Have you embraced debit cards as a way to avoid credit card debt? Many Americans are turning to debit cards as a way to control their spending and avoid costly credit card debt. In fact, last year was the first time ever that debit cards outnumbered credit cards in the US market. Unfortunately, as a result of lost revenues due to the consumer protections passed by the Federal Government last year, major banks are trying to find new sources of revenues to recoup fees that are now illegal. As a result, Americans should expect their debit cards to become more expensive in 2011 as banks take aim at this rapidly expanding and still affordable payment system.
Debit cards are linked to your checking account and this is where the fees will start to show up. Banks are rolling back free checking for everyday consumers unless they meet certain requirements such as a minimum balance or a predetermined number of ATM/Direct deposit transactions per month. Banks are also considering annual fees for debit cards as well as limiting the number of ATM withdrawals one can make. A new concept being tossed around in the banking community calls for a fee every time a consumer sets foot in a bank branch. Online and ATM transactions would remain free, but if you have an issue or would like to speak with a bank representative, it could cost you under this proposal.
Readers, would these new restrictions and fees push you towards credit cards again? Or will you perhaps turn to a cash only way of living?
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Andover, Massachusetts February 3rd, 2011 – In what has to be considered one of the quickest and most successful business turnarounds ever, Ford Motor last week announced its highest annual income in more than a decade. Ford was the only Detroit Automaker that declined government assistance when the economy turned south over the last few years. Instead, it borrowed heavily by putting its factories, equipment, and even its Trademarked Blue Oval up for collateral. The result, a dramatic turnaround for a company that just a few years ago was running multi billion dollar loses annually.
While the Ford stock took a hit on the announcement that income would not meet the lofty investor expectations, the share price has still gained over 40% during the last 12 months as a result of a strong lineup of new and improved cars as well as the positive publicity it has received for being the only big domestic automaker to survive without a federal bailout.
As a direct result of these record earnings, unionized autoworkers at Ford plants in the US are all due to receive a profit sharing check of close to $5,000, a great bonus for a struggling workforce that has endured mass layoffs and severe wage and benefit cuts over the past decade. As a whole, analysts and the company expect 2011 to be even better than 2010 as the car lineup for Ford remains extremely competitive and its major rivals deal with government bailout backlash or lackluster quality which led to massive recalls for the 2nd largest automaker in the world, Toyota.
Readers, have the government bailouts of the other Detroit Automakers caused you to not consider them when you purchase a new car in the future? Are you more willing to consider a Ford because of their American heritage and ability to survive the recession without taxpayer funding?
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Andover, Massachusetts February 1st, 2011 – The latest data on personal finance has been released by the Commerce Department for December and all the figures point towards a strong consumer comeback in 2011. Personal income and spending rose while saving dropped a clear indicator that the frugal nature of the past 2 years is starting to recede and the return of the pre recession consumer is imminent.
The foundation of our economy is based on an ever improving financial situation for our citizens. As a result, when the consumers in this country face a crisis such as high unemployment and stagnant wage growth the economy suffers as a result. The past 2 years have been extremely hard on the average American as he has seen jobs disappear and the ones that remain have generally been lower paying with fewer benefits. Since the recovery took hold over the past 6 months the American consumer has rebounded with it. Consumers are less afraid of losing their jobs and are seeing a return to more normal work conditions and increasing wages. In December, personal income increased by .4% which was preceded by a .4% increase in November. With this extra income, spending has also increased. December saw a .7% spike in consumer spending which coupled with the .3% increase in November means that 2010 ended with a significant increase in consumer activity. Analysts predict that this will continue in the beginning of 2011 as the recent tax cut compromise means that more money will reach the American wallet each pay period. So where is the downside to this? Personal savings is taking a hit as Americans are starting to return to their pre recession habits of living pay check to pay check. Americans saved 30 billion dollars less in December compared to November. The personal savings rate as a percentage of disposable income also dropped from 5.5% to 5.3%
While this data definitely suggests we are returning to a more typical American consumer market, not all the news is positive. If we as a nation return to our reckless ways when it comes to personal finance it will be a big mistake. We should all take the past two years as a serious wake up call. Savings should not be optional for the typical American family, every budget should include a set percentage that is safely invested or saved for the future or an emergency. If we can learn from our past mistakes, the next time a recession hits, which it definitely will, we will be significantly more prepared for it than we were in the fall of 2008.
