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WalletPop Wire

Moms want kids to go to college, but few plan how to pay for it

Francine Huff Dec 1st 2009 @ 6:30PM EST Filed Under: Kids and Money, Saving Money, School

About 74% of women say it's very important for their kids to go to college and get a degree, according to a new OppenheimerFunds Inc. survey. But in many cases, women spend a lot more time preparing their children to get into college than figuring out how to pay for it.

According to the poll, women often leave the financial planning for higher education to their spouses. Of households planning financially for college, women took primary responsibility for the planning 65% of the time, compared with 85% of men. Women also determined who will pay for college 67% of the time, compared with 77% of men.

"I think if it's a two-parent household sometimes you have to split the work," Donna Winn, president and CEO of OFI Private Investments Inc., told WalletPop in an Interview. "But I also think a lot of us get caught up in the things that are day-to-day. It's a little easier for us to do that in the sense that you address the immediate need, and then by not addressing that future need you leave a big hole in what your kid can do."

Continue reading Moms want kids to go to college, but few plan how to pay for it

Business as child's play: the best games for budding entreprenuers

Bonnie McCarthy Dec 1st 2009 @ 5:00PM EST Filed Under: Kids and Money, Technology

The art of the deal isn't something students usually study in elementary school, and neither are the principles of real estate, the rough and tumble rules of the stock market or best practices for starting a business.

However, there are games for kids that do exactly that. The best part? The learning is completely stealth. Kids just think it's fun.

When I was a young, wheelin' dealin' Monopoly shark, I would mercilessly charge opponents exorbitant rents with glee. Modern players still covet Park Place, but these days they are playing the Milton Bradley Monopoly Here and Now Electronic Banking Edition which offers an electronic bank and debit card as well as prices raised to reflect inflation.

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Australia's credit card woes mirror ours at home

Martha C. White Dec 1st 2009 @ 4:30PM EST Filed Under: Credit cards

When it comes to credit card regulation, American policymakers soon could be peering Down Under for a model or a cautionary tale -- or both -- when it comes to reigning in fees and some of the unintended consequences that can result.

In a twist on the usual tale of fee-plagued consumers, the New York Times highlights the fees credit card companies slap on merchants - and exposes how a well meaning attempt to curb those fees via legislation has led to merchants sticking their customers with added charges instead.

At issue are a host of charges credit-card companies charge merchants for the privilege of accepting credit cards. The charges are nominally small, generally just a penny or two, but they add up to big bucks for the banks that issue the cards -- and big losses for the merchants.

Continue reading Australia's credit card woes mirror ours at home

Goodwill receives a "kind" donation: $1,500 worth of pot

Sarah Gilbert Dec 1st 2009 @ 4:15PM EST Filed Under: Extracurriculars, Shopping

It seemed like an innocent enough donation. A Marietta, Ohio Goodwill store received a large galvanized metal water jug with a spout -- perfect to hold lemonade during some long-ago summer picnic. Yet, the jug, which was donated anonymously, wasn't holding a refreshing drink; instead, it was filled with a heady cargo of marijuana.

The weed, bagged and labeled according to weight (i.e.; 124 grams) carries a street value of $1,500, local police said, and was about a year old; leading them to conclude that the stash had been accidentally abandoned.

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Seniors losing homes in continuing care communities

Lita Epstein Dec 1st 2009 @ 4:00PM EST Filed Under: Retire, Retirement advice

Seniors who were in good health when they signed contracts with continuing care communities -- communities that promised to care for them as they aged and needed assisted living or nursing care -- are now finding those contracts to be just empty promises. Many of these continuing care and assisted living facilities are facing bankruptcies with seniors left to find new homes at a time when they can no longer care for themselves. Some of these seniors thought they had bought into a permanent care facility they could depend upon until they died, but now if they need additional care, they must find new accommodations.

Continuing care communities were a retirement dream for those who could afford to pay. A person usually put down about $150,000 on an apartment (that number varied depending on apartment size and location) with the promise that they would have a place to live until the day they died. To qualify, seniors had to be able to live independently when they first moved in. Some would make their own meals, and some would choose to eat in a common dining room. All would pay a certain amount per month for needed services. Those who required more than basic services would pay according to the nursing or other services they needed.

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For-profit colleges rake in federal funds: Don't participate!

Zac Bissonnette Dec 1st 2009 @ 3:30PM EST Filed Under: College

The Associated Press reports that huge for-profit college chains are raking in huge sums of federal student loan dollars.

According to the AP, "Last year, the five institutions that received the most federal Pell Grant dollars were all for-profit colleges, collecting more than $1 billion among them. That was two and a half times what those schools hauled in just two years prior, the AP found, analyzing Department of Education data on disbursements from the Pell program, Washington's main form of college aid to the poor."

The problem isn't that for-profit colleges are evil: it's that they're at a huge competitive disadvantage. Non-profit public colleges benefit from state funding, endowments, and they don't have to pay taxes.

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Nutcracker sales plunge on strength of Euro

Zac Bissonnette Dec 1st 2009 @ 3:15PM EST Filed Under: Shopping

Traditional German nutcracker manufacturers are having a miserable holiday season thanks to a combination of the recession and the strong Euro.

German manufacturers of nutcrackers and similar traditional Christmas decorations have seen their sales plunge by an astounding 50% thanks to reduced demand in the United States because of a weak dollar and a generally conservative holiday spending environment.

While manufacturers of cheaply made imported products have been able to slash prices to spur demand, high-end German nutcracker vendors don't necessarily have that option, and the weak dollar has made it hard for them to stay competitive on price.

However, there are some good deals on nutcrackers to be had. Take for instance this absolutely amazing limited edition signed Yoda Steinbach nutcracker can be had for $389.98 from Nutcrackers.com -- 56% off the retail price, and really: what price is too high for a Yoda nutcracker?

If high prices on high-end nutcrackers have you down, you can always check eBay for great deals on vintage nutcrackers.

Top 10 tips for shopping for online loans

Janean Chun Dec 1st 2009 @ 3:00PM EST Filed Under: Credit, Debt, Personal loans, Mortgages, 101 mortgages

This isn't your father's banker. Your father's banker was probably human. Today, you can get online loans without ever stepping into a bank -- actually, without even leaving your home. But that facelessness can be either convenient or dangerous. You need to be cautious when shopping for online loans, so you find a legitimate online loan provider and not a scam artist trying to take rather than give you money.

Here are the top 10 tips for getting online loans.

Online Loans Tip #1: Make the most of online advantages. One of the biggest benefits of shopping for online loans is you can easily compare rates and offerings and get qualified and approved quicker than from traditional banks.

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Podcast: Making the most of shopping online

Lan N. Nguyen Dec 1st 2009 @ 2:45PM EST Filed Under: Bargains, Shopping

WalletPop's Lan Nguyen chats with Jennifer Jolly, bargain mommy blogger of GoodIdeaGal.com, on how to shop on the Internet efficiently and effectively. For year-round savings that won't take up over your life, pick your favorites and check out mall-like sites like Bing.com, Amazon.com and ExtraBux.com. Other favorite sites include CouponShack.com for coupons, Overstock.com for furniture and ShopItToMe.com for clothes.