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Presidential Debates: Do the Candidates Care About Our Issues?

By Suzanne Kahn on Oct. 07, 2008 Comments?

You Just Can’t Change People

By Jason Simon on Oct. 06, 2008 Comments?

We all have friends who struggle to manage their money wisely. Telling them that they are irresponsible, need to pay down their debt, create a budget, and/or find ways to spend less on frivolous goods isn’t going to work. Read...

Rock the Vote, Palin Bingo, Some Young Voters Unsatisfied

By Jason Simon on Oct. 03, 2008 Comments?

Do you feel that the candidates are talking about the money, health, and work issues that matter most to you? Read...

Understand Bankruptcy Now: Avoid it Later

By David Weliver on Oct. 03, 2008 Comments?

Over one million U.S. consumers will declare bankruptcy in 2008 according to the American Bankruptcy Institute. Bankruptcy can relieve struggling consumers of their debts, but it also creates financial consequences that can last 10 years. Indebted or not, understanding how bankruptcy works can help you make smarter credit decisions for years to come. Read...

Government Invests to Educate Youth About Handling Credit

By Jason Simon on Oct. 02, 2008 Comments?

The federal government is scrambling to prevent our financial system from falling apart while the Treasury Department is moving forward with an initiative to educate young adults aged 18-24 about handling credit more responsibly. Read...

Yes, There's Hope

By Lesley Scorgie on Oct. 01, 2008 Comments?

I’m not going to sugar-coat this – times are really tough right now and there’s great uncertainty. But, there’s hope … lots of hope. Read...

Get Your Question Asked in the Next Presidential Debate

By Suzanne Kahn on Sep. 30, 2008 Comments?

You can take part in the next presidential debate on Tuesday, October 7. It’s going to be a town hall-style debate, so the moderator will be taking questions from the audience. Even though most of us won’t actually be there, we can still submit questions online. Read...

How the Mortgage Industry Works (or Worked!)

By TheWeakonomist on Sep. 30, 2008 Comments?

Since last summer, Americans have painfully watched their economy's fire dwindle to just a hunk of burnt charcoal. There were many factors that could have doused the flame, but it started with mortgages. Read...

Don’t Press the Panic Button

By Broke Grad on Sep. 29, 2008 Comments?

As a customer of WaMu, I’ll get to experience the change of hands firsthand. So far, so good. Despite all of the dramatic news coverage about people pulling their money out of WaMu, I left mine in there, and guess what? It’s still there! Read...

Lawmakers Reject Bailout

By Jason Simon on Sep. 29, 2008 Comments?

Yes, it’s true. Like it or not, U.S. lawmakers rejected a $700 billion bailout plan for the financial industry in a vote of 228-to-205 that sent global markets sliding. The plan's defeat sent U.S. stocks down sharply, with the Dow Jones industrial average briefly falling more than 700 points. Read...

On the Money with Carmen Wong Ulrich

By Jason Simon on Sep. 26, 2008 Comments?

If you’re looking for actionable financial advice on TV, consider watching “On the Money” with Carmen Wong Ulrich on CNBC. Carmen is the author of Generation Debt: Take Control of Your Money--A How-to Guide, a former Qvisory blogger, and presently serves on the Board of Directors of the Qvisory Education Fund. Read...

We Won! Next Up: The Senate

By Suzanne Kahn on Sep. 25, 2008 Comments?

We won! The House passed the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights. Now the action moves to the Senate. Read...

Finally, The Credit Card Companies Lose in Congress

By Tamara Draut on Sep. 24, 2008 Comments?

Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed the Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights (HR 5244) that would curb some of the industry’s most common and most egregious practices. It’s the first piece of legislation passed by either house in Congress that restricts the lending practices of the credit card companies. Read...

The Day the Lending Lords Died

By TheWeakonomist on Sep. 23, 2008 Comments?

On Sunday, September 9, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson pulled out his figurative “bazooka” and fired it down the street to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (henceforth referred to as “the Frannies,” “the GSEs,“ “F&M,” “F&F,” “M&M,” “Frack,” “Mac Daddy,” or “Ms. Mary Mac”). The federal government took over the two companies. Read...

Help Set Our Agenda: Vote Today!

By Suzanne Kahn on Sep. 22, 2008 Comments?

In this election season, here’s another chance to express your opinion: help set Qvisory’s advocacy agenda by voting on which issues we should address. Read...

Be a Qvisory Contributor!

By Jason Simon on Sep. 22, 2008 Comments?

