To get the $100, you must apply and make $1000 in purchases within 3 months of receiving the card. Your $100 bonus will be posted to your account within 8 weeks.
I like this offer because the card has VERY nice cash-back benefits. Get 5% Cashback Bonus® on office supplies, 2% on gasoline, up to 1% on all other purchases!
Although this is a business card, everyone is eligible to apply. Just select “Sole Proprietor” on the “Legal Entity” dropdown box and leave the “Federal Tax ID” field blank on the application. Put your personal name in the “Business Name” field.
After over a year of plummeting interest rates, it looks like the trend has finally come to an end.
Last month, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 0.25%. Normally this would trigger a proportionate decrease in deposit rates. However, over the last month, the average money market rate has INCREASED 0.15% from 2.20% to 2.35% (according to Bankrate national data).
In addition, I just got word that ETRADE bank has lifted their online savings account rate from 3.01 to 3.15% APY. This is the first time in the last year that a major online bank has raised rates.
Why higher rates are right around the corner
The Federal Discount rate is already at 2.00%… How much lower can it get?
Economists predict that interest rates will stay steady until early 2009, and then begin to slowly increase.
For the SHORT TERM, the US stock market has bottomed out because the Fed has demonstrated (with their bailouts, liquidity injections, and rate cuts) that their main priority is to keep equities afloat. Nevertheless, some experts will speculate that the credit crunch will hit the US again in late 2008 or early 2009.
Inflation is becoming an increasingly widespread problem, and the Federal Reserve cannot ignore it forever. Gas prices are at all time highs. Food is getting more expensive.
What should you do?
Rates should inevitably begin to rise in the next few months. Avoid long term CD (certificate of deposit) accounts because you don’t want to get locked into a low rate. Stashing money away in a high interest savings account is a good bet because it looks as if rates can only increase from here on out.
Personal finance management can sometimes seem like a daunting task. With the amount of financial responsibilities people have today, keeping track of anything can prove to be quite challenging. However, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to be successful in personal finance management.
I’ve come up with a nice list of some tips anyone can use when managing your money. With some economists calling an official “recession” in the USA, it is a good idea to keep your finances in check! Click here to read more
Bernanke and the rest of the Federal Reserve are expected to lower interest rates by 25 basis points (0.25%) this Wednesday to 2.00%.
Most experts speculate that after this Wednesday’s cut, Bernanke will keep rates unchanged for the next few months.
This is a tough situation for those looking to open a certificate of deposit account. Rates are so low right now that it is unfavorable to lock these rates in for the long term. Instead, a better choice may be to stash money away in liquid money market & savings accounts, which currently average better returns (APY) than CDs (according to Bankrate national data).
Regardless of whether you open a CD or a money market, the current unfavorable economy makes it very difficult to beat inflation. Low interest rates, record oil prices (almost $120 / barrel), and food shortages are going to make it more expensive for you to maintain your standard of living.
Are you interested in how the Federal Reserve works? Watch the video below to learn!
The Fed’s attempts at thawing the frozen mortgage lending industry have not yet showed any signs of hope. In fact, during the last few months while the Fed has been cutting interest rates from 5% to 2.50%, mortgage rates have actually inched up over 10% from their monthly lows!
There are a lot of news headlines today about average 30 year mortgages shooting up over 6%. This is an INCREDIBLY awkward phenomenon!
Reasons Why Mortgage Rates Are Rising Amidst Fed Cuts
Investors are fleeing from mortgage backed securities (CDOs). In finance, loans are frequently repackaged and resold to big investors in bulk. This way, the home loan originators can unload their loan obligations and acquire more cash to re-loan to home buyers. The problem is that no one wants anything to do with mortgages now, so lenders are having a hard time repackaging their loans. See this excellent sub prime cartoon for a crude explanation of how the lending industry works.
Lenders are more strict about who they give money to.
Lenders need to overcharge new home buyers to offset their past sub-prime losses.
Yes, housing prices have decreased considerably from their 2006 highs, but with mortgage rates still fluttering around 6%, smart buyers will continue to stay on the sidelines for a better buying opportunity. Either housing prices or home loan rates will have to come down lower.
When do YOU think the housing market will finally bottom out? Late 2008? Mid 2009? or maybe early 2010?
Every month, I look forward to Jim Bruene’s monthly financial services scorecard. Using sophisticated Internet traffic monitoring services, he assesses the number of applications and approvals for online savings / checking accounts, credit cards, and mortgages.
The stats for FEB08 are particularly disconcerting.
Inflation - Silent But Deadly!
Low interest rates have made online savings accounts highly undesirable investments. I am not surprised that applications have declined so dramatically. With APYs below 4.00%, it is absolutely impossible to beat inflation no matter which way you try to calculate it. Remember, while the US government pegs inflation at about 4% per year, keep in mind that the government manipulates the mathematic formulas to determine inflation rates. Economic watchdogs like ShadowStats calculate inflation to be closer to 8%!
