Finance Globe

Thanks to the Credit CARD Act of 2009 credit card disclosures are much easier to understand. Credit card issuers mail these disclosures with every credit card offer and the document contains a wealth of information about the credit card pricing. If you’re deciding whether you should take a credit card offer, the credit card disclosure will include much of what you need to know to make a good decision.1. All the interest rates that apply to...

Amid better jobs reports and pre-holiday spending, consumers have a more positive outlook on the economy for the first time since summer.Consumers’ overall feelings about the economy surged in November, according to a report released by the Conference Board on Tuesday. Consumer confidence - which measures - rose in November to 56 from 40.9 in October. The Present Situation index rose to 38.3 from 27.1, and the Expectations index rose to 67.8 from 50.Says Lynn Franco,...

The inventory of existing homes on the market fell in October and the pace of home sales increased to a level 13.5% above what they were a year ago, according to a report released by the National Association of Realtors on Monday.October sales rose 1.4% from the previous month, to a seasonally-adjusted annual pace of 4.97 million. At the current sales pace, there was an 8 month supply of homes on the market - down from...

Several banks announced they will nix their plans to increase debit card fees in response to consumer outcry. Wells Fargo said in a statement on Friday that they will cancel their five-state pilot program for a $3 a month debit card fee. Ed Kadletz, head of Wells Fargo’s Debit and Prepaid Cards, said, “As we adjust to changes in our business, we will continue to stay attuned to what our customers want. This means understanding their...

Many cost-conscious Americans choose to opt-out of the prescription drug benefit with their health plan in order to save on their premium. I’m one of them. I’m generally healthy and don’t need medications on a routine basis - it only makes sense.I pay out-of-pocket for any medications prescribed to me, and I often skip filling the prescription altogether if I feel I don’t really need what the doctor ordered. So far no problems.But when I do...

Homeowners who are strapped with loans that are more than their homes are worth may be able to get some help for their traditionally hard-to-refinance underwater mortgage. The Federal Housing Finance Agency on Monday announced changes to the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) for loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. With input from lenders, mortgage insurers, and other mortgage participants, the agency has redesigned HARP in an effort to attract more borrowers that can...

The economy added more jobs than expected in September, the government reported on Friday. While not quite enough to reduce the unemployment rate, it may be enough to thwart another recession. Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis said, "Our nation's labor market posted growth in the month of September.” Non-farm payroll employment added 137,000 private sector jobs. Health care added 44,000 jobs in September, for a total of 336,000 over the past year. Employment in professional and...

The job market remains depressed and the number of people filing first-time claims for jobless benefits was higher than expected last week.The Labor Department said on Thursday that initial unemployment claims fell by 9,000 to 423,000 for the week ending September 17. The four week moving average - which smooths out weekly volatility and is better for showing the overall trend - rose by 5,000 to 421,000 last week. A reading consistently below 400,000 is needed...

Reflecting the ongoing difficulty in the market for new single family homes, home builder confidence was virtually unchanged for September, according to an industry report released on Monday.Builder confidence fell one point to 14 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index - a low level that the index hasn’t budged much from in the past six months, hovering between 13 and 16. An index reading of any number over 50 indicates that...

The IRS announced that it continues to make “strong progress” in their efforts to fight international tax evasion and has recieved up to 30,000 voluntary disclosures since 2009. “By any measure, we are in the middle of an unprecedented period for our global international tax enforcement efforts,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “We have pierced international bank secrecy laws, and we are making a serious dent in offshore tax evasion.” The IRS said that global tax...