One of the most common complaints I hear is from debit card users who have bounced a check because a hotel or rental car company has “held back” funds in excess of the exact purchase amount. This can cause you to bounce checks because those funds are not accessible. This is one of the downsides of using debit cards in lieu of credit cards that not many people are aware of.

When you use your debit card at some outdoor gas station terminals, the gas station also typically holds back a larger amount for several days while the transaction settles. There is a gas station near my house that holds $120 every time I fill up my car, albeit on a credit card. My

Read full post…

Your pet’s picture can now be uploaded and featured on the Pet Rewards™ Visa® Credit Card issued by Bank of America®. (www.petcreditcardrewards.com ). This rewards credit card is scoring big with pet lovers and credit card consumers across the country. Like many department stores, universities and airlines have done for decades, pet owners can now customize their credit cards to display their beloved pets. These pet oriented rewards credit cards are proving to be a home run in the credit card industry. Read full post…

Financial experts are buzzing about a change in rules to Roth and Traditional Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), so you might be wondering what it all means. To refresh your memory, Roth IRAs are taxed when your money goes in. Traditional IRAs are taxed as you take the money out.

From 2010 on, anyone with a Traditional IRA can convert it to a Roth – income limits no longer apply. Keep in mind that income limits still apply for Roth contributions, just not conversions. I Read full post…

A reader sent this to me:

Snow shuts down federal government, life goes on

WASHINGTON (AP) – If snow keeps 230,000 government employees home for the better part of a week, will anyone notice?

With at least another foot of snow headed for Washington, Philadelphia and New York, we’re about to find out. The federal government in the nation’s capital has largely been shut down since Friday afternoon, when a storm began dumping up to 3 feet of snow in some parts of the region. Offices were remaining closed at least through Wednesday.

Convenience drives mobile internet popularity

People are relying more on their mobile phones to access the internet because of the convenience it offers, an industry expert believes.

Natasha Stokes, Editor of Mobile Choice, said internet capabilities on mobile phones are now a part of everyday life, because they allow people to access the information they need.

It might be that they want to find an address or to check their social networking profiles, the expert identified.

“I think that will expand though, as mobile internet becomes more accessible, faster and available on a wider range of handsets,” she suggested.

Another perk is that people will be able to look at reviews and prices of products using their mobile phones, she added, which empowers consumers.

ABI Research recently found that 336.5 million smartphone handsets were shipped in quarter four of 2009.

It anticipates that the shipments will increase to 1.2 billion handsets in 2010. Read full post…