2009 has been an exciting year for us here at MoneyDesktop. Our company launched a software program that not only lets you track your personal finances, it also eliminates debt. With the average American household carrying over $9,000 in credit card debt our product has been able to help many save on interest and get out of debt.
We’ve been inspired by Chris Anderson’s book Free to try a give away of our product for ‘Cyber Monday’. The first five hundred to signup with the promo code [EDIT: This promotion has expired, thanks to all our new users!]. No credit card required. It’s our $200 gift to you. All that we ask is that you please use our product to save yourself from wasting thousands more servicing debts.
Thanks for giving us a great year.
photo credit: alancleaver_2000
30.Nov.09 
Debt Free 
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A new infographic (click the image or here to expand) seems to indicate that the median home should cost about three and a half times the median salary.
Additionally, it’s surprising how much interest rates have fallen since the mid-eighties when a sixteen percent mortgage could be considered a good deal. The considerable reduction in interest paid makes it so today’s median debt to income ratio is at a thirty-five year low.
25.Nov.09 Upside Down Comments (0)
Warren Buffet is infamous for his investment strategies, favoring long holds of profitable companies to quick trades of speculative ones. His portfolio history is an impressive timeline of decisions made with incredible foresight.
The complete opposite of a day trader, his investment strategy focuses on long term goals. Proper budgeting for one’s personal finances can also benefit from good planning.
While many know of his success with Geico, few realize he has owned large portions of everything from See’s Candies to Fruit of the Loom.
Click here, or on the image to view full size.
16.Nov.09 Financial Planning Comments (0)
Unless a user specifically opts into the service, effective July 1st, banks will be banned from charging overdraft fees on ATM and debit card transactions. Overdrawn checks will not be affected by this ban. As we mentioned previously, this may have a drastic affect on how many banks make money.
According to Reuters:
ATM and debit card transactions are typically discretionary purchases, the officials said. Consumers frequently use checks for bills that they want paid no matter what.
Bank regulators have been under pressure to beef up consumer protections following a financial collapse brought on in part by reckless lending practices. Lawmakers critical of regulators’ failure to rein in those practices are considering stripping consumer protection functions from the Fed and other financial regulators and entrusting them to a dedicated consumer protection agency.
This may spell the end of free checking accounts. Banks will no longer be able to cover the cost of offering checking service to consumers without some source of income. Of course, banks may just as easily find a way to force users of their accounts to opt-in to the overdraft service before receiving an account. Should this be the case, the benefit to consumers remains minimal at best.
photo credit: See-ming Lee 李思明 SML
12.Nov.09 Credit Card Debt Comments (0)
