Tim Chen

If cash disappeared tomorrow, would you notice? According to some estimates, cash will disappear completely by 2020. With the increasing popularity of electronic money transfers via online and mobile payment services such as Google Wallet, some are predicting that cash, and even credit cards, are permanently on their way out....

President Obama released his budget proposal for 2013 on Feb. 13. While you're listening to the media discuss the implications at the federal level, why not take a moment to rethink your own budgeting strategy? Wait... are those two things even related? Not entirely. Before we...

Now that Bank of America has scrapped their plan to charge a $5 debit card usage fee, and Chase and Wells Fargo have followed suit, you might think banks have learned their lesson about excessive fees. Well, they have, and that lesson is "be less obvious." Banks are...

Everyone seems to be talking about Bank of America's new fees (including us). Many other big banks, including Chase, Wells Fargo and Citibank, are also charging new fees for checking accounts, or planning to add them soon. Inspired by national movements like Bank Transfer Day, customers are threatening...

With the death of Borders and the rise of electronic reading devices, some literary naysayers are already bemoaning the inevitable disappearance of tangible books. Pages are turning into screens, words into megabytes, bookmarks into memory cards. But there's nothing to be sad about. The ability to carry the entire scope...

The Sony credit card abides by a rewards system that, at first glance, looks like a great way to earn rewards on electronics purchases. You earn 5 Sony bonus points per $1 you spend on Sony products, 3 bonus points per $1 you spend on movies and dining, and 1...

It will surprise no one that advertising can be misleading. There's lemonade with 0% fruit juice, pharmaceutical companies compare their drugs to placebos rather than what's already on the market, and credit card issuers tout benefits that they're federally mandated to provide.
While reading credit card advertisements can...

If you're heading off to college, you're probably looking at credit cards for college students. Despite popular belief, credit cards are not evil incarnate. In fact, building up a credit history while you're still in college can serve you well when you fill out a rental application, take out an...

It seems like there's smart everything now -- smartphones, smart tablets, even smart refrigerators that remind you that you're out of milk. But one product remains determinedly low-tech: plastic. Until now. Citibank will soon roll out the Citibank 2G Cards, which feature a chip instead of a magnetic strip.

The...

CreditCards.com recently reported a slight hike in the national average APR for new credit card offers, a negligible bump of 0.01%. Despite the eye-catching headline - it's the highest rate since December - interest rates have been and will likely remain generally stable until March. As banks plot their...

Young people face an ever-increasing number of obstacles as they find themselves learning the ropes of financial independence, while also being responsible for their future, and having to build an acceptable credit rating. Things like money borrowed for school, missteps due to ignorance about money, pressure from friends to spend...

Impulse buyers all over can breathe easier thanks to a new service from American Express, Premium Return Protection. This program could save you from mistakes worth up to $600 per purchase, if you've gone past the "must return in 30 days" limit. While there are terms and conditions...

A lot of folks are using prepaid cards these days as a payment method. The Federal Reserve estimates that a full 17% of Americans are using them. This number is likely growing much bigger with all the people that are dropping their credit cards and getting rid of...

The past two years have been chock full of financial industry regulation. It all started with the CARD Act in 2009, followed closely by the Frank-Dodd Financial Reform Bill and the much-debated Durbin Amendment. We've been tracking all the changes closely, and went on record in back in May 2010...

In order for credit card companies to continue making the kind of revenue they're used to, they have typically turned to higher penalty fees. There has been a great increase in popularity over the years for high penalty fees that are meant to catch users off guard -- and this...

There are quite a few ways you can get declined for a loan, even if you think you have the right FICO score. The P2P lending site Lending Club offers a great deal of transparency into the world of loan origination, and lays out exactly what the triggers...

The facts are in and it looks like Americans may have learned a valuable lesson: Credit, when used irresponsibly, can be a financial death sentence. The credit crisis that has gripped our country for the past few years has changed the way that we not only view but also use...

Just because you chose a line of work that serves a higher purpose, doesn't mean you don't want to improve your bottom line. Teacher salaries can be tough to survive on, particularly for families with children. Throw in a few pets and an ailing grandparent or two, and things can...

Stressed out over the high cost of holiday shopping? Operating at warp speed with work, family and other seasonal obligations? For many of us, coupon clipping just isn't in the cards. For those searching for a more streamlined savings strategy, here are four ways to shave some scones off the...

While common sense seems to dictate that you pay off your highest rate debts first, in reality you may want to pay off the debts that have the lowest interest rates first. This is because lower rate debts tend to belong to lenders that have you by the throat when...