Monthly Archives: February 2009

Scoring a Touchdown for Financial Literacy

February 6, 2009 – 12:05 pm

Hawaii Lieutenant Governor James Aiona is trying to get his state’s students to learn financial literacy –through video games. Every high school and library in Hawaii will soon be receiving a copy of the Visa and NFL-sponsored game, “Financial Football.” Aiona hopes this will help Hawaii’s youth develop important skills: “It doesn’t matter whether you [...]

Posted in Education, Financial Illiteracy, Government Policy, Personal Finance | Comments (1)

Fed steps in on overdraft charges

February 5, 2009 – 3:42 pm

The Federal Reserve Board is seeking public comment on overdraft fees and has proposed a regulation requiring banks to ask permission before enrolling customers in overdraft programs. Typically, banks approve overdrafts on ATM and debit cards and–often without notification–charge customers as much as $60 as part of an “overdraft protection program.” A new Federal Deposit [...]

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Are you throwing away $450 every year?

February 4, 2009 – 5:45 pm

If your last 401(k) statement scared you out of the stock market, you don’t have to resort to hiding your cash under your mattress. Whether it’s the Dow’s wild swings or the specter of unemployment, more and more people are deciding to keep their savings in a bank. Saving money is always a great idea, [...]

Posted in Personal Finance, Saving Money | Comments (2)

Explaining the Obama Nominees’ Tax Reporting Woes

February 3, 2009 – 1:13 pm

With tax season approaching, and a tax code that’s more complicated than ever, there are many Americans who are confused about just what Tim Geithner, Tom Daschle, and Nancy Killefer did to get themselves into trouble.

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Financially illiterate celebs give cash-strapped Americans financial advice

February 2, 2009 – 6:49 pm

MC Hammer and Ed McMahon appeared in a Super Bowl ad for Cash4Gold, a service that, as their name suggests, gives you money for jewelry. But when it comes to figuring out how to pay the bills, why would anyone listen to two people who notoriously squandered their fortunes? As we pointed out in our [...]

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