Readers, have you seen an improvement in your finances comparable to what is going on nationally? Have you changed your personal finance habits as a result
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Andover, Massachusetts January 28th, 2011 – A day after a disappointing unemployment report was released by the Labor Department the Commerce Department today reported that our nations economy grew at an annual rate of 3.2% in the 4th quarter of 2010. While this was below the analysts’ expectations of 3.5%, it still signaled that the economy was gaining strength as 2010 ended and is boosting hopes that 2011 will beat expectations.
This 3.2% growth rate is the largest it has been since the beginning of 2010 and was .6% better than in the previous quarter. Taken as a whole, GDP grew by 2.9% in 2010, the largest increase since 2005 and most of this growth can be attributed to growing consumer confidence and spending and a boom in exports as a result of the weakened dollar. Americans increased their consumer spending by 4.4% in 2010, the largest increase since 2006 which was the peak time period of cheap money. This increase along with lower SS taxes, higher stock prices, and modest wage increases is the reason why analysts expect consumer spending to continue to increase throughout 2011.
The second big driver of economic growth in the 4th quarter was a boom in exports. Exports grew at a 10 percent pace in the quarter, up from a 5.8% increase in the 3rd. While most consumers think a weaker dollar is bad news for our country, the previous data suggests that while certain areas may suffer as a result (higher gas prices), factories and workers that produce many of the most wanted products in the world should be kept busy throughout 2011 as foreign markets continue to grow and become more affluent.
Readers, what do you take from this data? Is a jobless recovery a foregone conclusion at this point with the two vastly different reports released this week? Or will employment pick up as consumer spending and exports continue to produce demand at our nation’s factories and retail outlets?
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Andover, Massachusetts January 25th, 2011 – Has the economy over the past two years prevented you from purchasing big ticket items? Or have you purposely stayed on the sidelines because you were not sure about your employment situation and didn’t want to risk investing a lot of money in any one item? Well, recent data suggests that now may be a good time to jump back into buying mode when it comes to new cars.
As the economy has rebounded and mass layoffs are not an everyday occurrence anymore for most areas of the country, consumers are starting to realize that it may be time to replace many of their outdated items, including autos. As such, new auto sales hit a 2 and a half year high last quarter as Americans started to open their wallets again. More good news has come from Edmunds.com which reported today that auto loan rates hit a 9 year low of 4.16% in December. There are a couple of reasons for this but they all point to the fact that 2011 may be a good time to get that new car you have been looking for since before the recession hit.
One, the consumers that have survived the recent turmoil in relatively good shape have for the most part very good credit scores. This allows them to qualify for better rates than the average consumers and also explains why demand for higher priced vehicles outpaced the demand for lower model vehicles. Secondly, many automakers reintroduced 0% interest loans for new car purchases in the 4th quarter. This was a major reason why auto sales continued to post record numbers even while the unemployment rate remained high.
So what does all of this mean for the average Joe? If you have been putting off a new car purchase for the past few years because you could not risk the financial hit you would take, now is the time to step up. These low rates make purchasing a new car a better deal than at any point in the past decade. That old car you have in the driveway will not last forever and every dollar you put into it for repairs is a dollar that you could have spent on a new car. Good luck with the shopping!
Readers, have you stayed on the sidelines over the past few years or were you secure in your job to take advantage of government programs such as Cash for Clunkers?
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Andover, Massachusetts January 21st, 2011 – Much has been made about the decline in the American consumer over the past two years. The foundation of our economy, the American consumer, has been battered by unemployment, low wage growth, and limited access to credit. The result has been a much slower recovery than was expected with many saying the days of the consumer accounting for 70% of our GDP are over. However, a closer look at the numbers indicates that the consumer is in fact not dead yet, and may just be waiting for the job market to improve before going on a spending binge again. Check out the 6 reasons why the American consumer is not dead below….
- Household Net Worth has proven resilient. Although consumer debt rose for much of the past decade and housing prices collapsed starting in early 2008, the average household’s net worth has not taken a tumble as many thought it would. It increase from 47 to 66 trillion dollars between 2003 and 2007 due to the housing spike, and then tumbled back down to 49 trillion dollars by early 2009 as the stock market took a pounding and housing prices continued to fall. But since then, the nation’s household net worth has rebounded quite nicely reaching 55 trillion dollars by the end of 2010. This means Americans today have a net worth that is 18% higher than it was in 2003.
