Lisa Rowan's saved articles

I feel it’s important to note one thing: the average person does not pay $7.69/mo in bank fees. The average person pays nothing in bank fees because, according to this same survey, 73 percent of people don’t pay any bank fees. Read more

It would be interesting to hear what the fee average drops to if overdraft fees are removed.  

You can also transfer the points to any of their transfer partners’ (e.g., airlines or hotels) membership/frequent flyer programs before closing the card. This is useful if, say, you know what airline you’re likely to fly, but aren’t ready to actually purchase a ticket yet. Once you transfer the points, it no longer… Read more

I’ve been working on two things. First only buy something I absolutely need, and can’t work around. Including groceries. I’m finally clearing my pantry out, and the only things I’ve bought this month are milk, eggs, and a black ink cartridge. Read more

It also has to do with reform of student loans and that predatory lending agencies sought to get more loans out to schools who’s education was worthless, see for profit schools, and even for regular schools where tuition has gone up faster than at any time as a response to these lending practices.  People can borrow… Read more

Because the end-goal is doing away with tuition being the gatekeeper of who gets to have high-paying jobs: Public schools no longer charging tuition - much like pretty much every other developed country on the planet.
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Can someone establish for me why we want to set a precedent of paying off/compromising/forgiving federal student loans? A reason that’s not just “we don’t want to pay our loans any more.”

While I agree that colleges cost more and student-loan debt is on the rise, simply eliminating debt isn’t the answer. That’s not how the real world works. As a student you (usually) have a choice of private vs. state schools (i.e. - costlier or cheaper), working for a scholarship/grant or choosing to pay full price.… Read more

The requirement for mine is to not spend money on clothes or extra “things,” but I’m still eating out when we feel like it and buying normal groceries. I had one stumble - my mother got a minor surgery, has been feeling very down, so I sent her flowers. This so far is my only January expense breaking the no-spend… Read more

It’s been tough. Read more

LOL I was a night owl but decades of capitalism have beaten it out of me. Now I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t in bed at 10 PM. Read more

I have found myself decluttering this month and finding old gift cards. I am trying to either use the balance this month or make a plan to use the balance in the near future. I bought a recipe organizer and file all the gift cards to be close to the door so when I’m about to go out I can try and remember to check if I… Read more

This is why I still use cash first. It’s easier to cap spending when it’s for you. Grocery shopping is easy cause I make a list and have an idea of how much cash I’m going to need for the items on it. I need coffee, that’s an extra $15 from the ATM. Read more

A bit disappointing that Vanguard doesnt have much in the way of greener investments.

If you have the CSR, you likely (or should) have the Freedom and Freedom Unlimited to maximize points earning.  In this case you can move your points from the CSR card to either of the Freedoms.  The negative to this, however, is  your points are worth 1.5x in their cash back and spending portal compared to 1x for the… Read more

Do you know what happens to your points if you downgrade to Preferred? I think I still have enough for a free international flight.  

When my husband proposed -right after I said yes and we kissed- I asked him if the ring was insured. It’s a family heirloom and a decent size so I was terrified of losing it. I mean, I still am and insurance won’t help the family heirloom part, but at least if something happened we’d have that.

Found this out recently when my home was broken into. About $5k of stuff was taken, but my homeowner insurance only covered up to $1500. I made a claim, and got my $1500 thinking, hey that’s what insurance is for, at least I get some money. Read more

Just be aware that that “insurance replacement value” appraisal is not an assessment of your ring’s market value. It is likely to be 2x-3x what it would cost to buy a similar ring at retail. This sort of appraisal is intended to cover the cost of obtaining a near-exact replacement. Read more

I didn’t even know this was a thing! My mom is an art teacher and lost hers on a snowy playground a year or two ago. Wish she knew about this : (