Quick Summary of Articles Published in May 2008

Wise Credit Card Use Brings Fewer Fees
There is no doubt that credit cards are a huge convenience, and in today’s world they are virtually a necessity. But if you don’t use your credit cards wisely, the fees, interest charges and other various costs can add up quickly. Follow these simple tips to get the most out of your plastic.

Five Rules When Applying For Credit
The act of applying for credit sets a process in motion to determine your overall credit worthiness, and there are a number of things that you can do to improve your chances of getting approved. When you apply for credit of any kind, you should keep these five simple rules in mind.

Identity Theft Protection 101
Not many can argue the fact that protecting your identity is important. In order to protect your identity, you must do all you can to prevent identity theft from occuring. But exactly what type of identity theft protection is necessary for you specifically? And should you pay for identity protection?

Advantages and Disadvantages of Prepaid Credit Cards
Paying for things with cash or checks seems to be a thing of the past. Most consumers today prefer to use credit cards, but prepaid cards are also a viable option for many. Prepaid cards are ideal for consumers on a limited budget. They provide the convenience of easy spending, while limiting the possibility of overspending at the same time.

Guide to Budgeting for College Graduates
More college graduates than ever are entering the world of work loaded down with high loan payments. Learning how to create and stick to a good budget is perhaps the most important single piece of advice any newly minted college graduate can receive.

Home Equity Loan or Line of Credit – Which is the Best Option?
Home equity loans and home equity lines of credit are similar in many ways. Each offers homeowners a means to obtain cash for home improvements or other financial needs. But it is important to understand the differences between home equity loans and lines of credit as well before deciding which is the best option.

Posted in Site Updates, Personal Finance | Permalink

New Home Insurance Tips and Advice Center

Home insurance: If you own a home, then it is a good bet that you have some form of it. Even if you don’t own a home, you may already have another form of home insurance, such as renters insurance. As with most things insurance-related, there is a lot to know about home insurance and what to look for when choosing a policy.

Our brand new Home insurance tips and advice center can help to provide clear explanations about different types of home insurance coverage and can also help to give answers to common questions about the subtleties this type of insurance.

Get answers now: Home insurance tips and advice

Topic Include:
- Home Insurance Explained
- Choosing Home Insurance
- Home Insurance Terminology

This new home insurance tips and advice area is only one of more than ten tips and advice centers available on e-wisdom.com to help you get detailed explanations and real answers and, in the end, make more knowledgeable decisions.

Posted in Site Updates, Insurance | Permalink

How much income do you need to qualify for a mortgage?

Especially in the current economy, it’s a good idea to have a general idea how much income you need to qualify for a certain mortgage amount. Our Mortgage Required Income Calculator will help you to determine how much income you need to qualify for a specific mortgage amount and how different interest rates (and other factors) affect your required income.

How much income is required to qualify for a certain mortgage amount largely depends on your monthly debt payments and also on the current interest rate. This calculator collects these important variables and determines your required income to qualify for your desired mortgage amount.

Try it now: Mortgage Required Income Calculator

This calculator is only one of more than 20 financial calculators on e-wisdom.com. Make your next loan decision a knowledgeable one — utilize the tools and resources available in our knowledge center to help answer questions and compare available options.

Posted in Loans, Miscellaneous, Personal Finance | Permalink

Cell Phone Deals Now Easier to Find

We just recently completed an overhaul of our cell phones section to simplify the entire search process. When it comes to cell phones, wireless carriers and calling plans, the options seem almost limitless. Going into a search for a new cell phone and plan can be a daunting task.

With our recent updates, we hope to make the research process a little less confusing. Among other things, you can now easily sort cell phone deals by either type of phone or by carrier.

Sort Cell Phone Deals by Type of Phone:
- Camera Phones
- Flip Phones
- PDA Phones
- Phone Finder Tool

Sort Cell Phone Deals by Carrier:
- Alltel Wireless
- AT&T Wireless
- Nextel
- Sprint PCS
- T-Mobile
- Verizon Wireless
- More Carriers

You can also search wireless deals by zip code, compare available wireless plans, or use our cell phone finder to locate a specific phone.

If any questions arise in the process, be sure to visit our cell phone tips and advice center or our cell phone buying guide for help answering those questions.

Make your next cell phone purchase a knowledgeable one. A little research can go a long way to helping you find the right cell phone, carrier and plan for your needs.

Posted in Site Updates, Cell Phones | Permalink

Long Distance Phone Plans for Business

Big savings on long distance telephone bills is not only for residential callers. There are also many long distance phone plans for business that come with extremely affordable per-minute rates and very low, if any, monthly fees.