- Both household debt service ratio (DSR) and financial obligations ratio (FOR) have declined significantly. Both of these take a look at how stretched consumers are due to various fixed and variable monthly payments they have. The DSR is an estimate of debt payments compared to disposable net income. It is currently at 12.13%, which is well below its peak of 13.96 in 2007 and even below its rate in 1987 when it reached 12.38. This means that Americans now spend less on fixed debt each month compared to their income than they have in at least 23 years. The FOR ratio includes auto, rental, tax, and insurance figures to the calculation. This ratio has dropped from a high of 18.66 in 2007 to 17.02 last quarter, which is lower than it was in 1987. What can we take from both of this? Americans are returning to a more normal financial house by lowering their debt payments and avoiding a credit enhanced lifestyle that was so popular just 3 years ago.
- Despite the Great Recession and mass layoffs, aggregate personal income has increased from 11.9 trillion dollars in 2007 to a 12.5 trillion dollar seasonally adjusted rate in the middle of 2010. This increased income along with a higher savings rate will allow consumers to reduce debt AND increase spending in the future.
- Consumer spending continues to be strong in the face of adversity. Personal consumption has increased for all three quarters of 2010 so far and in fact was higher than the previous record high during the 2nd quarter. This record high spending comes despite a much higher savings rate, once again proving that Americans are both spending and saving more in the post recession recovery.
- Retail sales have shown steady improvement for almost all of 2010. Back to school, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas time shopping numbers have all exceeded expectations which has allowed many consumer product companies to expect higher sales numbers in 2011. Auto sales are also increasing and are still below the level needed just to replace scraped cars.
- Consumer spending remains restricted due to tight credit conditions. This has been a familiar complaint not only from consumers but business owners as well. The nation’s banks are sitting on a huge pile of cash just waiting for conditions to improve. At some point in the near future, these banks will have to start lending money to new clients again or they will miss out on the growth opportunities that will present themselves over the next 1-3 years.
Readers, do you agree? Will the US consumer rebound in 2011 and be the engine that powers our recovery?
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Andover, Massachusetts January 20th, 2011 – Was last weeks increase in unemployment claims a temporary bump in the road or was it a sign that the build up through much of the fourth quarter was all due to seasonal hiring for the Holiday shopping season? All signs point towards the job market improving again as 2011 moves along and companies continue to expand to meet growing domestic and international demand.
The latest figures released by the Labor Department for last week show that unemployment claims dropped again by 37,000 to get near the 400,000 weekly number again. This means that the drop last week can almost certainly be attributed mostly to seasonal workers being laid off after their temporary assignment had ended. We are still over 30,000 claims away from the 375,000 mark, which signals storng employment growth.
Analysts have said that the improving employment situation can be mostly attributed to a better credit climate for small businesses as banks are becoming more willing to lend to these firms in the belief that the economy and consumer demand are both rebounding. If this is true, I expect the unemployment rate to continue to drop throughout the year as large businesses will begin to hire to meet the rising demand for consumer goods and services.
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Andover, Massachusetts January 13th, 2011 – The credit card industry has been on the defensive ever since the recent financial regulations bill was passed by congress. While these restrictions may have caused an outcry then, the latest allegations being leveled against a major credit card company by one of its own employees could open the door to further lawsuits and a significant change in how consumer debt is handled by these companies.
Linda Almonte, a former JPMorgan Chase employee has recently filed a complaint with the SEC over how JPMorgan Chase operates its credit card debt processes. The complaint alleges grotesque and illegal practices involving credit card debt processes occur with management not taking any steps to stop them. Executives were informed of the illegal practices by Ms. Almonte and as a result of her coming forward she was fired in an attempt to cover up the activities and continue to profit from them. In the complaint filed with the SEC, Ms. Almonte outlines multiple ways in which the company allowed illegal activities to occur without any regard for consumers.
- Chase Bank sold to third party debt buyers hundreds of millions of dollars worth of credit card accounts. . .when in fact Chase Bank executives knew that many of those accounts had incorrect and overstated balances.
- Chase Bank executives routinely destroyed information and communications from consumers rather than incorporate that information into the consumer’s credit card file, including bankruptcy notices, powers of attorney, notice of cancellation of auto-pay, proof of payments and letters from debt settlement companies.
- Chase Bank executives mass-executed thousands of affidavits in support of Chase Banks collection efforts and those Chase Bank executives did not have personal knowledge of the facts set forth in the affidavits.
