http://www.mymoney-magazine.com My Money Magazine Mon, 06 Oct 2008 23:42:27 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en By now, you have undoubtedly heard of credit card fraud, an alarming and damaging trend that is sweeping the country. Here's the bad news: It is disturbingly easy for thieves to obtain your credit card number--usually from discarded receipts or even directly from you. For instance, many solicitors masquerade as ... http://www.mymoney-magazine.com/credit/Fight-Credit-Card-Fraud-with-Common-Sense-642/ During the last five years, home prices have increased nationwide. In some parts of the country, notably California, home prices have doubled or even tripled. The median price of a home in the Los Angeles area is now nearly $450,000 and in the San Francisco area, the price is approaching ... http://www.mymoney-magazine.com/mortgage-refinance/Home-Equity-Is-it-Time-to-Cash-Out-and-Move-641/ Outlined below is a guide to unsecured loans. It will give you a better understanding of what an unsecured loan is as well as what to consider before applying for one. As the name implies, an unsecured loan does not require the borrower to put up any security against it. An ... http://www.mymoney-magazine.com/loans/Guide-to-Unsecured-Loans-640/ Identity theft is when someone uses, without permission, your personal information in order to commit any frauds or crimes. Identity theft is a felony that is becoming more and more common. That is because some of us are not very careful with personal information, making the job easier for those ... http://www.mymoney-magazine.com/credit/Protect-Yourself-Against-Identity-Theft-639/ Applying for a home loan can be overwhelming. You will need to contend with mountains of papers, contracts, documents; and do lots of planning and coordination. Add to that a whole language unique to the mortgage loan process and you have the makings of an experience unlike any other. Agreeing to ... http://www.mymoney-magazine.com/mortgage-refinance/Making-Sense-of-Mortgage-Speak-638/ A Personal secured loan can offer many benefits, some of which are listed below: Personal secured loans are loans that are offered to individuals rather than businesses. Rates for a personal secured loan will be way lower than for other loan products so it makes good financial sense for many of us ... http://www.mymoney-magazine.com/loans/Benefits-of-a-Personal-Secured-Loan-637/ What is a mortgage? Here's what The New Merriam ? Webster Dictionary definition is: "a transfer of rights to a piece of property usu. as security for the payment of a loan or debt that becomes void when the debt is paid." That's as plain and simple as it gets, ... http://www.mymoney-magazine.com/mortgage-refinance/Mortgage-What-Why-When-and-How-636/ Millions of people give a lot of thought to financial planning but get frustrated and give up before ever making any progress. Making yourself aware of the most common reasons people fail to make a viable financial plan is the first step in reaching your financial goals. The uncertainty of ... http://www.mymoney-magazine.com/personal-finance/Planning-Your-Financial-Future-635/ One of the great mysteries of life is how the three major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union) score credit. They all have secret statistical formulas for determining your credit score, but they are unwilling to divulge exactly what, exactly, constitutes your score. This can make it difficult for ... http://www.mymoney-magazine.com/credit/Credit-Report-How-to-Improve-Your-Credit-Score-634/ Rising home prices, particularly on the East and West coasts have put the costs of home ownership seemingly beyond the reach of many. And yet, home ownership is up nationwide, and the percentage of Americans who own their homes is the highest it has ever been. How is this possible? There ... http://www.mymoney-magazine.com/mortgage-refinance/Interestonly-Mortgages-Have-Their-Pitfalls-633/