Poll: What Did You Spend Your Tax Refund On?

By now most of you who were getting a tax refund this year have probably already received it. So, the question has to be asked: what did you spend it on? Since the average federal tax refund is around $3,000 most people are getting a reasonable chunk of money. Sure, we can argue that it […]

Poll: Did You Miss Two of the Best Years in the Stock Market?

The great recession, high unemployment, and the damage to your portfolio done in 2008 are probably still fresh in your mind, but did you know that even though the economy as a whole is slow to recover that the past two years the stock market has been churning out record returns? If you were one […]

Poll: Do You Use Mobile Banking?

We’ve come a long way in just a few years. Not long ago banking consisted of having a local branch that you used and the idea of mobile banking was to use an ATM or your debit card. Then, we saw a flood of what were considered online banks hit the market in the past […]

Poll: Are You Thinking About Refinancing Your Mortgage?

Can you believe what mortgage rates are these days? As of this post Bankrate shows a 30-year fixed at around 4.6% and a 15-year down to almost 4%. That’s pretty amazing when you think about what rates were just five years ago. Back then you were probably looking at rates closer to 7%. So, all […]

Poll: How Much Do You Spend on Gas Each Month?

For those of us who don’t live in a city with public transportation, owning a car and paying for gas is usually a necessity. Thankfully, gas prices have remained relatively stable over the past year and we haven’t seen the crazy prices of just a few summers ago. Even so, gas isn’t cheap and it […]

Poll: How Much Do You Spend on Utilities Each Month?

Utilities are a part of life for almost everyone. Whether you own or rent, you’re responsible for paying for utilities such as electricity, gas, water, sewer, etc. Granted, renters occasionally find leases where some or all utilities are included, but ultimately you’re still paying for them as they are tied into the monthly rent. For […]

Poll: Do You Pay Extra On Your Mortgage Each Month?

For most homeowners a mortgage is just a fact of life. You get a loan and then make monthly payments for what seems like an eternity. It’s not all that bad because it does put a roof over your head and you’re using leverage to buy something that could otherwise take decades to save up […]

Poll: Are Your Vacation Plans Different This Year?

Many families take an annual summer vacation to get away for a week or two. In some cases it’s just a quick trip up to the lake, while others make it a cross-country adventure. Whatever the vacation, it costs money. If you drive, it’s gas and maybe a rental car. If you fly, you obviously […]

Poll: The Dow at 11,000. Now What?

And so it begins. For a number of weeks now the media has been obsessing over this milestone. When will we hit it? Is it a point of resistance and will it signal the start of a double-dip recession? Is it going to propel the bull market to new highs? So much speculation around a […]

Poll: Is the Economy Really Recovering?

For the past year or two it’s all been negative when we talk about the economy–stock markets were down, unemployment was rising, and more banks failing. We’ve sort of become numb to those things as they were commonplace, but lately the news has been a little different. Each week new reports come out that say […]