Memo to American consumers:  You just got screwed—again. The too big to fail boys and their GOP handmaidens—the Hon. Richard Shelby, the Hon. Mitch McConnell and the other 43 legislators in the US Senate—have struck again. Yesterday, they blocked the confirmation of Richard Cordray to be the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which… Read More

This week on Talk Credit Radio: Friday December 9, 2011 Tune into Talk Credit Radio this week with Credit.com’s personal finance expert Gerri Detweiler, live from 4-5 ET/1-2 PT on WSRQ. Additional ways to listen are listed below. How to Negotiate Lower Rates on Your Credit Cards For more than a decade, Scott Bilker, founder of… Read More

We received two questions about tax liens recently, and it give me the opportunity to check in and see how the IRS’s initiative to give taxpayers a “fresh start” after they’ve paid off tax liens is working. My credit scores are 730, 723 and 728 but I have a tax lien filed against me. If… Read More

I’m sure there’s someone out there who eagerly awaits the arrival of their credit card agreement so they can devour each word with rapt attention. (Actually, we know at least one person who freely admits to being obsessive about the fine print, and we love her for it.) But if you’re like millions of other… Read More

Senate Republicans made good on their promise to block Richard Cordray from becoming the first permanent director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Thursday morning, in a vote that promises to keep consumers’ rights in limbo at least through the 2012 elections. Cordray, formerly the attorney general of Ohio and now the bureau’s enforcement chief,… Read More

You know, when I first heard that December 11 was Balance Transfer Day, I applauded the spirit of the day. I want consumers to get the lowest interest rates possible when they’re in debt. And just to be clear, the best balance transfer offers involve a zero percent introductory APR (interest rate) for a specific… Read More

Over the years a common theme has emerged where people feel they are scammed by a company or taken advantage of, and it appears they have not checked them out before giving up their hard earned money for services. Here is my guide on what to do to help you from becoming a victim. Checking… Read More

The Senate could vote as early as Thursday on whether to confirm former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray as the first permanent director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. President Obama has unveiled a new lobbying campaign to pressure Republicans who oppose the nomination to change their minds. As the vote approaches, such a change… Read More

The wealthy are going all out this holiday season. According to a report from Forbes Insights, affluent consumers are planning to spend close to $1,850 during the 2011 holiday season, an increase of 2% from 2010 and 5% from 2009. Of these funds, $1,100 is earmarked for gifts for family, friends and other loved ones,… Read More

In 2003, Mark Frauenfelder and his wife Carla decided to do something a little crazy. They decided to ditch their lives as freelancers in Los Angeles, following a slowdown in the media business, and move themselves and their two kids (a six-year-old and an infant) to a remote island in the south pacific where the… Read More