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Are you struggling to have $50 at the end of the month? Quicken Online makes it easy to see where your money is right now.
==> http://budurl.com/FreeQuickenOnline
* Quicken instantly and automatically updates spending and banking transactions, so you can see your checking, savings, loan, investment and credit card accounts in one place[1].
* Instantly shows you where you’re spending your money
* Save time -- see everything in ONE place, using ONE single password
* All-in-one bill management brings peace of mind that you are always on top of your bills
* Personalize all your bank information, so you understand it -- e.g., change payee names, create categories, track tax deductions
Take control of your personal finances now. Account setup takes less than 5 minutes!
==> http://budurl.com/FreeQuickenOnline
P.S.: Did we mention that Quicken Online is 100% FREE? Yep -- 100% of the time!
[1] Online features require Internet access and are subject to change. Services vary among participating financial institutions or other parties, and may be subject to application approval, additional terms, conditions and fees. More than 6,122 participating financial institutions as of 05/21/08.
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Use Quicken Online to Easily and Automatically Track Your Spending -- So You Know Where to Save and When to Spend.
"People first, then money, then things." -- Suze Orman, financial expert, New York Times best-selling author [e.g., "Women & Money" and "The Road to Wealth -- Revised Edition"], speaker, Emmy award-winning TV show host, PBS fundraising partner
In January, President Bush announced that the federal government will be sending rebate checks in the amount of $300, $600 or $1,200 to American households -- perhaps as soon as this May or June. This so-called "stimulus package," he said, would boost the U.S. economy and, thus, help steer us clear of a recession. How? By enticing people to buy more stuff.
Last evening, during her guest stint on CNN's "Larry King Live," lauded financial guru and best-selling author Suze Orman declared the economic-stimulus plan "stupid." Rather than go out and spend those checks, she advised, the viewers, callers and folks who e-mailed desperate pleas for her insights should pay down debts and invest in their retirement funds.
Here's a brief excerpt from Larry King's interview with Suze Orman:
...KING: But the government wants them to spend it. That's the point of it.
ORMAN: It's the point of it, but it's a stupid point. They never should have passed that stimulus package. They should never continue to count on saving this economy, because, again, the ordinary person out there is going to continue to spend. They can't continue to spend. They have credit card debt. They have car loan debt. They have mortgage debt.
KING: You're saying take the money and pay off bills?
ORMAN: Get out of debt. If you have -- if you get that money and you haven't yet funded your retirement account, put it in a retirement account. Do something so that little 600 dollars grows to 6,000 dollars and so forth, but don't go out and spend it. Stop it, people. Grow up already.
KING: But the government's case is: if you spend it, you stimulate the economy.
ORMAN: For a little bit. Can't they figure out another way to save this economy, except on the backs of the consumer who are so spent out it's not even funny? I mean, why would you even do that? Again, I could not be against this stimulus package more if I tried...
[BEGIN VIDEO CLIP]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, my question would be, when are they going to lower the gas prices? $3.74 a gallon is hard to make decisions on what are you going to do for the week, the weekend. I need some answers.
[END VIDEO CLIP]
ORMAN: You know, it's funny. It's hard to decide what you're going to do for the week and the weekend. It's true. You can't even drive to work anymore, and then you start hearing things like here in New York City, where they're thinking about actually raising the tolls to come into the city. How are you going to do anything?
That is the problem, ladies and gentlemen. The oil companies -- we said this last time. We were sitting right here. Record profits, yet they're charging you record prices. I don't understand it. I wish we could do something about it. It seems like we can't.
It seems like oil at 100 dollars is here to stay. So all I can say to you is you better get used to these prices, because they are here, which means you have to cut back on everything, which is why you're also upset.
Again, Larry, don't get me started on this. It makes no sense that oil should be this high. It makes no sense that -- that commodities should be this high, that wheat and milk -- doesn't make any sense, but yet it's here...
To read the entire transcript of last night's show, go to: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0803/25/lkl.01.html
ProsperNOW's take: Thank goodness for Suze Orman's keen, candid, common-sense approach to managing finances! Perhaps our nation's next president will have the good sense to enlist Suze's wide-angle expertise in getting us out of this economic mess -- ? One can only hope...
SOURCE: CNN____________________
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The Federal Reserve's surprise decision this morning to cut interest rates by 75 basis points may signal bleak times ahead for the U.S. economy. But that doesn't mean everybody will suffer. If you're looking to buy a home, refinance your mortgage, or consolidate debt via a home-equity loan, these next few weeks could very well help you prosper.
In a highly unusual move, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke [pictured] on Tuesday announced plans to slash the fed funds rate to 3.5 percent, from 4.25 percent, hoping to calm the markets and to stimulate the slowing economy and avert recession. That the Fed did so a week before its scheduled meeting underscores how perilous conditions have become.
So, what's it mean to you?
First, the good news: If you need to borrow money, it might get cheaper. Rates on 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages already have fallen to about 5.4 percent from 6.3 percent six months ago. These rates take their cue from 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds, whose yields have fallen to 3.4 percent from 4 percent at the start of the year. So, maybe the 30-year mortgage will fall even further.
If you are thinking of buying a new home or refinancing a mortgage, consider waiting two or three weeks to see what mortgage rates do. There's not much risk they'll go up significantly, and there's some chance they'll drift down. Some analysts think the Fed may cut rates again at its Jan. 30 meeting.
Homeowners with adjustable-rate mortgages also may benefit from the Fed rate cut, which could lower the indexes used to rest adjustable loans. The one-year Treasury bill, for example, now yields about 3 percent -- down from 3.2 percent a month ago, and 5 percent a year ago.
In other words, if your loan resets every 12 months and used the one-year Treasury for a reset today, the interest rate could drop by two full percentage points, perhaps saving you hundreds of dollars a month.
Still, you might consider using this opportunity to refinance to a 30-year, fixed-rate loan. You could lock in that unusually good, below-6 percent rate and avoid rate hikes that you might face in the future with an adjustable loan.
The general decline in interest rates could influence rates on car loans, credit cards and home-equity loans. Unfortunately, so many factors affect those rates, it's too soon to know for sure. With interest rates in flux, keep an eye out for good deals.
Low interest rates and sinking home prices are creating opportunities for people shopping for a home or looking to refinance -- especially, if they have good credit. However, tightening lending standards are making it increasingly difficult for people to borrow if they have bad credit.
LendingTree can help you compare rates on mortgage loans, refinancing loans and home-equity loans -- with no fewer than four offers in each category. Submit your free request today!* LendingTree Mortgage Loans: http://tinyurl.com/2v23dw* LendingTree Refinance Loans: http://tinyurl.com/344n7a* LendingTree Home Equity Loans: http://tinyurl.com/3bwlpnSOURCES: Bankrate.com, MSNBC.com [file photo]
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Are you struggling to have $50 at the end of the month? Quicken Online makes it easy to see where your money is right now.