In addition, the fact that crude oil is inching towards $120 does not quell inflation fears. Oh yeah, and if you’ve been to the supermarket lately, have you noticed that food is getting more expensive? That’s partly inflation in action!
How are YOU beating inflation? Leave a comment to let us know!
You can get $100 cash back after spending $500 within 3 months of receiving your card. Apply for the Discover More card using invitation code DANX to qualify.
I’ve noticed lately that as banks continue to crumble from the credit crunch, the sign-up deals have been drying up.
In other news, there are rumors that Citi’s 5% cash-back offer (no cap for 3 months) on the Citi CashReturns card is about to end, so apply now before it’s too late.
The subprime mortgage bust has scared a lot of people away from the housing market. The nightly news is filled with images and stories of everyday Americans who are losing their homes because they made greedy and uninformed decisions, they were taken advantage of by predatory brokers, or a combination of these situations. However, the news isn’t all bad. This decline in the market has dropped prices and made housing affordable to many fiscally responsible renters who never considered home ownership to be an option.
If you find yourself house-hunting, make sure that you follow these five simple steps to take advantage of this downturn in the market; if you don’t, you could be the next sad story on your local news. Click here to read more
American Express has some of the most generous credit card sign-up deals. To entice customers to sign up for their cards, they frequently run incentives where they will award you $50 to $100 gift cards.
We’ve sifted through all the latest offers from American Express to find all of their current offers.
Roundup of American Express Deals (Updated April 6, 2008)
$100 Amazon Gift Card - Starwood Preferred Guest Card. Sign up, make a purchase, and get 10,000 StarPoints redeemable for either 3 hotel stays or a $100 Amazon gift certificate (9,500 StarPoints). This is a great card for those who like to travel, because Starwood Points have no blackout dates and are redeemable at hotels like Westin, Sheraton, St. Regis, and W hotels. I carry one of these myself, and don’t mind paying the $45 annual fee b/c the StarPoints rewards program is well worth it. Annual fee waived first year.
$100 Gift Card - AMEX Preferred Rewards Gold Card. Sign up, make a purchase, and get 10,000 Membership Rewards Points redeemable for a $100 gift card. Annual fee waived first year.
$50 Cash - One from American Express. Sign up, make a purchase, and get $50 cash deposited into a high interest 3.50% APY savings account within 5 weeks. Annual fee waived first year.
$50 Gift Card - Platinum Business FreedomPass Card. Sign up, make a purchase, and get 5,000 Membership Rewards Points redeemable for a $50 gift card. No annual fee!
$50 Gift Card - Nest Credit Card from American Express. Sign up, make a purchase, and get 5,000 Membership Rewards Points redeemable for a $50 gift card. Also comes with a FREE financial planning kit for newly-weds. No annual fee!
$50 Gift Card - American Express Preferred Rewards Green Card. Sign up, make a purchase, and get 5,000 Membership Rewards Points redeemable for a $50 gift card. Annual fee waived first year.
Frequently Asked Questions 1) What can I redeem Membership Rewards Points for?
Gift cards at places like Home Depot, Linens ‘N Things, Banana Republic, Gap, Bath & Body Works, and more. See Membership Rewards website for a full catalog of gift cards and gifts you can buy.
2) How long do you have to keep the cards before you can cancel them and avoid the annual fee?
Membership Rewards points typically take less than 1 week to post to your account. Redeeming the points take a few weeks. So in total, it takes about 1 or 2 months to get your bonus.
If you cancel your account within 1 year, you can avoid the annual fee.
WaMu 3.30% Savings Account
ETRADE 3.15% Savings. $0 Min!
FREE $50 Bonus & 3% Cashback
Citi $100 Gift Card Signup Offer
Posted in 
(3 votes, average: 3.33 out of 5)
Loading ...
After over a year of plummeting interest rates, it looks like the trend has finally come to an end.
Personal finance management can sometimes seem like a daunting task. With the amount of financial responsibilities people have today, keeping track of anything can prove to be quite challenging. However, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to be successful in personal finance management. 
Bernanke and the rest of the Federal Reserve are expected to lower interest rates by 25 basis points (0.25%) this Wednesday to 2.00%.
The Fed’s attempts at thawing the frozen mortgage lending industry have not yet showed any signs of hope. In fact, during the last few months while the Fed has been cutting interest rates from 5% to 2.50%, mortgage rates have actually inched up over 10% from their monthly lows! 
The subprime mortgage bust has scared a lot of people away from the housing market. The nightly news is filled with images and stories of everyday Americans who are losing their homes because they made greedy and uninformed decisions, they were taken advantage of by predatory brokers, or a combination of these situations. However, the news isn’t all bad. This decline in the market has dropped prices and made housing affordable to many fiscally responsible renters who never considered home ownership to be an option. 
American Express has some of the most generous credit card sign-up deals. To entice customers to sign up for their cards, they frequently run incentives where they will award you $50 to $100 gift cards.
