Top 7 Tips To Pay Off Credit Card Debt

February 6th, 2010

Corinthia Hotel Prague features its award winning conference facilities

February 5th, 2010

The Corinthia Hotel Prague featured its award-winning conference facilities by sponsoring a free-stay drawing at the first American Tourism Society (ATS)/NY Skal joint MICE market seminar, January 28, New York City. Ann Tillman, Hillside Travel, was the lucky winner.

The Corinthia Hotel Prague is one of the largest luxury conference hotels in the Czech Republic’s Capital, which is ranked as the 13th most popular European City for Conferences. The Corinthia is also known for its special Events@Corinthia program. With its “Stress Free and Successful”event philosophy, every group organizer and meeting planner is provided a dedicated 24/7 experienced Events@Corinthia staff person to assist with all the needs and requirements of the group. <

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Some consumers feeling confident about their own debt management abilities despite their feelings on the state of the economy

February 5th, 2010

Despite the fact that some may feel the economy is in a poor state, a recent survey shows that consumers are feeling a bit better about their own personal finances and budgeting abilities.

According to the Discover U.S. Spending Monitor, 56 percent of consumers said the economy is “poor,” which is a point below what was reported in December. However, 49 percent of those polled said they felt that conditions in the economy were going to get worse, which is a point higher than was shown in the previous survey.

The survey also showed that a majority of consumers plan on cutting back on discretionary purchases as they continue spending restrictions they put forward after the holiday season.

“Consumers appear to be holding steady on their spending patterns,” said Julie Loeger, senior vice president of brand and product management for Discover. Read more…

Investment firm president lists Lake View condo

February 5th, 2010

Mark Birkett has listed for sale a two-bedroom, 2.5-bath condo at 3057 N. Clifton Ave. in Lake View for $499,000.

Unit# 1 is part of the Clifton-Barry Condos. Tommy Hicks of Kale Realty is the listing agent.

Birkett is the vice president at GE Antares Capital in Chicago. He worked for Raytheon as a financial analyst.

He earned his bachelor’s in business administration from Villanova University in 1996 and his M.B.A. from the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business.

According to BlockShopper.com, there have been 919 condo sales in Lake View during the past 12 months, with a median sales price of $299,000.

Avoiding household water damage

February 4th, 2010

MOST people only think about flooding coming from outside the home, but water can cause all sorts of damage from some unexpected, everyday sources.

These could include sinks, freezers, washing machines and drains, which can all cause problems if not attended to regularly.

Once a month, run boiling water down each of your bathroom drains to help keep them flowing. A simple hair filter can also stop your drains from clogging and overflowing.

Pay particular attention to your washing machine – because it’s under constant pressure it’s more likely to spring a leak. Shut it off at the taps when you’re away from home.
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Pay Off Debt or Invest? Think About Your Rate of Return

February 4th, 2010

Andrew writes in:

My girlfriend and I bought a home last year and qualify for the First Time Homebuyer Credit. When you include my share of this, I will be getting back around $4500 in my tax refund. This is a lot of money to me and I’m trying to decide what to do with it. About half will go toward an engagement ring, but I’m torn between investing the other half or paying off my $2,000 in credit card debt. I currently have a very low APR on the credit card and can pay more than the minimum each month. As a licensed broker, I am very involved with the markets and believe I can make 10-15% a year. If

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