While it may give you a temporary headache, reading the fine print on credit card offers does pay off.
Consumer Reports composed research to narrow down the best credit cards available, and in the process it found a few so bad it had to warn us to stay away in its October issue. Here are the three cards they say are the pits; if you come across other cards with similar terms, steer clear.
- First Premier Bank Card: Its 9.9 fixed APR is fine, but the card comes with first-year fees up to $276.
Stress often leads to poor money decisions that can create even more stressful situations than we had before. Using retail therapy to soothe our bad day or bad luck can instigate a downward spending spiral, but
The Wall Street Journal has some pointers for keeping us above water when the itch to spend can't be scratched.
- Ask yourself why you have the urge to spend money and focus on solving those problems first.
- Avoid the rationalization that overspending for work attire is necessary.
My trip to Safeway in San Francisco this weekend showed me that even grocery stores get in on classic Labor Day sales. I got some great deals on everything from cleaning products to snacks, but some items haven't been on sale all Summer and the holiday was no exception.
Let's see if you can guess the prices for the items I purchased this weekend.
Best Buy's "featured offer" seems like a no-brainer for buying brand-new electronics — two years with no interest comes across as a great way to buy it now and pay later without punishing interest charges. If you're not turned off by the notion of being accountable for
yet another credit card, then here's something else to consider that might make you think twice about financing your new TV with a store's zero-interest proprietary card.
You know that a credit inquiry can temporarily
shave points from your score, but the low credit limit on these store cards may have a more negative impact.
