Bank of America took a big leap last week, jumping head first into the monthly debit card fee ring. Starting the next round of additional banking fees introduced to counteract the new limits on debit card swipe fees which took effect Oct 1st. Which has not made me and a few million other BofA customers happy campers. But don’t fret, there are still options available to avoid them.
There have been a few banks that have tested the debit card banking fee, but on a small scale. Wells Fargo has tested the new fee in five states. J.P. Morgan has done it in a small part of Wisconsin, and Suntrust Banks began charging a debit card fee in June to new customers.
With Bank of America jumping on board, it’s only a matter of time before other big banks adopt debit card fees as the norm. With the announcement last week, BofA will be charging account holders $5 each month they use a debit card for a purchase starting in 2012. The charge will not apply to BofA mortgage customers or to those account holders with a combined amount of $20,000. Continue Reading…
“Significant” was the word of the day. As in “significant downside risks to the economic outlook.” The day was not, however, sponsored by any letter and number.
Gambling and investing tend not to fall in the same sentence, yet the line between the two can be blurry at times. Each can force images of losing it all or winning it big in a single moment. When you picture gambling, it’s the 24 hour gambling mecca of Vegas, a cheering craps table, the alarms of the slot machine. A place to let loose, have some fun, spend some money.
Having a job is a necessary reality for the majority of us. For many it’s a means to an end, a way to support themselves, their family. It covers the bills, puts food on the table and a roof over their head. Where the best part of the week is getting home or the weekend. How many can actually say they are working their dream job? And if they can’t, what would it take to get the opportunity? The reason I ask all this is a story I came across earlier in the week.
There are many reasons people choose to avoid stock investments. With so many stocks to choose from finding the right ones to invest in can be overwhelming. Even knowing where to begin can be difficult. But it shouldn’t be. Finding potential stock investments abound everywhere and can come from the most unconventional sources including 
The jobs number came in last week way below expectations. With a big drop in the government sector. Mostly at the state and local level. Mark it down as a continued side effect when the budget and debt become political fodder. But trying to jump start a faltering economy with government layoffs is a bit backwards.