93-year-old retired barber. MORE
Beth Braverman - Nov 20, 2009 10:51 AM ET
The 401(k) is enjoying a wee bit of a corporate comeback.
Fidelity Investments, which says it's the leading provider of workplace retirement savings plans in the US, disclosed Thursday morning that some of the companies which reduced their financial contributions to 401(k) plans during the financial meltdown have started ponying up money again, or at least plan to.
George Mannes - Nov 19, 2009 1:14 PM ET
Imagine the perfect gift card: Able to be used anywhere, anytime, without any restrictions. Uh, guess what? It's called cash. [The Wall Street Journal]
Beware of boilerplate requirements in mortgage commitments. Sometimes you can wriggle out of them. [Tales from the Real Estate Wars]
Has a friend or relative asked you to co-sign for a credit card or other loan? Here are four excellent questions to ask before you go through MORE
Ismat Sarah Mangla - Nov 19, 2009 11:57 AM ET
In the year-ahead outlook for savings and credit that I wrote for MONEY's December issue, I reported that things weren't exactly going to be rosy next year. But I did point out one potential bright spot.
"Customers who have been on the receiving end of 'gotcha' practices that will earn banks $38.5 billion in overdraft fees this year may also get some relief," I wrote. "Many Capitol Hill watchers believe MORE
Ismat Sarah Mangla - Nov 18, 2009 2:34 PM ET
New York may follow the practice of at least 20 other states and start publishing the names of its biggest tax delinquents online. [Economix]
Yes, the price of gold has zoomed upward in 2009. But palladium's performance leaves gold in the dust. [The Big Picture]
While Americans are generally supportive of a government-run "public option" insurance plan as part of a health care overhaul, their enthusiasm depends on how it's described to MORE
Alexis Jeffries - Nov 18, 2009 2:05 PM ET
Personal finance from around the Web Tuesday:
The Federal Reserve is proposing new rules to protect gift card consumers from exorbitant fees and and expiration dates. While the exact date these new rules will go into effect remains unknown, it most likely won't be until next summer -- after the upcoming gift-card season. [Federal Reserve, Bucks]
Online microlending has been all the rave in recent years. One of the most popular is MORE
Ana Patricia Ferrey - Nov 17, 2009 11:56 AM ET
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