Start making news now. Submit your post or video. If you have a post, email it to us at content@qvisory.org and we will work with you to post it in your account. If you have a video, upload it to YouTube and put the link in the comment section below. Read...

The FDIC: What It Is and Why You (Might) Need It

By David Weliver on Sep. 22, 2008 Comments?

Never keep more than $100,000 in cash at any one bank. If you are married, you can safely keep up to $200,000 in a joint account. Read...

Failures: What Does It Mean for You?

By David Weliver on Sep. 22, 2008 Comments?

Lehman Brothers’ and Merrill Lynch’s employees and investors are having a bad, bad day. But if you’re not one of them, how do the failures of these Wall Street giants affect your wallet today? Hopefully, you won’t even notice it. Read...

Big Business Magazines Got It Wrong

By Anya Kamenetz on Sep. 19, 2008 Comments?

Gawker has a good bit of media criticism posted on how the big business magazines, in relatively recent issues, touted stock in AIG, Merrill Lynch, and Lehman Brothers. (Nationalized, fire sale, and bankruptcy, in case you haven't been following the news.) Read...

Credit Card Showdown

By Tim Westrich on Sep. 18, 2008 Comments?

September is shaping up to be a showdown month for reforming credit card terms and conditions. The Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights could be voted on by the full House of Representatives. And in the not-too-distant future, the Federal Reserve could finalize a proposed rule that would create a fairer marketplace for American consumers who want to use credit cards responsibly. Read...

Live for the Moment, Pay for it Later?

By Jason Simon on Sep. 17, 2008 Comments?

How can credit card companies be held accountable if a large percentage of young adults choose not to hold themselves accountable? Read...

Is This As Good As It Gets?

By Jason Simon on Sep. 15, 2008 Comments?

When I arrived in Seattle just over a year ago, I immediately sent out 15 job applications for positions at local universities and nonprofit organizations. I was only called in for one interview. Desperate for money, I took the first job I was offered and stuck with it until just a few weeks ago. Read...

Hey Budget Hater - Admit It, You Already Have a “Budget”

By Jesse Mecham on Sep. 12, 2008 Comments?

Hello there Budget Hater. I know who you are. You’re the type that snickers when I ask for a receipt after purchasing one bag of Great Value Seasoned Fries (excellent with some grilled hamburgers) for less than two dollars. Read...

Free Credit Reports Are Not Always Free

By Jason Simon on Sep. 10, 2008 Comments?

FREE as in FreeCreditReport.com (note my decision not to hyperlink to this website) actually means you will be charged $14.95 a month if you don’t cancel your trial account within 7 days. FREE means without charge, and this service is far from it. Read...

Rich Athletes, Poor Minds

By Jerry L. King, Jr. on Sep. 08, 2008 Comments?

Evander Holyfield is broke? Wasn’t he the heavyweight champ who made $200 million dollars in his career? How is it that a poor grandmother who never made more than $15,000 per year ironing clothes ends up donating $150,000 to a local college, and this guy ends up broke?

Read...

How Lifestyle Inflation Can Sneak Up On You

By Amy Fontinelle on Sep. 04, 2008 Comments?

Even if you make a concerted effort like I do to avoid lifestyle inflation, it can still sneak up on you in subtle ways. Read...

Are the Democrats Speaking to Our Agenda? Hopeful Signs at the Convention

By Suzanne Kahn on Sep. 03, 2008 Comments?

As the Democratic Convention came to a close, Al Gore asked an audience of nearly 80,000, “How will we know when [change] is beginning to take hold?” His answer: “I think we might recognize it as a sign of such change, if we saw millions of young people getting involved for the first time in the political process.” Read...

The 411 on IRAs

By Lesley Scorgie on Sep. 02, 2008 Comments?

If you’re looking to invest for the long term, it’s time that you consider setting up an IRA (Individual Retirement Account). If you consult and/or work freelance, this is a must. Read...

Avoiding Costly Overdrafts: Think Twice Before You Swipe Your Debit Card

By Tim Westrich on Aug. 28, 2008 Comments?

Checking accounts—probably the most basic account in banking—contain a plethora of hidden traps and practice a type of “gotcha capitalism” that will get you if you don’t take a few steps to avoid the most common pitfalls. Read...

Bill Pay Gone Wrong

By Jason Simon on Aug. 25, 2008 Comments?

With the Money posts in our Tools for Life blog, our goal is to provide information and tips to help you understand your credit and get out of debt. Interest and late fees charged to your credit card are two of the key elements that can make it hard to get out of it. Read...