Free From Broke

A Personal Finance Blog for Regular Folks

Glen Craig

Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act Signed Into Law

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On July 21st, President Obama signed into law the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, a sweeping overhaul of Wall Street (the largest such overhaul since the Great Depression), aimed at preventing future economic collapses like the kind we have experienced in recent years.  The Act will also look to add protections for consumers.

From President Obama: “Because of this law, the American people will never again be asked to foot the bill for Wall Street’s mistakes”

Here are the highlights of the Reform and Protection Act:
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Crank Up Your Money Saving Goals With SmartyPig

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SmartyPig Review

One of the more interesting and innovative ways to save up for specific goals is to make use of SmartyPig.  SmartyPig is a free online savings tool that allows you to save for for specific financial goals. Whether you want to save up $500 for back to school shopping, or $5,000 for a family vacation, it is possible to use SmartyPig to reach that goal.  The concept is fairly straightforward, and works simply.

First of all, it is important to note that SmartyPig is not a bank. SmartyPig accounts are held through BBVA Compass (As of Aug 1st, 2010 SmartyPig account will move from West Bank to BBVA Compass, the 15th largest bank in the US).  They are FDIC insured for up to $250,000 (drops to $100,000 on January 1, 2014 unless things change).  You can set up as many goals as you want for yourself and your family.  In order to start at SmartyPig, you need the same items that you would need to open a regular savings account:
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Automate or Unautomate Your Finances?

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The NY Times has has an interesting article questioning how much of your finances you should automate (How Much of Your Finances Should You Automate?).  In it, the author looks at the methods of some popular personal finance writers such as Ramit Sethi of I Will Teat You To Be Rich, Adam Baker of Man Vs Debt, and Jim Wang at Bargaineering.

The Argument for Automating Your Finances

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