Personal Finance and Money Management

What do these numbers and words have in common?

•23,225

•16,000

•>100,000

•100

•17

•10.4%

•17.5%

•$6,000

•220 and 65.2%

•Texas Curriculum and the Canceled Prom

•31,000 miles

•Germany, Canada, France, Japan and Sweden

23,225 and 16,000

On Monday, March 15, 2010, California handed 23,225 teachers “possible” pink slips to public school teachers, indicating that it’s very likely their contracts will not be renewed for the 2010-2011 school year. If that isn’t sta

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Have you ever seen a homeless person on the street corner with a sign asking for money? Have you worried about whether or not you should help this person or what they will really do with the money? Do you hold back dropping any money in that cup because you think they will only use it for drugs, alcohol or other purposes?

Sometimes we want to help the needy but we question whether or not they deserve it. We think they must have done something to get into this situation, right? Why are they jobless? Why are they homeless? What mistakes did they make and why can they not get themselves out of it?

Maybe you have wanted to help someone but then you worried that they didn’t deserve the help. A

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Retail credit cards are not known for their advantages over traditional credit cards. They often come with low limits, excessive fees or high interest rates. However, some retail credit cards stand out among the rest for their notable perks and features.

It’s never advisable to open a retail card account just to enjoy a one-time discount at the register because of the long-term effects that card could have on your credit. That said, if you’re a frequent shopper at one of the following stores that makes our top three, the corresponding card may be a good option for you.

Sears MasterCard

One of the biggest advantages of this retail credit card is the co-branding.

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MasterCard is making available a unique spin on its usual credit card offers. MasterCard MoneySend(TM) is offering a way for customers to send money to others through their iPhones and iPads as a free app download.

By working with a participating bank or opening a virtual prepaid account, customers could “send,” “pay” or “request funds” for a wide variety of reasons to everyone from friends to business clients. The customer must have an existing MasterCard payment card or checking account to use. (Market Watch)