Savings Accounts and Money Market Rates provided by 21 July 2011 We’ve all been waiting for it. Free have been around for awhile now, but what about a free credit score? Isn’t it about time we had free access to a score that’s generated using all our own personal financial information and then sold to lenders who want to assess our riskiness as borrowers?

I’m not talking about free access to some generic credit bureau score that 99 percent of lenders would never actually use. There are plenty of free credit scores like that floating all over the Internet. What I’m talking about is the mighty 800-pound gorilla in the credit-scoring world—the FICO score. Don’t we deserve free access to our FICO scores too?

Fortunately, you’re now closer than ever to having that right. In fact, the next time you compare some no annual fee credit cards online and apply for a card, there’s a good chance you’ll receive free copies of your FICO scores from the lender. T

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Now that the last space shuttle has returned to Earth, NASA can get out of the way, and let the entrepreneurs race to the moon:

“It’s probably the biggest wealth creation opportunity in modern history,” said Barney Pell, a former NASA computer scientist turned entrepreneur and now a co-founder of Moon Express. While Moon Express might initially make money by sending small payloads, the big fortune would come from bringing back platinum and other rare metals, Dr. Pell said.

“Long term, the market is massive, no doubt,” he said. “This is not a question of if. It’s a question of who and when. We hope it’s us and soon.”

Preparing a check register and balancing a checkbook are two skills everyone should have. Financial institutions make errors so its vital we have a record of transactions made to compare against the banks record.  Balancing a checkbook also gives us an accurate number as to what amount we actually have to spend and save.

By following these simple steps anyone can prepare a check register and balance a checkbook efficiently.

1. Before you can balance a checkbook your check register must be up to date. The first step is to obtain the ending balance from last months bank statement. This amount will be your beginning balance on your check register.

2. Enter a debit for each withdrawal/debit that you make. This may include ATM withdrawals, debit card transactions, automatic deductions such as monthly membership dues, electricity bills, bank fees like NSF or foreign ATM fees, checks, and deposits. In Read full post…

Savings Accounts and Money Market Rates provided by 22 July 2011 A survey conducted by BRIDES magazine reveals that American couples consider financial stability to be an important attribute in a prospective spouse. The data states that more than six in 10 brides claimed to begin financial planning before engagement.

The survey offers further information supporting its conclusion. Forty-seven percent of the brides surveyed said that the financial stability and compatibility of a husband is extremely important, and nearly all of those interviewed- approximately 87 percent- said that the issue affected their decisions in some way.

As a reaction to the widely agreed upon importance of financial compatibility, the survey provided data indicating that many couples are making careful plans to deal with their wedding expenses. Read full post…

Summertime is certainly here, and with it come barbeques, outdoor sports, and vacations as well as the inevitable increase in household spending. Kids need something to do, gas prices skyrocket, and the electric bill climbs up along with the rising heat. What almost never accompanies these summer month expenditures is the increase in household income. Kids can mow lawns to make their ends meet, but what about you?

Youre already hard at work during the day and so is the spouse. Youve streamlined the summertime expenses, but dont want to be forced to cancel the annual trip to see some family in Florida. Coupons are cut out, the air conditioning is monitored diligently, and still gas prices rise and your bank account lowers. Whats a family to do?

Depending on your particular situation, you could consider trying one of the following ideas. Read full post…

Succinct summation of weeks events:

Positives:

1) EU steps up with more help for Greece, Portugal and Ireland as EFSF becomes super TARP and Greek bond holders finally take a hit, but will it be enough?

2) July Philly mfrg bounces back into positive land but still weak at 3.2 (was 43 in March)

3) MBA said refis bounce 23.1% off 10 week low, finally responding to low rates

4) Single and multi family housing starts bounce, multi we need more of, single we dont right now

5) NAHB home builder index bounces 2 pts to 15 but off very depressed level

6) Corporate earnings so far, so good but guidance mixed

Negatives:

1) Preliminary HSBC mfrg index in China falls below 50 for 1st time in a yr

2) Euro zone mfrg and services composite index falls to lowest since Aug

3) German IFO business confidence drops to lowest since Oct

4) French business confidence down to 7 month low

5) US initial jobless claims rise more than expected, now above 400k for 15th straight week

6) Existing home sales fall to lowest since Nov and months supply rose to 9.5, most since Nov

7) Still no US debt/deficit deal

After falling from $3.98 to $3.56 per gallon of gasoline May thru early July, its back to $3.70.

This was a good article at Mashable on how the new site/service called Member.ly can put you into your own subscription business!

Here’s the idea… maybe you’re earning some good money once in a while selling your hand made goodies on Etsy.com or something. You sell nothing for 3 weeks and then get 15 orders. It’s hard to run, let alone, BUILD a business that way.

A “business” involves having customers who buy on a regular basis to generate regular income and profits for the business owner.

Network marketers call this “residual income”. But any subscription business is essentially the same idea… the more customers committed to buy monthly, the more predictable the income, and the more predictable the profits.

The idea is good and well established. Back before the “ebook” you remember all the “niche” book clubs for everything from history buffs to political junkies? You’d commit to buy a “bo

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