Some of you may be familiar with the idea of credit card arbitrage. It’s been discussed on My Money Blog and on The Consumerist and is a frequent subject of rumination over at the FatWallet forums. Basically, credit card arbitrage involves using a balance transfer check from a credit card with a 0% APR to [...]

Did you know that both Citibank and Discover offer disposable “virtual card numbers” you can use to buy stuff securely online? If you use either of these card companies, you should acquaint yourself with this incredibly useful tool. It has a variety of applications beyond just the obvious (protecting your real card number).
Briefly, here’s how [...]

A while back, I posted about how credit cards can be used responsibly and how personal finance commentators who say this is impossible are just incorrect (see The real truth about credit cards: why Dave Ramsey is wrong). I still believe that taking advantage of credit card cash back programs is a smart and responsible [...]

So it occurred to me recently that in this day and age, there is really no reason to pay your bills by mail. Doing so is wasteful in at least two ways: 1) you lose most of your ability to profit from float and 2) you’re forced to use stamps, which are getting expensive.
Theoretically, you [...]

Personal finance commentator Dave Ramsey says that “responsible use of a credit card does not exist,” and advises consumers to cut up their credit cards. Check out his article “The Truth About Credit Card Debt,” in which he elaborates on these views, here.
In general, Dave Ramsey offers solid financial advice, but I humbly disagree with [...]