Financial Announcements

Living the good life on the cheap

I have a book just out called BARGAIN JUNKIE: Living the Good Life on the Cheap.

It’s a humorous how-to book about how I live large by spending little. As a life-long upscale frugal person, I’ve managed to dress well, vacation in Italy, collect art, and eat out as often as possible without breaking the bank.

• I wore a brand new $1200 gown to my son’s wedding, that I found at a garage sale for twenty bucks.
• I entertain wealthy friends by inviting them to exotic (and cheap!) ethnic restaurants
• I picked up a geranium twig on the street, stuck it in the ground, and now have a flowering wall in my back yard.
• I barter all manner of good and services: gave my neighbor some public speaking coaching and she brought over a complete chicken dinner large enough to last the weekend.

More tips and funny cheapskate stories on my blog.  Happy Savings!

Posted in Frugal Living, New Websites | No Comments »

Honest and ethical approaches to debt freedom with Damon Day

DamonDay.com is a resource for consumers to get educated about all options available for dealing with credit card debt. Don’t trust your financial future to some debt settlement or credit counseling salesman. Learn all options available and make the right decision for yourself and your family.

Request an honest and unbiased financial consultation and learn exactly how you should proceed with your specific financial circumstances.

DamonDay.com: Honest and Ethical Approaches to Debt Freedom.

(Also follow Damon Day on Twitter!)

Posted in Debt Reduction | No Comments »

A team of web programmers and financial advisors worked for 9 months developing the 20/20 Analysis Calculator. Our goal has always been debt freedom for those who need help. Since 97% of all Americans have some kind of debt, those numbers are high. These qualities of service listed below really help us stand out from the competition:

• We charge users considerably less for its use. We charge just $10 a month; no matter how much they save in interest or how many years sooner individuals get out of debt. Our goal is, and always has been, to offer debt freedom to anyone who desires it for any reason. We have a great affiliate program that pays 25% for the lifetime of subscriptions.
• Our Analysis Calculator tool has been tested against six other top online debt calculators and debt reduction plans. Each time, it was proved the better product, saving the most money on interest and also the most time in getting out of debt. The Analysis Calculator takes the money that you’ve designated toward debt and runs up to 2,300 different calculations to determine the best, quickest, and least expensive way for you to pay off your debt.

Our average user has both interest and time savings of $14,000 and 5-7 years, respectively.

Check it out at SeeBeyond2020.com.

Posted in Debt Reduction, New Websites | No Comments »

A century of good advice

It’s said we should listen to our elders, and it’s more important than ever in these difficult times to listen to the advice of people who have lived through even harder times.

In honor of the 100th anniversary of credit unions in U.S., one group in Georgia has put together a 5-minute online video featuring seniors who share financial and life advice from their experience over the generations, intermixed with children from the Boys & Girls Club who talk about the advice they receive from their elders about how to be smart with money and in life.

The video is here: http://www.georgiacreditunions.org/100/index.php.

We can all learn a thing or two from watching it, and each of these seniors has an interesting backstory as well if you are interested in finding out more about them on a Facebook page set up for the video.

Connected to the video, 1,000 Georgians were also polled on their current savings and spending habits, and financial advice. We thought these also might be good fodder for chat among your readers. Here are some of the poll highlights:

• 53% say that either their mother or father was the biggest influence in their lives about money; The breakdown of those who chose father vs. mother was almost even: 27% said father, 26% said mother.
• Regarding the best advice they received, 44% cited “Save a little each paycheck no matter how small”; 23% cited “Credit is good, but pay off cards in full each month”; while 12% cited “Never buy on credit.”
• Asked about a time in their life when they were not good savers, 68% listed their 20s; 50% listed their teens; 44% listed their 30s; and 21% listed their 40s. A stronger focus on savings started in their 50s, with only 8% saying they were not good savers in that decade of their lives and steadily dropping in following decades.
• 65% of those polled say that their personal spending habits will be changed forever because of the current recession.  While 61% think it will be difficult for our economy to come back as strong as it was before the recession, 27% optimistically think that the economy will come back stronger than ever.

Posted in Banking, Events | No Comments »

Blunt Money is now posting at Money Crush

MoneyCrush is a newly renamed personal finance blog (with some motivation & goals thrown in for good measure.)

Posts are generally on the short and sweet side.  Topics include financial health, debt reduction, investing, money saving ideas, simple living, and lots more.

(You can also follow Money Crush on Twitter!)

Posted in New Websites | No Comments »

Do you have a Failsafe Retirement?

Failsafe Retirement is a new site offering information and a downloadable software product to aid in the development of a personal plan for guaranteed retirement income.

The FAILSAFE RETIREMENT™ System is a uniquely simple way for anyone to plan for a retirement lifestyle and income that is guaranteed under any foreseeable economic conditions. The System is based on three basic principles:

• First, we want peace of mind that we will have enough income to meet our needs throughout retirement.
• Second, we learned from the disruptive economic events of 2008-2009 that conventional investing ideas don’t always work.
• Third, having confidence that we can meet our basic retirement needs allows us to use our other money in other ways, without fear or guilt.

