Bank finance articles and tips

There is a lot of angst arising from the new debit card fees that some banks will be charging their customers. These fees will be in addition to any existing monthly service fees they are currently paying.

Consumers are becoming more conscious of interest charges and, in an effort to become more financially responsible, many of them have started using debit cards, money from their own bank account, to help stay within their budget and to avoid paying the extortionate interest rates of credit cards.

When you've taken out a mortgage you have made a very long-term commitment. For the next 30 years, in most cases, you have just signed on the dotted line at a mortgage closing and you must make timely payments each month for a long time or risk losing everything! So, is it worth it to try to pay off a mortgage early and make this long-term commitment a little shorter? This article examines this question.

There was a time paying off the mortgage as soon as you could was the only way to go. This, of course, is provided the family had enough extra income to make extra mortgage payments. Why was making extra payments such a smart move? Because interest is what you pay for the time the lender is loaning you money. If you don't use this time, you do not pay interest.

The personal financial management industry is being put on notice: Here are some easy to understand steps to money management which empowers people to take control of their own finances and allows them to still enjoy their money, possibly more than they are currently!

As Kelly, a loyal user of what I am calling the jar system, added, "Wow...more than 3/4 of my credit card debt paid off... all because I decided to manage my money!." She has been faithfully implementing the jar system and it has led to her being successful at paying down her debt and creating the financial freedom she desires. She is within 3 months of completely paying off her credit card debt and being able to move forward to growing her wealth and her total financial freedom.

One of the common misconceptions about filing for bankruptcy is the 90 day rule. If you ask debtors that are filing bankruptcy if they understand what the 90 day rule is, you get answers like, you can't buy anything for 90 days prior to the bankruptcy filing or you stop paying your bills 90 days before filing. Both of them sound like they could be true, but in reality there is no 90 day rule that makes a difference to a debtor.

Many debtors filing for bankruptcy have heard of it but have no idea of how it works. The 90 day rule allows the bankruptcy trustee to recover payments that a debtor made on legitimate debts, if those payments during that 90 day time frame gave the creditor more money than they would have gotten out of the bankruptcy filing. The bankruptcy code calls these payments, preferences.