For many small businesses, choosing a long distance plan with a cheaper rate can end up saving hundreds of dollars each year. In fact, the savings can add up to even more than hundreds per year if the business makes a large number of long distance calls each month.

Many small businesses overlook this aspect of their budget as a money-saving opportunity. But a quick search can show how low the rates can really be. As of April 2008, businesses can get long distance rates as low as 2.5 cents per minute.

In additionto low rates and fees, some of the business long distance plans also come with additional options, such as calling cards, toll-free numbers and more.

For answers to any questions about our long distance comparisons, visit our knowledge center. Make your next decision about long distance service a knowledgeable one and you may end up saving a lot of money in the process.

Posted in Long Distance, Small Business | Permalink

Home Budget Analysis Calculator

Managing your monthly budget can be a frustrating experience. And if you don’t currently have a monthly budget, creating one can be difficult and time consuming. Yes, these tasks can be difficult and frustrating, but they don’t have to be. Our home budget calculator can make budgeting a much easier process.

One of the most important aspects of controlling your home budget is to determine exactly where your money is being spent each and every month. The budget calculator can help you do just that and more.

By entering your income details and typical monthly expenditures, you can easily see where your money is being spent and you can also calculate how much money you may have left to save, on average, at the end of each month.

In addition, you can alter the net monthly pay amounts and other miscellaneous income that you currently receive or may receive in the future. Once this information is entered, you are able to view your income breakdown alongside your monthly expenditures breakdown.

This calculator is one of more than 25 financial calculators available on e-wisdom.com to help you save time and money. Make your next financial decision a knowledgeable one, visit our knowledge center for tips, advice, tools, resources and more.

Posted in Site Updates, Credit Cards, Loans, Miscellaneous, Insurance, Personal Finance | Permalink

The Fed Proposes New Restrictions for Credit Cards

The Federal Reserve, acting in conjunction with the National Credit Union Administration and the Office of Thrift Supervision, recently proposed new rules and restrictions that target what they consider to be “unfair” practices currently in use in the credit card industry.

Aspects targeted by the proposed rules include:
- The length of repayment periods
- The allocation of payments
- Methods for computing balances
- Reasons for adding new fees
- Reasons for increasing annual percentage rates

Full article: Government moves to rein in unfair credit card practices

Reaction to the proposals is mixed, as it remains to be seen how many of the proposed rules and restrictions will become a reality. The changes could be finalized by the end of the year, at which time it will be easier to predict how the typical credit card user will be affected.

Make your next financial decision a knowledgeable one. Be sure to utilize the tools and resources available in our knowledge center to stay on top of your personal finances. Analyze your credit card situation with our credit card calculators or visit our credit card tips and advice center for answers to common questions related to credit cards.

Posted in News, Credit Cards, Personal Finance | Permalink

New Life Insurance Tips and Advice Center

Our new life insurance tips and advice center is the latest addition to our ever-expanding knowledge base.

Whether you a novice, an expert or somewhere in the middle when it comes to understanding life insurance, this new area should be able to help you make the right decision for you and your family.

Topics Include:
- Life Insurance Explained
- Life Insurance Terminology
- How to Choose Life Insurance

In addition to finding answers in this new informational area, you can also estimate how much life insurance coverage you may need with our life insurance calculator and then compare life insurance quotes from multiple insurance companies to complete the research process.

Make your next life insurance decision a knowledgeable one. Choosing an appropriate life insurance policy is a difficult and important decision that can be made much easier when the right information is at your disposal.

Posted in Site Updates, Insurance, Personal Finance | Permalink

What exactly are Authorized Online Dealers?

Purchasing a cell phone and signing up for a wireless service contract online can be a confusing task. But it doesn’t have to be. One of the terms that you will find yourself seeing often is “authorized online dealer.” So, what exactly is an authorized online dealer, and, more importantly, how does it affect you as a potential customer?

Authorized online dealers are simply online sellers that are approved by the carriers to sell wireless devices online. There are only a handful of “authorized online delaers” out there and we have partnered with them all in order to help you find the best possible deal online.

See: What do you mean by authorized online dealers?

Whether you are looking to purchase a new cell phone and/or service contract, upgrade your current cell phone and/or plan, or are just shopping around for the latest wireless deals, be sure to visit our cell phones area. You can search for cell phone deals by zip code or simply browse the latest phones, carriers and plans, regardless of location.

If any questions arise in the process, visit our cell phone tips & advice center or our cell phone buying guide. Make your next wireless decision a knowledgeable one. Understanding the scope of your available options is a good first step to making the right decision and saving money in the process.

Posted in Cell Phones | Permalink