After the brutal losses so many of us suffered in the market downturn, many investors -- especially those nearing retirement -- are looking for safer ways to grow their money. Today, the Dolans help a Walletpop reader make the most of her CDs without sacrificing safety. Read more about it here.

WalletPop Wire

Extreme home makeover, Part III: Falling victim to project creep

Barbara Bartlein Nov 14th 2009 @ 6:00AM EST Filed Under: Budgets, Home, Real Estate, Buyer Beware

This is the third part of a five-part series about how the writer and her husband, Charlie, tackled a major overhaul of their home and the pitfalls they faced along the way. To read the first installment click here.

The situation is deteriorating fast. A large part of the problem is our fault, we're falling victim to an all-too-common disorder in the industry called project creep.

It works like this: If we are going to put in a new hallway floor, why not rip up the carpet upstairs and do all the floors there, too? And if we are going to do the upstairs, then it only make sense to do the downstairs as well. Since we got such a good deal on the granite, why don't we put new counter tops in the kitchen? For that matter, why not get new appliances? After all, the plumber and electrician are already here. They can get things hooked up. Don't you think the whole thing will look lousy if we don't re-tile the kitchen back splash? Why not, it already has a hole in it from the plumber. And so on...

Continue reading Extreme home makeover, Part III: Falling victim to project creep

Call of Duty: Retail's silver bullet to boost sales figures

Gina Roberts-Grey Nov 13th 2009 @ 6:30PM EST Filed Under: Extracurriculars, Shopping, Black Friday

Lovers of Activision Blizzard Inc.'s latest offering Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, propelled the first-day sales numbers into the record books, raking in an estimated $310 million in North America and the United Kingdom alone. A move sure to help the gaming industry's slumping October sales.

Fans of the game waited in lines for hours to for the clock to strike midnight on Tuesday, November 10, contributing to Activision's estimates that it sold about 4.7 million copies of the game in the first 24 hours it was available. That makes Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 the biggest-selling launch in the history of entertainment.

The game, which sells for $60 and plays on Windows-based computers, Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3, is sure to be at the top of many Black Friday shopper's lists.

Shoppers hoping to save a Black Friday buck or two on Call of Duty should check Best Buy's Black Friday ad. And not just for Call of Duty deals. The retailer will be offering several hot new releases at reduced Black Friday prices. For instance, Left For Dead 2, which will debut on Nov 17 for $60 will list 10 days later for $34.99

For other red-hot Black Friday deals and news coverage stay tuned to WalletPop's Black Friday Deals 2009.

Green shoots: Clean tech is the fastest growing job market

Andrea Chalupa Nov 13th 2009 @ 6:00PM EST Filed Under: Career, Green

Jobs in the clean technology industry are growing twice as fast as the national average. So that's where the jobs are. Walletpop spoke with Ron Pernick, co-founder of West Coast-based Clean Edge and the author of The Clean Tech Revolution, to find out what these jobs are, how to land one, and, most importantly, how much they pay.

Here are some highlights from Clean Edge's recent report, Clean Tech Job Trends 2009, which I highly recommend you read if you want to know if this industry is for you. There are lots of resources for clean tech job trainings, education and job search engines, after the jump.

According to the report, jobs vary from accountant -- there's one we've heard before -- to wind turbine technician. From the report, here's a sample of jobs and their salaries:

Hardware Design Engineer, Smart Grid $87,700 Mid-Level; requires Engineering Bachelor's
Welder, Cutter, Solderer, or Brazer, Wind Power; salary: $50,300 Mid-Level; requires: High School/Associate's Degree
Wind Turbine Technician, Wind Power; salary: $52,600 Entry-Level; requires: Bachelor's Degree
Construction Superintendent, Wind Power; salary: $74,000 Senior-Level; requires: Bachelor's Degree
Field Service Engineer, Wind Power; salary: $62,400 Mid-Level; requires: Engineering Bachelor's Degree

But can these jobs be outsourced?

Continue reading Green shoots: Clean tech is the fastest growing job market

$1.6 million raised for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at 'Taste of New York'

Amanda Gordon Nov 13th 2009 @ 5:45PM EST Filed Under: Charity

Raising money for a good cause and eating your heart out is a pretty powerful combination.

In its 20 years, the Wall Street "Taste of New York" has raised nearly $30 million to help St. Jude Children's Research Hospital continue its groundbreaking research and lifesaving care for children battling cancer and other deadly diseases.

The "Taste of New York" is the largest single fund-raising event held on behalf of St. Jude each year. The engine behind it consists of the restaurants that donate their time and food, and the Wall Street Committee that garners the support of companies and colleagues who sponsor the event and purchase tickets.

