Last week, while I was away on vacation, I received a call from Citibank about my credit card. Since I wasnt keeping up to date on the latest financial news and gossip, I wasnt aware that Citi had been hacked. Normally, when systems get hacked like this, Ive dodged the bullet. This time, I wasnt so lucky because my Citi mtvU card was a victim, part of the lucky 1% of North American credit card holders. While on the phone with Citi, they agreed to ship out a new card to me as soon as possible, which is standard procedure.

What gets a little annoying is that replacing a card, especially one so intertwined in my financial network map is time better spent elsewhere. This does, however, force me to update my map to reflect its current state something Id been too lazy to do. Thankfully, due to my desire to simplify our finances, the updated map has fewer lines on it.

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My team at WinWeb has produced another great info-graphic about the benefits of online, cloud-based invoicing and billing software. I think getting your billing right and doing it ASAP is essential for small business, to maintain the best possible cash-flow for the business.

If you it will open up in a bigger and more readable format.

We have asked some of our clients to share with us, how much benefit they see from using cloud-based invoicing software and some of the answers and insights have gone into this info-graphic. For me, the best of all results was that some claim a four week improvement on receiving payment for work done.

Reasons for this are, earlier invoicing, due to simplicity and global access to the software. My plumber uses my software, which I found out one day, when I received his invoice before he even left our house, I was very impressed. It shows he is a professional and on top of his game.

How are you doing your invoicing billing?

U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke stated the Fed would hold fast on rates and intimated he would not vote to extend the Fed’s program of purchasing U.S. Treasury bonds to help ease financial stress. Analysts say the move is tantamount to the Fed throwing up its hands, and is shifting the responsibility of recovery to the government through deficit reduction. For its part, the government continues to war over either raising the debt ceiling or raising taxes, which experts say continues to amount to an ineffectual stalemate. For more on this continue reading the following article from Money Morning.

Despite the stream of data showing the U.S. economic recovery has yet to gain traction, U.S. Federal Reserve leaders are signaling there will be no change in monetary policy and that serious deficit reduction would be far more beneficial.

In a speech to the International Monetary Conference Tuesday in Atlanta, U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. B

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Setting up a student checking account can be very beneficial for a young individual as it can teach him or her the importance of making financially responsible choices in life. A student checking account also offers an excellent way to manage smaller amounts of money since most of the student checking account products offered by banks are free or do not charge most of the fees that are usually charged with standard checking accounts. If you are interested to open a student checking account for your child, here is a guide to the steps that you can follow.

The first decision that you need to make would be the bank or financial institution where you would be opening the student checking account with. To help you out in making an informed decision, it would be advisable to do some research online and look for the banks which offer the best checking accounts designed for students and young adults. You might also want to consider the locations of the local branches of the bank you are interested in opening an account with. Read more…

Many people in a difficult financial situation have opted to use debt reduction service. There are many reasons to this decision. First of all you should use the money to your advantage instead of credit card companies. Most credit card issuers have exorbitant interest charges. Instead of spending money to pay interest (which is not even slightly dent the principle amount that you borrowed), you can use this money and enjoy the life. You can create wealth and secure your life after retirement, rather than filling the pockets of your lenders.

Many companies follow double cycle billing and this is one of the most lucrative procedures for creditors. These companies are using loads for two months to determine the balance. This occurs even if you do not have a balance in the month before. It is not only confusing, it is also very expensive.

When you make a payment, the creditors allocate these funds to offset debts that have the lowest rates of the first coupon. Read more…