tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245531.post7652220751041647147..comments2023-11-18T01:21:55.631-05:00Comments on My Open Wallet: More Stories of Scary Financial IgnoranceMadame Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11536189690094235926noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245531.post-86856294415662481112009-06-20T05:23:06.121-04:002009-06-20T05:23:06.121-04:00Look, the woman was writing the column about herse...Look, the woman was writing the column about herself and her husband and she was clearly playing up their idiocy for laughs/commissions. Her book is titled, "Mommies Who Drink," for heaven's sake. She gets paid to send up her own life and shock people with her and her husband's supposed carelessness. I'm betting that they're not quite as stupid as she paints it, but the breathtaking artsy ignorance makes a better *story*. And she writes and sells *stories* for a living.Joyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09543875018604881180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245531.post-18629954739104756102009-06-18T12:31:39.459-04:002009-06-18T12:31:39.459-04:00Ugh. I was going to comment on the inanity of the ...Ugh. I was going to comment on the inanity of the couple but now I'll just ask this: What is the account balance now in 2009? Did they stick to the $50 contribution or not?mapgirlhttp://www.mapgirl.net/mfcnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245531.post-50334413275136091342009-06-18T09:48:21.975-04:002009-06-18T09:48:21.975-04:00I ran into cases like these often in the 300 or so...I ran into cases like these often in the 300 or so Money Makeover pieces I've done for the Kansas City Star. One of my favorites is a musician who perked up when we asked if he had any CDs. But he was talking about the musical kind (his collection was impressive) not the financial kind (not so much.) I think he's doing well by now though.Genehttp://www.kitchentablenomics.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245531.post-20473076618766846652009-06-17T13:31:52.493-04:002009-06-17T13:31:52.493-04:0012 years ago I started with $50 a month. With my n...12 years ago I started with $50 a month. With my next raise increased it to $75 and so on to as high as $3,000 a month. <br /><br />I'd rather see them start small then never start at all. Though I'd advise them to pay down debt first, make more money (odd jobs, etc), NOT invest in the high cost mutual funds they were being "sold", etc.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245531.post-81789726482565874062009-06-17T11:48:45.614-04:002009-06-17T11:48:45.614-04:00Also, this story takes place in 2003, before FACTA...Also, this story takes place in 2003, before FACTA had been enacted, so the couple in the story probably *couldn't* have gotten even a credit report for free, at the time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245531.post-50215801119006073062009-06-17T11:18:12.087-04:002009-06-17T11:18:12.087-04:00Actually you can get free credit scores at http://...Actually you can get free credit scores at http://www.creditkarma.com. I'm not sure how accurate they are, but mine seems to be fairly correct. NetBanker.com said, "Credit Karma: This San Francisco-based startup, with backing from Prosper's Chris Larsen, is delivering an actual credit score computed by TransUnion, one of the three major U.S. credit bureaus. It does not precisely match the commonly used FICO score from Fair Isaac. And the scale is different, with a top score of 900 instead of 850."Raehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00440608298015005414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245531.post-70552712169587612322009-06-17T11:08:32.544-04:002009-06-17T11:08:32.544-04:00Right, I should have said "report," and ...Right, I should have said "report," and in the case of this couple, the free report would probably have told them all they need to know!Madame Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11536189690094235926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245531.post-80127057046926396492009-06-17T10:31:11.324-04:002009-06-17T10:31:11.324-04:00What Tina said. There is no place where you can g...What Tina said. There is no place where you can get your credit SCORE for free. The link you gave only lets you view your credit REPORTS.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245531.post-70414452790860299662009-06-17T10:10:48.769-04:002009-06-17T10:10:48.769-04:00You can get a credit report for free, but you do h...You can get a credit report for free, but you do have to pay for a credit score, which is what the financial adviser was asking about.<br /><br />In any case, it is pretty scary what this person was recommending for this couple.Tinanoreply@blogger.com