Many of us are familiar with the basic services that banks provide. In simple, straightforward cases, banks keep our money and pay an interest on it, while providing the convenience of cash withdrawals along their network of ATMs. But are consumers benefitting from their banks, or are they really ripped off by hidden bank charges?
Mobile phones have come a long way since they were attached to batteries the size of a suitcase. They have become music players, portable games devices, cameras and so much more than just a tool for making or receiving phone-calls. It seems to be natural progression that the mobile phone gains another useful function to continue its role as the Swiss knife of the gadget world.
Some of the more common new-year resolutions include spending less, and saving more money. Here are some practical tips for growing your savings.
The UK government plans to ban the prevalence of “excessive” credit and debit card payment surcharges by the end of 2012, citing transparency concerns.
In June this year, the UK’s antitrust watchdog, the Office of Fair Trading, conducted a three-month investigation, which found evidence of “drip pricing.” According to the OFT, UK consumers were charged 300 million pounds in surcharges in the airline industry alone.
Americans are celebrating the festive season by shopping. According to the latest comScore results, Americans spent nearly $31 billion in online shopping, a 15 percent increase from a year ago.
The most recent work week (Dec. 12-16) saw four days surpass $1 billion in online spending, led by Monday, December 12 with $1.13 billion and Friday, December 16 (known by the online retail industry as “Free Shipping Day”) with $1.07 billion, according to comScore.
While the rest of us enjoy our holiday season, the retail industry is in overdrive. Additional consumer demands during the period requires extra workers and extra time in order to get through the season. Every year, American retailers will hire anywhere between 480,000 and 500,000 temporary employees just for the holidays.
But finding the right employees takes considerable effort and training. Check out this infographic, which examines the world of seasonal employment, as well providing a best hiring practice for the holidays.
One in three Britons will fall into debt while buying Christmas presents for their friends and relatives this holiday season, according to survey results published by research and consulting company YouGov on Monday.
The survey, which was commissioned by payment technology firm Intelligent Environments, discovered that nearly 31 percent of UK respondents would use overdrafts, credit cards and personal loans in order to do their Christmas shopping. Of these, 58 percent are expected to use their credit cards to fund their purchases.
U.S. consumer credit rose for the second consecutive month in October – a month marked by Thanksgiving shopping and precedes Christmas spending – a sign that Americans are taking on more debt to pay for their purchases.
Employees and employers are increasingly going social. According to CNN, 1 in 6 workers now find a job through the use of social media. Today, more than 40 percent of Fortune 100 companies use LinkedIn to find and hire their top candidates.
How is social media changing the current job market and what do you need to do to get that next job with your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts? Check out this infographic, which highlights the profiles of a person using social media for searching jobs along with some simple, but helpful tips for the curious.
Newly formed US consumer watchdog, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), has received more than 5,000 complaints about credit card companies during in its first three months of operations, with the most common gripe among credit card customers being billing disputes and interest rate problems, reported the agency on Wednesday.
