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What Are the Best 529 College-Savings Plans — Dollars and Sense
Earlier this week, the investment ratings firm Morningstar released their annual list of the year’s best 529 college-savings plans.
Money Matters
Money Matters
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Walmart’s New Pre-Paid Debit Card Is Basically a Free Checking Account — Dollars and Sense
Walmart plans to unleash a new no-fee prepaid debit card by American Express later this week called Bluebird that will be offered nationwide at some 4,000 Walmart stores and through the Bluebird website.
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Stamps Getting More Expensive Again
While the cost of postage will increase by one penny next year, the U.S. Postal Service says that the 46-cent “Forever” stamp will remain valid currency for mailing letters across the country, even as rates get higher.
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Knowing Your Co-Workers’ Salaries Makes You More Productive — Dollars and Sense
Discussing salaries is taboo in many workplaces, but maybe it shouldn't be. New research suggests that knowing how your pay compares to your colleagues' pay may make workers more productive.
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What Are the Worst Cities in America to Find a Job? — Dollars and Sense
Looking for a job anywhere in this economy can be tough, but recent data suggests a person can actually fare worse than average in their ability to join the workforce in specific cities across America.
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Social Security Benefits Will Increase, but Not Very Much — Dollars and Sense
Recipients of Social Security benefits will see a slightly less than 2 percent cost-of-living increase next year, according to an estimate by the American Institute for Economic Research.
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What Are the Most Expensive Colleges in America? — Dollars and Sense
The cost of higher education is getting, um, higher.
Campus Grotto recently released its annual list of the most expensive colleges in America and according to their statistics, the cost of attending just one year at the most expensive college hit a record high tuition this year at over $60,000.
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How Hard Is It to Get a Job if You’ve Been Out of Work for 6 Months? — Dollars and Sense
They say the best time to look for a new job is when you already have one. Turns out there might actually be something to this phenomenon: New research suggests that the longer you're out of work, the harder it gets to find a new job.
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Toys R Us Announces New Price-Matching Offer — Dollars and Sense
In an attempt to be a forethought on the shopping lists of parents this holiday season, Toys R Us has announced plans to match the prices of their competition. The company’s new “price-match guarantee” will be extended to all products from Toys R Us and Babies R Us retail outlets.
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Credit Card Delinquencies Reach 11-Year Low — Dollars and Sense
These days more credit card customers are paying their bills on time than they have over the course of the last decade.
A report released earlier today by the American Bankers Association indicates that delinquencies on credit cards are currently at an 11-year low, with only 2.93 percent of credit accounts reported past due by 30 days or more. These figures come in substantially under the 3.91 percent 15-year average.
So, what’s with all of the newfound responsibility?
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Thousands of Millionaires Collect Unemployment Benefits — Dollars and Sense
According to a study by the Congressional Research Service, roughly 2,360 millionaires collected unemployment insurance benefits in 2009. The study, titled “Receipt of Unemployment Insurance by Higher-Income Unemployed Workers,” determined that 2 percent of unemployment insurance claims received in 2009 were to millionaires, adding up to nearly $21 million in benefits.
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American Express Deceives Customers, Will Issue $85 Million Refund — Dollars and Sense
Have an American Express card that you never leave home without? You can expect a refund.
According to a report by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, American Express will be refunding $85 million to some 250,000 customers due to what officials are calling deceptive practices that include the charging of illegal late fees and discrimination against applicants 35 years old and up.
For nearly a decade, American Express was guilty of committing various infractions against its card owners that cheated customers into believing they were obtaining benefits like sign-up bonuses and improved credit scores that never came to pass.