Archive for September 2008

By MoneyBlueBook

The credit crisis is bumming me out. Because of the current economic recession, an important source of free money and money making opportunities has all but dried up on me and pretty much everyone else in the country. I'm talking about lucrative balance transfer credit cards - namely, the once abundant credit card terms and conditions that offered amazing 0% APR balance transfers for 12 months with no pesky balance transfer fees.

Ever since I first started getting into the world of personal finance blogging and common sense financial planning, balance transfer credit cards have always been one of my favorite consumer financial instruments. Balance transfer credit card arbitrage is actually what got me started with personal finance blogging���� to begin with. Over the years, they have served me well, netting me substantial balance transfer arbitrage profit in the way of high yield bank interest income, and cushioning me during difficult financial times by providing me a way to get quick interest free loans as a financially struggling young lawyer. During tough economic times in my life, they helped me bridge temporary budget shortfalls, saving me from having to turn to high interest risky alternatives like payday loans. My early life would actually have been more difficult and harsh had it not been for the safety net benefits and financial assistance provided by 0% balance transfer credit cards. During key moments in my life, these short term interest free credit card loans helped preserve my financial independence and saved me from having to turn

By MoneyBlueBook

Update: Check Out The New For The Uber-Rich

Editor's Note: These offers expired and are no longer available.

What's the deal with status symbols these days? While I'd like to think that I'm perfectly immune from the need to walk around and carry lofty symbols of wealth, power, and status on my shoulders, sheepishly, I must admit that I'm not. I don't occasionally wear designer clothes or don expensive apparel brands solely for the quality threads, or dream of buying a BMW or Mercedes sports sedan for crash test safety reasons alone. After all, there's something about rarity, uniqueness, and exclusiveness that beckons each of us at some point in our lives. Whether it's the elite acknowledgment that one gets from being an alumni of a top tier Ivy League university, or whether it's membership into an ultra exclusive golf club usually reserved only for top celebrities and the rich and famous, I'm sure many of us secretly envy at times, those who are in this special inner circle.

Actually, the notion itself is quite silly really - the idea that simply because you possess something unique that very few other people have, or have VIP membership into some special organization, that you are somehow better off than others or worthy of admiration. But it's simply human nature I suppose. We all innately appreciate the attention and envy of others, whether we truly want to admit it or not. Don't believe it? All you have to do is observe the rise and popularity of television shows like MTV's Super Sweet 16 to see how the

By MoneyBlueBook

Updated List Of The Best 0% Balance Transfer Credit Cards Below

If you stumbled onto this page through Google or one of the popular search engines, then you're likely looking for a compilation list of the top recommended 0% introductory APR balance transfer credit cards. Well you've come to the right place then.

After performing quite a bit of reading, research, and comparison of credit card deals and promotional offers, the following categorized list contains what I believe to be all of the best balance transfer credit cards available. For those of you who track this sort of development, you may have noticed that the more lucrative 12 month 0% APR no balance transfer fee offers have seemingly disappeared. Unfortunately, the balance transfer promotions out there seem to rise and fall with the credit market so as the credit market has tightened, so has the exclusive list of lucrative balance transfers. But given enough time, I'm confident the 12 month no balance transfer fee cards will return eventually. But for now at least, the following are the best deals currently available in the credit card market.

So What's The Point Of Using A Balance Transfer Credit Card Anyway?

For those not certain as to why 0% introductory APR balance transfer credit cards are so heavily sought after and used by credit card consumers, one only has to look at their versatility and multiple range of possible uses.

For those who are credit savvy and financially responsible, using a balance transfer is an excellent way to borrow interest free money for various financial planning

By MoneyBlueBook

Updated List Of The Top Gas Credit Cards To Earn Cash Back Spending Rewards

My gosh, gas prices are so incredibly and insanely high these days it's getting ridiculous. These days I'm paying more than $50 just to fill up my Honda Accord sedan and it's hurting my wallet more and more. If this keeps up I may need to invest in a fuel efficient moped or Segway scooter just to save money. Is the planet really running out of gasoline or is this recent ramp up in fuel prices caused by temporary squeezes in supply and demand speculation? I'm not sure the exact cause of the price hikes. Perhaps the supply costs have been skyrocketing because of recent world wide instability and ongoing conflicts in gas producing regions of the world such as the oil rich Middle East. Whatever the reason, it's the everyday Joes and Janes like you and I who suffer the most.

As ordinary consumers, we really have little say on the matter beyond griping to ourselves and shaking our fists in pointless defiance at the almighty gas pump. Unless our government or society as a whole can expedite plans to develop self sufficient alternative forms of energy to power our vehicles, gas prices will likely continue to increase unabated for the foreseeable future. Until we can replace our total dependence and thirst for such fossil fuels, and substitute it with other alternative fuels such as solar, hydrogen, ethanol, or heck, even vegetable oil (or at the very least greatly improve on the...