Every month, the COUNTRY Financial Security Index is released. This measure looks at the state of financial security in this country, and how people feel about their finances. The most recent survey results, from October, show that many people are planning on changing their financial habits as a result of the recent recession. Here is what a recent press release from COUNTRY Financial points out about their findings: One in four (25 percent) say they would like to be less reliant on credit and debt in the future, 21 percent plan to keep a lid on spending on non-essentials, and 18 percent think they will save and invest more. Fifteen percent say they will now develop and stick to a financial plans. This is an interesting development. If the recession... [Read more]

This is going to sound counter-intuitive, but one of the best places to look for a job can actually be at a firm that just laid a bunch of people off. Depending on the reasons behind the lay offs, you might find that such companies are ready to do a round of hiring. Recently, an acquaintance of mine was laid off — along with dozens of others — from a local company. Imagine our surprise when the Classifieds showed job openings in that company two weeks later! The reason? In the interest of cost-cutting, the company laid off around 50 of higher-earners and then posted job openings for about 20 jobs with entry-level pay. This sort of practice is relatively common. The magazine SmartMoney points out the following: “Companies cutting... [Read more]

In these times of economic turmoil, one of the biggest casualties has been personal credit. Many people are seeing a drop to their credit scores, and finding it difficult to get the best rates on a number of products and services. This includes car leases, for those who prefer to lease their cars. And, if a double-dip recession becomes a reality, this problem could continue. Those with credit that is good enough to lease may find that they are not getting the best payment plan for their money. One way that you can improve your chances of getting better pricing is to look at the secondary market. There are a number of people looking to get out of their current leases, and some of them have Tier-1 lease pricing. Here is something from a press... [Read more]

One of the more interesting places that you can use to create and manage savings goals is SmartyPig. The site allows you to set up separate accounts that you can label for different purposes. These accounts then earn interest, allowing you to have your money work for you while you minutely track progress toward your savings goals. Today, SmartyPig is announcing the introduction of a 12% cash boost program. Here is what a press release from SmartyPig announces about how the program works, and the possibilities: Now, when customers meet their savings goal they can realize up to 12% in cash boosts paid to them by SmartyPig on retail gift cards whose products and services directly relate to their savings goals. So, an individual who wants to make... [Read more]

This semester is drawing to a close, and that means that we will soon see another semester — and another round of buying textbooks. How well I remember those days! The good news is that we now have a number of options beyond buying new (and likely being gouged) from the bookstore. Here are some great places you can find used textbooks and save money next semester: Student boards and online book swaps: Many university student centers offer helpful boards where you can find students looking to sell books, or to swap them. Some campuses even have online book exchange web sites where you can locate those looking to sell or swap their text books. Buy used online: We regularly get my husband’s textbooks used from Amazon. All you need... [Read more]