Many of us have promised ourselves and our spouses that never again will we be victimized by economic and market conditions that we cannot predict or control.

Our futures are too important to trust to investment and financial planning industries focused on selling us high risk investments.

That is why the Failsafe Retirement™ blog site and System were born.

The System is designed to prepare us for a worst case scenario in our retirement future. It protects us from inflation and against deep and/or extended declines in the stock market.

For more information, visit http://www.failsaferetirement.com.

Posted in Investing, New Websites | No Comments »

Facecard, an alternative payment system

Facecard (www.facecard.com), an efficient alternative to debit and credit cards is announcing that the year old product has emerged from beta with enhanced features including parental controls, fully integrated social networking features, and a fresh look.

Already one of the most convenient and cost-effective financial tools on the market, Facecard now offers more tools that make it easier than ever to give more and get more. Facecard users can enjoy the following new and improved features:

• Better (and more) Prewards – The Under Cover Coupons: Members will see an average of $15 per month of extra cash in their pocket from favorite restaurants, stores and internet retailers.
• Enhanced Parental Controls: In addition to existing tools, parents can now decide just how much control they want over their teen’s finances. Alerts can be set to know when the card has been used (and where), when someone has gifted their teen, or if their teen is below a certain balance.
• Free Direct Deposit and Bill Pay: Card holders can now utilize direct deposit for free! Members can also set up recurring or one time payments for online bills through a Facecard account.
• Friends and Family Gifting: Gifting just got quicker and easier.  With the click of a button, the gift is on its way. No more searching through hundreds of “Smiths” for your cousin or best friend. Facecard’s innovative peer-to-peer gifting function allows members to pay back friends and family or send gifts by simply entering the name or email address, entering the amount and hitting “send.”
• Fully Integrated Social Networking Features: Virtual gifting just got better, and real! Members can now download a Facecard Facebook app and give actual monetary gifts. Is your friend having a bad day? Send him/or her Preward funds towards a special lunchtime burrito via Facebook. And, if you are tough to shop for, or know someone who is, create a wish list using Facecard’s Facebook app and allow your friends and family to add funds toward new products, dream vacations, and more.
• New Look: Implementing direct feedback from existing users, the new Facecard Web site www.facecard.com features a sleek and updated design. And, Facecard continues to expand its offering of rainbow colors adding pink and black to the mix. Colors include green, blue, orange, pink and black.

Facecard remains a user-friendly and cost-effective payment option. Currently, Facecard users can sign up for a Facecard free of charge.
As of Q4 2009, Facecard will implement a new fees structure, which will include a $5 sign up fee and a low $3 monthly fee to maintain an
account. Monthly fees can be waived if users have their paycheck loaded through direct deposit to their account or load or spend $100
each month which can be done for free via bank transfer. Facecard also offers user-friendly features like daily and low-balance notifications
and balance inquiry via text message.

Posted in New Websites | 2 Comments »

Voucher Codes

This week sees the UK launch of VoucherCodes.eu (www.vouchercodes.eu), a brand new one-stop discount shopping website that offers one of the most diverse and comprehensive UK voucher promotion available anywhere on the web. VoucherCodes.eu has teamed up with some of the biggest names in the high street to offer impressive savings on thousands of products and services, and in some cases can save shoppers up to 50%.

Posted in New Websites | No Comments »

National Protect Your Identity Week – October 17th through 24th

You watch every penny you spend. You’re taking the right steps towards financial freedom. But did you know that even the most financially-savvy among us can become a victim of identity theft?

The nonprofit organization, National Foundation for Credit Counseling, wants to remind you that National Protect Your Identity Week is fast approaching. And now more than ever it is so important to protect ourselves and our families from theft and invasion.

Did you know that last year alone, nearly 10 million Americans were victims of identity theft, making this the fastest growing crime in
America? Everyday we may be putting ourselves and our families at risk by simply writing a check, using a credit card or even our ATM cards. The best protection against such identity theft is education. By visiting www.ProtectYourIDNow.org, you can take a quiz and assess your risk of ID theft and learn helpful tips to keep you and your family safe. Since this crime is not going anywhere, it’s really time for us to fight back!

National Protect Your Identity Week, a program brought to you by NFCC and Council of Better Business Bureaus, is October 17-24.

Please join the fight by visiting www.ProtectYourIDNow.org today, where you can get involved in National Protect Your Identity Week events and learn important tips.

Also be sure to visit NFCC on Facebook and on Twitter for all the latest updates.

Posted in Events | No Comments »

A new site with penny-pinching hints

A brand new site, PennyPinchingHints.com has a little bit of everything with big savings ideas. The site also has freebies, deals of the week, and printable coupons. Search through the articles that cover diverse topics from homebuilding to college savings, from buying shoes to making investments.

Examples of freebies include free vouchers for dog food and free samples of children’s diapers.

Deals of the weeks tell you about anything from discounts for brand coffee to flight deals.

Read about heating frugally with dried corn kernels or reverse action air-source pumps to getting facts about savings for college–did you know 20% of a student’s assets are considered available for college costs, while only 6.4% of parents’ assets are considered available?

Even get coupons for groceries or for savings on prescription drugs.

Posted in New Websites | No Comments »