Archive for the Category Reviews

 
 

Our Man Goes Undercover and Tells All

He spent days sitting through free seminars to become a super trader. Lesson number one: It’ll cost you.

From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance:

Admit it: You’ve been tempted. You’ve seen the infomercials for trading systems that will teach you how to master the markets. Sign up for a free seminar in your area and you’re on your way to wealth and freedom. Ordinary people just like you are earning thousands each month. Why not join the club?

Read more here.

 

4 Ways Warehouse Clubs Are Better Online

Competition is heating up, so you’ll find more models at cheaper prices.

From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance:

It’s every warehouse club customer’s nightmare, especially for those who live near large cities and shop on weekends: You race for a parking space. You struggle to navigate the plus-size cart through a maze of merchandise and bargain hunters. You wait in long lines at the register and at the exit as a clerk checks off your receipt. Then you pack the haul into your vehicle as though it’s a real-life game of Tetris. Yes, you earn your discounts, one trip at a time.

Read more here.

 

What You Need to Know About Smart Phones 2.0

Competition is heating up, so you’ll find more models at cheaper prices.

From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance:

Move over, iPhone. Four out of every ten new cell phones sold today are smart phones. No wonder Apple’s iconic iPhone, which is currently available only through AT&T ($99 to $299 with a two-year contract), has some serious competition. The Palm Pre has a similar touch screen, but it offers a real qwerty keyboard and an operating system that lets you run multiple applications. The Pre is available only through Sprint this year ($150 after a $100 mail-in rebate and with a two-year contract), although Verizon plans to offer it in 2010. BlackBerry phones are available from all the major national carriers. Most BlackBerries come with a track ball and qwerty keyboard, which make them a hit with the business set. The BlackBerry Tour 9630 costs $150 with a two-year contract from Verizon.

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Online Brokers Offer IPO Access

Some investors now can buy stock in newly minted public companies before it starts trading — but that doesn’t mean they should.

From Kiplinger.com:

Initial public offerings tend to be exclusive affairs. Underwriters usually give the first crack at new stock issues to large institutions, such as pension funds, banks and money-management firms. Individual investors generally have to wait until the shares begin trading before they can get in on the action. But some discount brokers have lifted the velvet rope.

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Three Free Financial-Planning Tools

These new interactive Web sites give you advice — some better than others — to help you reach goals.

From Kiplinger.com:

Online financial-planning tools are getting more personal. Plenty of Web sites crank out cookie-cutter plans, but three recent entrants give users more detailed advice. Voyant, SimpliFi and ESPlannerBasic provide something more than a quick-and-dirty look at your financial state of affairs — for free.

Read more here.

 

Best 529 College-Savings Plans

See our top five picks, then use our state-by-state guide to pick the best plan for you.

From Kiplinger.com:

Sure, most 529 college-savings plans took a beating in the bear market, but they are still a great way to save for college. That’s because the earnings are tax-free if they are used to pay qualified college expenses, such as tuition, books, school fees, and room and board. And two-thirds of states sweeten the deal by offering a tax deduction or credit for contributions.

Read more here.

 

Choosing an Online Broker with CNBC

 

Best of the Online Brokers

Fidelity, with a wide array of investment choices and a terrific Web site, takes top honors.

From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance:

Low commissions are great. Free trades, which some online brokerages offer, are even better. But most investors want more from their discount broker. They want a Web site that’s easy to use, tools that clarify the markets, access to stocks across the globe and some guidance when they need it.

Click here for the entire article.

 

There’s No News Like Fluffy Biz News

Keeping it light is Fox’s strategy for challenging CNBC.

From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance:

Fox business network takes fluff to a whole new level, even by the standards of cable news. Watch the channel’s Happy Hour show and get business tips from the Mannheim Steamroller band’s Chip Davis from a bar in New York City’s Waldorf-Astoria hotel. Or listen as America’s Nightly Scoreboard rates the chances that a new book by comic Sacha Baron Cohen (better known as Borat) will succeed.

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Budgets Made Simple

This free site tracks your expenses and taps the insights of other users.

From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance:

When tracking your spending, simplicity has its virtues. Software, such as Quicken and Microsoft Money, can gum up the works with unnecessary charts and forecasting tools. Now several free Web sites offer an easy way to keep tabs in one place on all your expenses. Wesabe is our favorite.

Click here for the entire article.

 

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