Black Friday Successes, Cyber Monday is Next and Links

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Black Friday leaked over into Thanksgiving evening this year, but retailers thought it was a successful move. 

You can bet more retailers will be opening up at 8pm on Thanksgiving evening in the future because despite complaints from some potential customers and the threat of protest from workers, people still showed up.

You can’t really blame stores for opening earlier because they are so dependent on the revenue push from holiday shopping.  And if customers keep showing up for earlier and earlier deals, the stores will keep opening.

Next up?

Cyber Monday is officially on Monday, but many online stores have been running online deals all weekend long.  Thankfully if you choose to participate in Cyber Monday you could do it from home or work via your browser or smartphone.

Rack up a lot of spending on Black Friday? Here are some ways to make sure you keep your finances balanced:

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ING Direct/Capital One 360 Black Friday Action

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ING Black Friday Page

Black Friday isn’t just for retail stores.

ING Direct/Capital One 360 (Capital One 360 is their new name come February) is offering up their annual Black Friday specials this year from November 23rd through November 25th.

If you don’t feel like going out and spending your money you can check out what ING Direct will be offering for you to save.

You know I’ve been an ING Direct customer for years and think it’s a great place for online savings so I’m pretty excited to see what they are going to offer (we also use their online checking and their ShareBuilder investing site)!

Take a look at this year’s “don’t miss” ING Direct Black Friday deals:

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Think Long Term When Shopping Black Friday and Cyber Monday

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Black Friday Sales

When you do your Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping don’t just think of things for the upcoming holidays — think long-term!

Many sales are at their best on these days.  It may be worth it for you to take advantage now and buy items for events and purposes throughout the year.

Many a time has passed where I thought I’d see an item on sale again but it ended up not being as good as the Black Friday or Cyber Monday price.  Damn!  Missed out.

Of course for this to work you have to have money in your budget to buy extra now for the rest of the year.  It’s silly to put great deals on credit if you are going to end up paying credit card interest later on.

If you think out it and plan well, buying now can save you money, and time, for the upcoming year.

Here are some great occasions to shop for on Black Friday and Cyber Monday:

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How to Get FEMA Assistance

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A lot of people in New York and New Jersey are only now becoming aware of the full extent of the damage brought on by Super Storm Sandy.

After nearly two weeks working just to get electric power on and gasoline for cars, the difficult job of rebuilding is about to begin.

There is help from various sources, first and foremost from FEMA, the Federal Emergency Relief Agency whose primary responsibility it is to be available to provide assistance in just such a disaster.  Many people are only remotely aware of what FEMA does, and if you live in the battered Middle Atlantic region, you’re now finding out first hand.

What is FEMA and how does it work?

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Southwest Airlines® Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card | Review

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Do you fly Southwest Airlines?

Do you want to earn free flights as well as hotel stays, gift cards and more including international flights?

Then read on for my Southwest Airlines® Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card review and see if the card is good for you.

Let’s look at the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card:

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Prepping for Black Friday and Links

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Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the holiday shopping season is about to hit full force.

Retailers desperate for higher and higher holiday season revenue have pushed well into Thanksgiving evening to kick off Black “Friday”.  They’re also requiring a good chunk of their employees to work the holiday evening — an overnight shift that requires those employees to either cut Thanksgiving dinner short or to sleep during the holiday to prepare.

How will you be spending Black Friday?  Scrambling through malls to buy your family more stuff?  Spending it relaxing?  Working?

Here are some great articles to check out while you make out those shopping lists:

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What is Glass-Steagall and Why Do WE See it in the News?

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One of the subjects that is often covered in the financial news, especially as talking heads try to figure out what can be done to avoid another financial crisis, is the Glass-Steagall Act.

Many people don’t exactly understand why this old law — parts of which were repealed in 1999 — is still a topic of conversation, and why it matter so much.

Brief Overview of the Glass-Steagall Act

Passed during the Great Depression, the Glass-Steagall Act is also called the Banking Act of 1933.

Glass-Steagall was designed to prevent some of the problems that caused the Great Depression, mainly the difficulties caused by the widespread failure of banks.  The Banking Act of 1933 included the creation of the FDIC and it also expanded the role of the Federal Reserve.

However, the item that is most emphasized about the Glass-Steagall Act, particularly in a post-2008 world, is the prohibition of commercial banks from participating in investing.

Part of the problem ahead of the Great Depression was that Main Street banks began underwriting corporate stocks, and even floated bond issues.  With all of these Main Street banks exposed to Wall Street, the crash of 1929 was hugely devastating.

The idea of Glass-Steagall was that banks separate themselves out by the type of banking they did.
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Tips For Shopping Black Friday And Cyber Monday

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Shopper Crossing

Can you believe how far into November it is already?!?

Know what that means?  Yeah, seeing family and overeating on Thanksgiving.

Know what else?  Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping deals!

These two days have turned into crazy whirlwinds of shopping and sales (actually the whole weekend is full of deals).  Do your homework and you can score some great deals.

Here are some tips for shopping Black Friday and Cyber Monday:

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Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card Review

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Does $400 cash or $500 toward travel sound good?

The Chase Sapphire PreferredSM Card is offering this hefty bonus right now!

Charge $3,000 to the card within the first three months, and it’s yours.  Best of all, it comes along with a great travel rewards card.

Now to get into the meat of what makes the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card so good…

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4 Steps to Make Sure You Are Financially Protected from the Next Natural Disaster

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Millions of people are still reeling from the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy. 

The rest of the country is watching with sympathy and helping with relief efforts.  All of us, those directly impacted by Sandy, and those who were not, can learn from this storm and make sure that we are properly protected financially from natural disaster.

People often buy a house and take out a homeowner’s policy at the same time.  Then, they dutifully pay their premium every year.

What they often don’t do is revisit their insurance policy to make sure that they have enough coverage as years go by.  Most people just don’t think much about their insurance–until they need it.

Here are some steps you can take to make sure that you have enough insurance to protect you and your assets in the event of a natural disaster or other home damaging event:

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