Posted on March - 11 - 2012

List of Prepaid Credit Cards That Build Credit

In response to an article about free and low cost prepaid cards, a reader asked about building credit with a prepaid credit card:

Is using a Prepaid Credit Card a way to build a credit history for someone who doesn’t have one?

This is a great question, and underscores how confusing the different types of credit and debit cards can be. The short answer is that some prepaid cards can build your credit history, but most do not. And no prepaid card helps build your FICO score. Well sort through all the different types of credit, debit and prepaid cards, and how each generally can affect your credit score and credit history. But first, lets take a look at some of the best credit cards (not prepaid) that can help you build credit.

Quick Links: Here are links to cards with credit builder features:

Lets start by reviewing the types of credit and debit cards:

Credit Cards: Credit cards like Discover, Chase, or Citi represent a loan each time you use your card. B

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Posted on March - 08 - 2012

A Primer on Delisted Stocks

When we buy or sell stocks on any of the major stock exchanges, we seldom think about the criteria that those companies would have had to meet to be able to be listed on the exchange. Being listed on a major exchange makes a companys shares easily accessible to traders and investors and enhances their reputation.

Nonetheless, there are standards that are set by every exchange that have to be met before approval for listing. Some basic conditions include a certain minimum number of shareholders, shares, and price (dependent on the exchange) that must be satisfied to go with other regulatory requirements. As would be evident, these standards are set to filter out the bad apples and retain only the good corporations with stable records and credible management. These measures become necessary to maintain the reputation of the exchange.

What is Delisting?

Once listed, corporations are still required to maintain certain standards to prove their ongoing adherence to exchange regulations.

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Posted on March - 05 - 2012

Monday Roundup: How to Buy Groceries at the Dollar Store

How to Buy Groceries at the Dollar Store. An immediate reaction to a dollar store buy might be, What a steal! However, thats not always the case. Sometimes, the deal is actually less of a bargain than you thought and the poor quality is just not worth the potential cost of your health. Here are several things you need to consider before buying food items from the dollar store. SavvySugar

The Falling Incomes of the One Percent. It seems to be heretical these days to talk about the falling fortunes of the one percenters. But facts are facts. The Wealth Report

How to Pay a Lower Tax Rate. It doesn’t matter how much you’ve been following the Republican primary, it’s impossible for anyone to escape all the talk about tax rates. Barga

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Posted on March - 04 - 2012

Exclusive Limited Time Offers & Deals

Take advantage Citibank’s exclusive offer through Credit Card Finder and get two for the price of one movie tickets everyday for a year at participating cinemas.

Interest Rates, Fees Charges

Pay no interest at all for 6 months with the Citibank Clear Platinum. 0% p.a. for 6 months interest on balance transfers, 0% p.a. for 6 months (reverts to 11.99% p.a.) interest on purchases and 0% for 6 months thereafter reverts to 21.74% p.a. interest on cash advances. This remarkable offer comes with the standard Citibank features and perks that save you money and make life a little more special. <

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Posted on February - 28 - 2012

Why I Should Be Named Warren Buffett’s Successor

Dear Investment U,

Although it was a very difficult decision to make, I am leaving Investment U to take over for Warren Buffett at Berkshire Hathaway. Thank you for everything.

Sincerely,

Marc Lichtenfeld

P.S. Can you keep my Investment U Plus user id and password active? I’m really going to need some great investing ideas…

There. The resignation letter is ready to go. Now, all I need is the call from Warren’s people and it’s a done deal. I’m expecting the call any day now.

As you may have heard, in Berkshire Hathaway’s (NYSE: BRK.A) (NYSE: BRK.B) most recent annual letter to shareholders, the Oracle of Omaha said that he has a successor picked out.

Interesting that he picked me without having ever actually spoken to me. But I guess

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Posted on February - 27 - 2012

The Key to Great Investment Returns

Heres a piece from Smart Money that profiles what they call 401k Millionaires — people who have managed to save $1 million or more in their 401ks.

The piece gets to the heart of what differentiates the 401k Millionaires (which is only 0.2% of all savers) versus the average 401k investor that has a balance of $60,000. They dont have higher incomes and they arent some kind of investing geniuses. Heres what makes them wealthy:

The one characteristic that differentiates the winners from the non-winners here is contribution rate — a high percentage of those million-dollar savers had constant participation and high contribution rates.

In other words, they invested as much as they could for a long period of time. Wow, I wish I had thought of that. ;-)

Seriously, this is the path that I have followed.

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