Your Financial Guide

Your utility bills are likely to be one of the biggest expenditures you need to think about when setting your household budget, so it is important that you know in advance how you are going to pay them. One option is to set up a direct payment method or subscription, so that the bills are automatically paid at the correct time. This can be something to think about when you are looking for good credit card offers.

For example, if you set up a regular bill payment on your credit card, you can be safe in the knowledge that your payment will never be late. Plus, if you get a credit card that has additional benefits, such as an interest free period or cash back on your expenditure, using your card regularly can help you to access these add-on options. Read more…

The Financial Brand looked at hundreds of bank and credit union videos produced in 2011. Here are 15 of the best. (Please note: This article embeds YouTube videos.)

Financial Institution: DnB, Norway Title: Good Morning Mrs. Clooney

This spot is like a 30-second version of “The Hangover” for women. You wake up in a hotel room. You’ve obviously had a rough night. You look down at this ginormous rock on your ring finger. You’re married? You weren’t yesterday. You pick a wedding dress off the floor. Before you can think “What have I done???” none other than George Clooney steps out of the bathroom for real, in the flesh. “I like your

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Since 2000 real estate or home ownership has still outperformed on average the DOW (+6.7%), the S&P (-12%), and the NASDAQ (-30%).

Real estate’s Return On Investment (ROI) as compared to the DOW, S&P, and the NASDAQ  would be +43%.  

Clearly, home ownership or real estate investment is still a good vehicle for longer-term investments.

As discussions over the restructuring of Greek debt hit another roadbump in Europe, major indices were flat or slightly down today. Louisiana received good news about its jobless rate, which went down from 6.9 percent in November to 6.8 percent in December, almost a full percentage drop year over year. In corporate news, Yahoo met investors’ expectations for its Q4 profit, however its revenue fell short of expectations. Meanwhile, Apple broke its previous record by over 50 percent, with more than $13 billion in profits and $46 billion in revenue. Read more…

Payday loan provider Wonga has removed pages from its website suggesting students should take out its loans.

The move came after the National Union of Students (NUJ) called the firm “highly irresponsible” for marketing loans with a typical APR of up to 4,214% to students. Wonga said it will continue to except applications from working students despite taking down its marketing material.

The pages in question suggested a Wonga short-term loan could be a viable alternative to a student loan – on which borrowers pay an interest rate of just 1.5%. The f

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Everyone who has opened up a credit card in the last five years has been pitched on various supplementary “services” from the company in question. The offers sound enticing and even logical at times, but are they really justified from a hard dollars-and-cents standpoint?

Everyone’s financial situation is different, but generally speaking, the answer is NO.

Here are six credit card services that you do not need.

This is typically framed as a way to avoid liability for fraudulent charges made after your credit card is stolen. It sounds appealing, but many consumers fail to realize they are essentially ALREADY covered from this by 1968’s Truth in Lending Act. This law states that if you report the stolen card immediately, your maximum liability for fraudulent charges is $50. As such

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The tax practice at KPMG in the UK has reported revenues of £395 million in the year ended 30 September 2011, an increase of 12 percent from 2010’s £350 million.

Alastair McLeish, head of tax and pensions at KPMG in the UK, commented:  “Tax and pensions at KPMG in the UK has had an excellent year and the results are testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone in the practice.  Indirect tax and pensions both enjoyed particularly strong growth and we are building momentum across our corporate tax practice where we have been particularly busy with iXBRL and international projects.

“In the current challenging economic climate, both tax and pensions remain hugely important areas for our clients and we anticipate continued market demand for advice.”