The event brings the financial community together, with committee members and co-chairs hailing from Goldman, J.P. Morgan, SAC Capital Advisors, AllianceBernstein, Bank of America-Merrill Lynch, Zweig-DiMenna Associates, and many more.

The money helps St. Jude continue its commitment that no child is ever turned away because of a family's inability to pay. St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance.

Continue reading $1.6 million raised for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at 'Taste of New York'

Faces of loan modification: Mark Bonacorso, Tucson, Ariz.

Amy Pyle Nov 13th 2009 @ 5:00PM EST Filed Under: Banks, Real Estate, Recession, Mortgages, Refinancing

How well is the government's loan modification working? WalletPop's four-part special report continues with profiles of some of those trying to get help. To read the overview, click here.

Public relations consultant Mark Bonacorso faced the good and bad news of divorce with resolve. The good: he got the 3,500-square-foot adobe in northwest Tucson. The bad: he also got the first and second mortgages and the $2,700-a-month payments.

He wanted to make it work, especially since his home was worth less than he owed.

At first, with business strong at his firm, Media Ink, this seemed feasible. Then, as the recession slowed work, forcing him to lay off his two employees in March, those payments became daunting.

Bonacorso was not looking for Bank of America, his lender, to cut his principal. He called hoping to reduce his monthly payments by combining his first and second mortgages, lowering their interest rates -- now 5.875% on his first; 7.625% on his second -- and extending the loan's term from 30 years to at least 40.

Continue reading Faces of loan modification: Mark Bonacorso, Tucson, Ariz.

Gift cards deals to die for

Laura Heller Nov 13th 2009 @ 4:15PM EST Filed Under: Shopping, Economizer

To give, or not to give a gift card? No matter how impersonal it may seem, this holiday season it's a proposition that will be hard to resist. Retailers are stepping up offers that include gift cards as bonuses or dangling free cards with purchases.

They're doing so for good reason: Gift cards will be the most requested gift during this year's holiday season, according to a recent report by the National Retail Federation. According to the NRF's survey, 55% of adults in the United States want a gift card this year. Retailers have definitely taken note. Research firm First Data expects retailers to use cards as promotional tools this season more than ever before.

Continue reading Gift cards deals to die for

Massachusetts top spot for best health insurers, survey shows

David Schepp Nov 13th 2009 @ 4:00PM EST Filed Under: Health, Insurance-health

Critics of health-care insurance overhaul legislation, currently being debated in the U.S. Senate, have charged that any change to the existing system will result in greater numbers of unhappy patients. A new survey of satisfaction among consumers with health coverage, however, shows promise that it is possible to cover everyone and still have satisfied patients.

Continue reading Massachusetts top spot for best health insurers, survey shows

Steer clear of auto warranty deals: Missouri AG sues 6

Mitch Lipka Nov 13th 2009 @ 3:30PM EST Filed Under: Transportation, Fraud, Consumer Ally

Extended warranties of all sorts have always been a dicey proposition, but when it comes to extended auto warranties many don't even appear to be warranties at all.

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster took aim at the industry this week by suing six companies that market the so-called warranties and warning the public that what is being pitched isn't what you end up with. He said the industry is "rife with fraud."

Koster said what consumers are actually buying into are limited "service contracts" or "automotive additives" deals rather than a traditional warranty. That was done to avoid consumer protections otherwise afforded by law, he said in a news release.

The contracts are filled with catches. Among them:

A 30 to 90 day (or 1,000 miles) timeframe when you can't make a claim.
Promotion of a 7-year, 100,000 miles warranty extension that doesn't note coverage is limited to the declining value of the car. (In other words, Koster said, "The coverage may soon be less than the price paid by the consumer for the contact).
Sending an additive to be put into your car immediately to activate coverage without noting that its use negates the ability to cancel.

Continue reading Steer clear of auto warranty deals: Missouri AG sues 6

Extreme home makeover, Part II: Demolition ensues

Barbara Bartlein Nov 13th 2009 @ 3:00PM EST Filed Under: Budgets, Debt, Home, Real Estate, Shopping, Special Reports

This is the second part of a five-part series about how the writer and her husband, Charlie, tackled a major overhaul of their home and the pitfalls they faced along the way. To read the first installment click here.

Now it was onto the next step: Demolition. The destruction was scheduled to begin right after the holidays.

Tom's take: Good idea to hold off on demolition until after the holidays. I can't tell you how many panicked calls I've received on my radio show from folks that absolutely had to get a major project done before an event (a holiday, wedding, anniversary party, sweet-sixteen, whatever). It never makes sense to put that kind of pressure on yourself -- or your contractor. Build a fudge factor into the schedule and the stress factor goes way down.

Continue reading Extreme home makeover, Part II: Demolition ensues

Skip nav