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Posted
Sep 29 2009, 06:48 AM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Jim Wang at partner blog Bargaineering.
Movies today can rely on special effects, monster marketing efforts, and a few pretty faces (*cough* "Transformers 2" *cough*). In the 1980s and early '90s, movies had to rely on the story and the acting to achieve success.
Out of that era, which coincided with my childhood, came a lot of classic movies that teach powerful lessons about how to deal with your money, how to approach your career, and how to find success in both.
I thought it would be fun to pick out five lessons from just five movies from that era (one of them is from 2000, but no fancy special effects there).
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Posted
Sep 22 2009, 05:34 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Jim Wang at partner blog Bargaineering.com.
A few years ago, when unemployment was low and the economy was rosy, all you needed to do to get a job was get your résumé in front of as many people as possible. You had to carpet bomb, stuff electronic résumé boxes, and simply wait. One of the companies you reached out to probably had a job opening and you probably were a pretty good fit.
Nowadays, the jobs are harder to find and companies aren't going to take a risk on a "pretty good fit." So, I compiled a list of 10 tips I've tried to use when crafting my résumé during a job search.
You are a salesperson now. Joe Sugarman is one of the most famous copywriters of all time and a mail order maven. I read one of his books about copywriting, and think that the best part about his tips is that they're simple -- your title should be designed to get the reader to read the first sentence. The first sentence should be designed to get the reader to read the second sentence. The second ... you get the idea.
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Posted
Sep 15 2009, 07:26 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Jim Wang at partner blog Bargaineering.com.
One of the biggest challenges in almost anything you do is knowing where your blind spots are. In simpler terms, you don't know what you don't know.
So, today I'll point out four money mistakes you might be making that you don't even realize you're making. Hopefully, you're making none of them. If you are making one of these, don't beat yourself up over it. Now you know you're making it and you can take steps to fix it.
Paying too much tax too early. Would you give the government several hundred dollars a month, for no reason, just for the government to write you a check in April? Would you give the government a zero interest loan? Probably not (if you would, feel free to send me money). However, that's exactly what you're doing when you get a tax refund in April.
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Posted
Sep 08 2009, 05:02 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Jim Wang at partner blog Bargaineering:
I don't use a fax machine much and we don't own a fax machine at home, which might be surprising to know because I work from home all the time.
In fact, we're one of the growing number of homes that don't even have a land-line phone. We rely strictly on our cell phones. This means that even with a fax machine, we wouldn't be able to send or receive faxes.
Until now, we mitigated this by using the fax machine where my wife worked. Since she quit her job, we no longer have access to a convenient and free fax.
So what options do we have?
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Posted
Sep 01 2009, 06:39 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Jim Wang at partner blog Bargaineering.
A few years ago I had a little credit report error incident. I had just started a new job and was going through a background investigation, which included a review of my credit history. In the course of that review, the investigator noticed that there was an address listed on the report that I hadn't previously disclosed.
The reason I never mentioned the address is because it wasn't mine.
When he told me, I feared the worst. I thought I was joining the millions of people who have their identity stolen each year. In fact, just a year before that, a friend was telling me how it took him several months to get his identity recovered and even then everything credit-related was a pain.
So my mind immediately jumped to ID theft.
Fortunately, it was an isolated, albeit strange, credit report error that was relatively easy to resolve. The error was the addition of an address, a Social Security number (that differed from my SSN by one digit), and a telephone/cable package. I went through the usual protocols of disputing the information, thinking the onus was on the other party to prove the information was true. But I was wrong.
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Posted
Aug 25 2009, 05:57 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This devil's advocate post comes from Jim Wang at partner blog Bargaineering.
A few years ago, when the housing market was sizzling hot, everyone and their mother talked about how their home was a fantastic investment. They talked about how a home that sold 10 years ago had quadrupled in value over the last five and cursed themselves for not buying more.
I knew someone who owned four rental properties, all bought with adjustable-rate mortgages, and was making a "killing" on the rents and appreciation. I knew someone else who was looking at his paper riches and marveling at how wonderful homeownership was.
Then the housing market stalled. ARMs reset. People were in rough shape. Those who overextended learned something the prudent have always understood: As much as your home is a great place, it's not an investment.
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Posted
Aug 18 2009, 05:59 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Jim Wang at partner blog Bargaineering.
Breaking up is hard to do, but canceling a credit card is easy. Call the company, tell them it's just not working out, then cut up the credit card. Easy, right?
What's a little harder? Understanding the impact that can have on your credit history and score.
Why canceling hurts your score
What impact can canceling a credit card have on your credit score? Canceling a credit card will, in a majority of cases, lower your credit score. The primary reason has to do with credit utilization, a significant factor in calculating your credit score.
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Posted
Aug 11 2009, 05:26 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Jim Wang at partner blog Bargaineering.com.
I hate reality television shows that follow tragically complicated celebrities, or just straight up follow tragically complicated civilians, because they're exercises in schadenfreude. It's entertainment because you're reveling in the misery of others. "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here" is basically a farce built on the popularity of these types of shows.
I have nothing against the people on the shows or the people who watch them. I'm just not a fan.
But I do like reality television. In fact, I would say I love reality television, just not the real world/road rules type of reality show, but more like the dirty jobs variety. I think that a lot of jobs in America -- hard-working, back-breaking and hand-numbing jobs -- deserve a bit of the spotlight. So I'm going to list the best hard-working American reality television shows that I enjoy. This list is in no particular order.
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Posted
Aug 04 2009, 05:39 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Jim Wang at partner blog Bargaineering.com.
The Economist is known for its deep analysis and heavy topics, but I found this article about supermarkets and the science of shopping.
The first time I heard about supermarket psychology was when someone explained to me that the most appealing products are always shown at eye level. When the product is placed at eye level, you are more prone to picking it up and subsequently buying it.
That's only the beginning.
If there's one lesson to be learned from reading this article, it's that supermarkets are a big maze and we're the rats running through them.
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Posted
Jul 28 2009, 06:17 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Jim Wang at partner blog Bargaineering.
If you go back 10 or 15 years, there were two things you could do online that would get you laughed at: finding a date and getting a postsecondary degree.
With dating sites flourishing and online education popping up everywhere, the stigma associated with the online versions of both has all but been washed away. Meeting someone online no longer means you're meeting someone capable only of interacting with a computer, and getting a degree online no longer means you took some cupcake classes and paid for a diploma.
However, just as you still want to be careful whom you choose to meet in person from an online dating site, you'll also have to be careful which online university you choose to attend. Like dates, not all universities are created equal.
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