Ms. Almonte also states in her complaint that she has evidence of these activities occurring and has no hesitation to turn those over to the authorities. The evidence includes a large volume of internal documents which she accumulated during her time at JPMorgan Chase. She also offered to provide her first hand observations which include…
- Witnessing the head of Chase’s pre-litigation group eliminate material communications from borrowers such as bankruptcy notices, settlement communications, and debt settlement communications instead of entering them into the Chase internal database.
- She also claims that senior Chase Bank executives instructed Chase Bank employees remove important information and data from Litigation Accounts because the retention of the information would have resulted in increased computer hardware costs. Both types of record destruction rendered the accounts inaccurate, she says.
So how has this impacted consumers? Basically, these activities have delayed or in many cases ended any attempts by consumers to settle their accounts because Chase was deleting vital documents that were necessary for the settlement process. In doing so they ensured that thousands of clients were forced into court due to judgments levied against them. The consequences of this included wage garnishments, legal action, and bankruptcies.
This historic whistleblower case could open the doors to illegal activities at all major credit card companies. All of us here at PFS and consumers around the nation now expect the government to come down hard on these firms and change the way they deal with distressed consumers.
Readers, are you surprised by these allegations? Is this the final straw that drives you away from the credit card companies and towards a debt free life?
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Andover, Massachusetts January 12th, 2011 – Is your state one of the dozens nationwide that is running a massive budget deficit on a yearly basis? The worst offenders and those in the most financial trouble include California, New York, and Illinois. So what is the solution that one of these states, Illinois, came up with? You guessed it, raising your taxes!
Illinois announced yesterday that they would increase their personal income tax and corporate tax rates as a way to reduce their current 13 billion dollar budget deficit. The tax increases will raise about 7 billion dollars in the coming fiscal year, which still leaves a rather large hole for the incoming democratic governor to fill. The likely outcome of this 6 billion dollar gap is a widespread reduction in state services, a reduction in state worker’s compensation, and an increase in fees associated with everything from licensing to car registrations.
The Illinois plan raises the personal income tax from 3% to 5% for the next four years and raises the corporate income tax rate from 4.8% to 7% for the next four years as well. Realistically, any “temporary” tax increase that has been enacted in the US over the past century has ended up being permanent. So what does this mean for Illinois residents and potentially you? Well, Illinois residents are headed for a rough four years. Their income tax rate is increasing 66%, perhaps the largest ever percentage tax increase in American history. This will most likely lead to lower consumption which will hurt the thousands of businesses state wide that depend on consumer spending. The corporate tax rate, while still lower than many of its neighbors, will make it more likely that current Illinois businesses move out of state and those looking to move into the state to reconsider. All in all, this plan is necessary but without massive spending cuts to compliment it, it will only lead to pain for the average citizen and a much bleaker economic outlook for the state as a whole. Residents nationwide should be ready for similar measures in their states. For the upcoming fiscal year states nationwide face a collective 41 billion dollar budget gap, the largest in history. So, even if your state isn’t in debt to the tune of 13 billion, any budget deficit means spending cuts and or tax hikes are being planned. Prepare now so you will not feel the pinch when it happens.
Readers, tax hikes or spending cuts? Which would you prefer? Can you have one without the other?
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Andover, Massachusetts January 7th, 2011 – The much anticipated December Jobs report came out today, and the news is more of the same, cautious optimism. The economy added 103,000 jobs in December, not counting seasonal jobs, which lowered the unemployment rate to 9.4%, the lowest level in 19 months. The Labor department also further revised its figures for the past 2 months as more data has come in. The October numbers were revised upward by over 30,000 and the November numbers increased by 42,000. This means that for the past three months, the economy has averaged an increase of about 128,000.
So where is the bad news? Well, economist had expected a larger gain in jobs, closer to 150,000. They also attribute the drop in the unemployment rate mainly to people who stopped looking for work, not the increase in hiring. Basically this is because the economy needs to add about 125,000 jobs per month just to keep pace with the population growth. On the flip side, the all important private sector accounted for all of the gains in December, great news for the New Year. The private sector added 113,000 jobs while the government eliminated another 10,000 jobs, the 5th straight month that the number of people employed by the government has dropped. All in all, we can expect 2011 to be much better than 2010, but we are still years away from returning to our pre recession levels of employment.
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