Archive | Miscellaneous

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is normally used to diagnose injuries or diseases. However, the _Wall Street Journal_ recently reported on the first-ever use of MRI technology to better understand brand recognition. When showing various logos to study participants hooked up to MRI machines, the logos of well-known brands generated more activity in the part of […]

Little things can make a big difference. For example, on the men’s pro golf tour this year, the difference in average score per round between the number one money earner (Tiger Woods) and the player ranked 150th (Chris Riley) was a mere 3.4 strokes. However, Woods earned $9.5 million more than Riley! For us mere […]

Every year, it seems, getting in better physical and fiscal shape top the list of people’s New Year’s resolutions. The fact that those goals pop up every year is a good indication that people have a hard time following through on them. A recent article on _Yahoo Finance_ reviewed the classic steps to achieving such […]

Are you in the habit of making cash donations or giving used clothing or other items to charity? If so, starting January 1st you’ll need to develop two new habits. As reported in the _Wall Street Journal’s_ 11/11-12 edition, new legislation will require that you get receipts for all cash donations that you itemize on […]

Electronic items are popular gifts and where there is an electronics seller there is a seller of extended warranties. Should we or shouldn’t we opt for the extra protection? According to “Consumer Reports”:http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/personal-finance/news/november-2006/why-you-dont-need-an-extended-warranty-11-06/overview/extended-warranty-11-06.htm, usually we’d be better off taking a pass. The organization says products rarely break during the extended warranty period and when they […]

When shopping online, items are placed in a virtual shopping cart. At checkout time, sites often ask whether you have a promotional code. Just because you don’t have one doesn’t mean you can’t find one. An article in the _Morning Call_ on 11/12 suggested this strategy: When you’re asked for a promotional code keep that […]

Assuming you still have some holiday shopping to do (What’s that? You haven’t even started?), _Kiplinger_ recently listed its favorite places to find deals on the Internet. Its top online bargain site is “DealsOfAmerica.com”:http://www.dealsofamerica.com. This site lists new deals every hour, offers comparison-shopping in its “Compare Prices” tab, and lists products or services that are […]

It’s no secret that many of us are not saving enough for our later years. One step that’s proven effective at motivating people to get in the savings game is to crunch a few numbers. A story in the _Chicago Sun-Times_ on 11/6/06 recommended some web sites where we can do just that. First, go […]

The old adage, “if it seems too good to be true it probably is” remains as valid as ever. However, it’s becoming more difficult to determine when a deal is not really a deal. According to a recent story on _MSNBC_, for example, instead of increasing their prices, many packaged goods companies have kept their […]

The end of year holiday season has become much more than “the most wonderful time of year.” It’s become one of the most debt-inducing times of year, with many people going a little too crazy at the mall. However, if you have too much debt, this can also be a great time of year to […]