Want to understand what Financial Reform means for you as an average consumer?

The New York Times runs through the relevant changes.

The New York Times has an article about the opening of MasterCard MarketPlace.

Would you buy something from your credit card company?

The New York Times publishes a great series on financial tuneups.

A mashup of useful text and informative video, it’s a great way to tweak your finances.

It’s recommended reading- and watching- for anyone concerned about taking credit.

A quick follow up to our post about using your credit card to donate to Haiti: things have already changed.

The New York Times has the rundown on fees being waived by the three major credit card companies.

That means that if you’re looking to donate, now is an even better time. Some card companies are compiling a list of charities that qualify. If you want your donation to go as far as possible, it’s worth looking at the list.

The continuing New York Times series about credit cards includes a new interesting piece about debit card practices. The big secret?

Debit card rates vary highly depending on if you use your pin or your signature to verify your identity at the checkout line. Because banks make money from every purchase, they accordingly steer customers toward higher paying signature cards. That, in turn, makes merchants pay a little more for each transaction.

Our favorite quote?

“What we witnessed was truly a perverse form of competition,” said Ronald Congemi, the former chief executive …

The New York Times puts up a good primer on store credit cards, or co-branded credit cards, as they are also known.

There aren’t any new revelations about the practice (you can read our posts, Should You Get a Co-Branded Credit Card for even more information).

The basics are still the same- in some cases, the discount on a store credit card can give you a genuine benefit. However, if you already have poor or ailing credit, it may make things worse by nudging down your credit score.

If you …

Joeyguti has had some frustrations:

Food on debit card, $8. Finding out that it cost you $70 in overdraft fees, priceless. For everthing else, there is#MasterCard.

In the near future, there may be some changes to overdraft fees on debit cards.

As the New York Times reports, new overdraft rules will make it more difficult to end up paying huge amounts on small purchases like the one above. Practically, it means that you will have a choice whether to sign …

CGunst notes the FTC’s approach to free credit reports:

FTC takes on “free” credit report ads with their own ads http://bit.ly/2pxjt2“Don’t be misled…they’ll sell you something else instead.”

The New York Times article notes consumer confusion over what free credit reports are and how they work.

The main thrust of the FTC and article is that consumers don’t need advanced credit monitoring. Obviously, that stands in the realm of opinion. However, it is important to note that credit report services …

Avlrusso is on top of the latest credit card news:

Sen. Chris Dodd proposes rate freeze on credit cards – contact your senators and tell them to support it too!

While we won’t provide an opinion on the issue, we can provide some background.

The news centers around Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd. His proposal is to freeze interest rates on credit cards. The New York Times reports it as a stopgap measure before new laws take effect, while MSNBC portrays the move as an election season tactic.

Regardless of …

Xinco posts an article about credit cards and travel troubles:

#NYT Practical Traveler: For Americans, Plastic Buys Less: U.S. credit cards lack a special chip, now commo.. http://bit.ly/1t5J2T

What’s going on? As the New York Times reports, American tourists are having occasional problems using their credit cards in Europe. Many European credit cards utilize “chip and pin” security technology, while most American credit cards still use magnetic stripes. As a …