Financial Solution News

My CD player in my car broke last week. Bummer. I, like you, have heard the never-ending HD radio commercials. I didn’t really care about getting an HD radio that much, but since I am getting one anyway, why not at least look into it.
It turns out that Crutchfield.com (probably the best place in the world to buy a car stereo by the way) has a Dual Car stereo that plays MP3 CDs, has an aux input, and is HD radio ready for $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate.
Here is a pic of it for your viewing pleasure…

HD Radio Stations
I also wasn’t sure how many HD radio stations there were in my town, so I did a little digging and you can find out how many HD stations there are near you by clicking here.
So, anyway, I only bring this up because it seems to be a pretty good deal. […]

Original post by bob

I have been wanting to start forums for a while, but have just finally gotten around to it. You can access the Christian Financial Forums by clicking on the link.
You can get your questions answered in the forums
Part of the reason is that while I love getting personal and specific financial questions from everyone, sometimes there is a lot to be gained by hearing multiple opinions. Proverbs says that there is safety in the multitude of counselors. The forums will provide a great opportunity for that. You can ask a quick question and get responses from any of the members.
Forums are great for sharing your ideas
If you have ideas or thoughts that you want to bounce off of others - the forums are a great place to do it!
Forums can help you find answers to your questions
Since they just started, there really isn’t much there yet, but over time […]

Original post by bob

MSNBC is doing a survey to see if people want “In God we trust” on our bills. As of Monday night there were over 2.5 million responses showing that 60% were still voting to keep it on the bills.
The thought of removing it is so laughably foolish to me. I mean is it not evident to everyone in the world that the U.S. has been extremely blessed since it was founded a few centuries ago? It wasn’t our doing - it was God’s. We founded this country on Biblical principles, were blessed as a result, now 40% of the country wants to do away with even the smallest mention of God on our dollar bills. Wow.
If you want to get in on the survey, or see more updated results you can check it out here.
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Original post by bob

Basically FNBO Direct held a competition asking you to make a 60 second video explaining what you were saving for and what obstacles you were facing.
I got my film-making buddy and we got to work…

By being selected as a semi-finalist I won $500 (which I am going to split with my buddy of course) and now I have to fill out some forms and do an interview to see if I make it as a finalist. The top 5 finalists will get their savings matched (up to $5000) over the next 7 months.
I will let everyone know if I make it as a finalist!
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Original post by bob

What happens to my gift card if the retailer goes bankrupt?
You might have heard about the recent bankruptcies of Bombay, Sharper Image, and Linens-N-Things. Well, I hope you don’t have a gift card for one of them still sitting in your drawer. According to the recent issue of Money Magizine, you are not likely to get anything from them. It is possible that you could get a fraction of what it was worth, but not very likely.
They suggest that if start spending if you have a gift card for…

Blockbuster
Eddie Bauer
Express
Petco
Toys R Us

Each one of these companies recently had their credit rating drop below investment grade. That is not necessarily an indication that they will go bankrupt, but definitely a cause for concern.
Personally, I often spend gift cards as soon as I get them, but they say that half of all Americans have an unused gift card laying around somewhere. It’s […]

Original post by bob

Just in case you haven’t heard, all TV channels are going to Digital early next year. February 17, 2009 to be exact. So, if you have an older TV, “that is not connected to cable, satellite or other pay TV service,” you will need to take some kind of action to be able to watch TV on February

18, 2009 and beyond. Click here to read more about the benefits and reasons for the switch.
I previously wrote about fix for this problem with my HDTV tuner for my computer which allows me to watch HD television on my computer. But, we aren’t going to through our regular television away, so I signed up for the coupon as well.
This from the government site about it…

“if you currently watch TV on an analog TV set If you own a television with a digital tuner or subscribe to a pay TV service, you will […]

Original post by bob

After spending a good chunk of change on my wife’s engagement ring a few years ago, I was a little bit annoyed to read this article about new diamond technology. Evidently, the diamond farming technology has improved to the point where experts can no longer tell the difference between a real and a lab grown.
Growing diamonds like crops
The natural process for creating a diamond requires a lot of pressure, heat and time. Scientists have been trying to duplicate and speed up this process and unitl recently they have been small and impure. But, over the past decade they have had pretty good success.
Researchers have perfected a process called chemical vapor deposition (CVD) which grows pure and comparable sized diamonds in a matter of months. They are so good in fact that the writer of the article went to a jeweler with one of the stones to get an unbiased assessment […]

Original post by bob

I know that the whole “Mac vs. PC” debate can get almost as heated as the Obama vs. Clinton race, but nonetheless I will share my story…
I have had PCs since the early 90s and really didn’t ever consider a Mac as an option. I had heard that they were good for video and graphic work, but other than that all I knew was that the vast majority of computers purchased were PCs.
I figured that is was safe to be on the side of the majority, I mean if (almost) everyone else uses PCs they must be fine. I defaulted to following the crowd. Without getting into all of the reasons why you need to tread cautiously when following the crowd, I will just say that some of the greatest things that have happened to me have been a result of NOT following the crowd. I have to admit that […]

Original post by bob

I have been a huge fan of Craigslist over the years. The site is about the most boring looking site out there, but is also about the best place to buy or sell used local items. I still sell most goods with eBay when I need a little quick cash, but for the larger items Craigslist has been the way to go.
Can Walmart beat Craigslist at their own game?
Enter Walmart. The giant that has gotten just a little bit too big has launched a similar classified service.
Quick side note: My grandpa has owned a small appliance store for most of his life that was passed down from his father. A few years back when Walmart decided to start selling appliances, my grandpa told me that Walmart was selling them (to customers) for less than he could buy them from his dealer. Quick business lesson - Since Walmart was purchasing […]

Original post by bob

According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Americans are driving less than they did a year ago. In March 2008 Americans drove 11 billion miles less than they did in March 2007. This drop marks the sharpest drop in  FHWA history.
Apparently the downward trend started in November of 2007 and has continued since. Click on the graph to the the right to see more detail.
Gas prices and driving habits
A survey was done by Ipsos Center which shows how much the price of gas needs to rise to get people to change their driving habits.

67% of respondents said they have already changed their driving habits as a result of the rising gas prices.
Of those who have already made changes to their driving habits, the point of change was at about $3.20 per gallon.
At $3.00 per gallon, 35% of Americans had changed their driving habits.
By $4.00 per gallon — a reality […]

Original post by bob