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Why Almost Everyone Needs a Prenup
Tweet Share on Facebook February 8, 2012 CommentAsking for a prenup—a legal agreement that specifies how couples will divide assets if they divorce—doesn’t exactly sound like a romantic gesture. After all, couples marry for love, not money, so who needs to work out the nitty-gritty financial details of a break-up that the couple hopes will never happen?
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How Ethnicity Affects Retirement Savings
Tweet Share on Facebook February 6, 2012 CommentEthnicity is a growing area of interest for banks, largely because they want to understand their customers better.
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Cell Phone Numbers Going Public? Not Likely.
Tweet Share on Facebook February 2, 2012 Comment (2)The message sounds deceptively helpful: “All cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls,” the email states. To prevent an onslaught of such calls, the email suggests calling the National Do Not Call Registry, and provides a number to do so.
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10 Ways to Save Your Retirement
Tweet Share on Facebook February 1, 2012 CommentWe’ve been talking a lot about retirement lately, partly because the numbers are just so terrifying: Most Americans have less than $25,000 saved. On average, we save between 5.5 and 7 percent of our pre-tax salaries in 401(k) accounts, when we probably need to save at least double that for a decent retirement. And the stock market, with its paltry returns over the last decade, isn’t helping us out.
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The New Rules for Getting Ahead at Work
Tweet Share on Facebook January 30, 2012 CommentWhen Lindsey Pollak’s popular book, Getting from College to Career, first came out five years ago, social media barely existed. Now, Pollak considers Twitter an essential tool for job seekers, along with LinkedIn, Skype, Facebook, and Google Apps. (She serves as a spokeswoman for LinkedIn.) The job market was also bustling five years ago; now, it’s harder to find full-time employment. That’s why in the latest edition of her book, Pollak delves into alternatives that can boost one’s pay while on the job hunt, including freelancing, interning, and project-based work.
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What the New Airfare Rules Mean for You
Tweet Share on Facebook January 27, 2012 Comment (2)Here’s some good news for air travelers: It just got easier to know how much you’re paying to travel and compare prices in advance. That’s because new rules from the Transportation Department that go into effect this week require airlines to include all of the required taxes and fees, as well as any baggage fees, when listing airfares.
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How to Save Enough for Retirement
Tweet Share on Facebook January 24, 2012 CommentMost Americans realize they aren’t saving enough for retirement. According to the nonprofit Employee Benefit Research Institute, about 1 in 4 workers describe themselves as “not at all confident” about retirement. A study by 401k.org shows that on average, Americans with 401(k)s contribute between 5.5 and 7 percent of their pre-tax salaries into those accounts—far less than most people need to replace the recommended 80 percent of their working salaries during retirement.
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Should You “Tweet” at Your Bank?
Tweet Share on Facebook January 18, 2012 Comment (1)If you use a big bank, it’s probably tweeting at you, even if you don’t know it yet. Major financial institutions, including Bank of America, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo have set up Twitter accounts that alert customers to any announcements and respond to customer questions and comments. The problem? Their answers aren’t all that helpful.
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Zappos Customers: Change All Your Passwords
Tweet Share on Facebook January 17, 2012 CommentAs news broke over the weekend that Zappos had been hacked, customers of the popular online retailer were left asking themselves what they needed to do to protect themselves. The popular company, which is owned by Amazon, says it is sending an email to customers urging them to create new passwords, but as of Monday morning, this customer has yet to receive one.
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How to Solve Any Customer Service Challenge
Tweet Share on Facebook January 10, 2012 Comment (7)Jon Yates wants to help you. As the official problem solver at the Chicago Tribune, he specializes in getting companies—and government bureaucracies—to do what customers want. Whether you’ve been over-charged by a credit card company or are still missing a tax refund from last year, Yates can probably help.
