Personal Finance Advice and Commentary

At long last, the checks are in the mail.
For the more than 10 million credit card customers who filed claims in an antitrust class-action lawsuit over foreign-currency conversion fees charged between 1996 and 2006, the settlement checks are on the way.
The first checks were mailed to consumers in late November, and the mailings will likely

The days of 2011 are counting down. But there’s still time for you to snap up a free credit report.
Wondering how you did creditwise in 2011?  Perusing your credit report will allow you to check out every single credit card account you have opened and review all your consumer loan accounts such as home loans,

American Express is turning up the heat on Nelly over an unpaid $20,000-plus credit card debt.
American Express filed a lawsuit in a Missouri court in October against the rap star, whose real name is Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr.
American Express is seeking the payment of a $20,403.64 credit card bill, which they claim Nelly never paid, plus

It was not a merry Christmas for clients and employees of a U.S.-based security think tank.
A loose-knit group of computer hackers known as “Anonymous” claimed Sunday to have pilfered thousands of credit card numbers and other personal information belonging to clients of Stratfor, a security analysis firm based in Austin, Texas, according to reports from The

Debt is a major issue for many American families.
And when it comes to juggling credit card debt, mortgages, car loans and student loans, many Americans are making the wrong financial moves.
Staring at multiple debts, many consumers pay off smaller debts first even when larger debts have higher interest rates, according to a new study, co-authored

Discover has dropped its 2 percent fee on foreign transactions.
As of Nov. 6, Discover will no longer charge foreign currency conversion fees to customers using their Discover cards outside the United States, according to Kathryn Henry, a spokeswoman for Discover.
This change in policy regarding card transactions made in foreign countries applies to all Discover credit

The holiday shopping season is fast approaching, and credit card issuers are rolling out all kinds of promotions to encourage holiday shoppers to charge their way through holiday shopping lists.
“Consumers lose their minds a little bit” around the holiday shopping season, says John Ulzheimer, president of consumer education at SmartCredit.com.
If you have trouble staying out of

Worried about credit card debt? You may be deeper in the red than you realize.
When it comes to credit card debt, many Americans underestimate how much they owe by at least one-third, according to an Oct. 20 report in The New York Times.
For the average household there’s a $2,400 difference between what a consumer thinks

Move over stodgy store credit cards. Now there’s an app for instant credit.
A new app launched by U.S. Bank allows iPhone users to apply and receive on-the-spot credit at retail stores.
Rather than apply for a store credit card like the rest of us, iPhone users will be able to reach for their phones and, voila,

Card issuers are continuing to pull out all the stops to attract new customers to travel rewards cards.
The latest offer aimed at elite travelers comes from Chase and its British Airways Visa Signature card. For a limited time, the card is offering 100,000 air miles to new customers.
With the British Airways Visa Signature card, you