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Most people agree that a Costco membership is worth the $55 a year. That amount can be saved in one trip with some of the non-grocery items sold at Costco. I’ve found products like KitchenAid mixers and Ralph Lauren dress shirts, both at half the price found in other stores.

The savings that come with a Costco membership can be helpful, as long as you stick to your list, and you shop carefully. Costco is great for larger families, since you can often find items to buy in bulk. Even a small family can benefit from a Costco membership, since it’s possible to preserve some of the items bought.

While I knew that a regular membership was worth it, I wasn’t sure of was whether the Costco Executive membership would be worth the extra $55 a year.

Does the Executive membership really offer so much more than the regular membership with its access to discounts on every day products?

With the cash back, you will need to plan your spending if you want to make up the cost of your membership. To get a $55

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Posted by Ebony Verbrugghen | Tags: Worth

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Americans like to help. In fact, total charitable contributions by individuals, corporations, and foundations was an estimated $298.42 billion in 2011, up 4% from 2010, according to a report from the Giving USA Foundation and the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.

Unfortunately, there are people who try to profit from tragedy. In 2009, the FTC launched the “Operation False Charity” initiative in conjunction with Attorney General offices and law-enforcement departments nationwide in order to crack down on “fraudulent telemarketers claiming to help police, firefighters, and veterans.” If you feel that you have been defrauded, you can file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.

Despite growing awareness and prosecution, however, the dust had hardly settled on the Boston Marathon bombing sites when reports appeared of fraudulent charities purporting to help those wounded in the attacks.

Tragedy and charities do go hand-in-hand, and it always feels good to help someone hurt in an act of God or act of terror, but it’s important to keep yourself  —and your bank account— safe in the process

Hang up that Phone

The first way you can keep from being scammed by a fraudulent charity is to never, ever, ever donate money over the phone. The Federal Tr

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Posted by Connor Dartnell

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It’s becoming clear to me that what we’ve been thinking of as a stage in the recovery actually is the recovery. Job growth at a 1.5 percent annual rate is well below our hopes from previous cycles but its getting hard to imagine faster growth unless the government starts spending more money (ha-ha) or consumers like their finances enough to start clamoring for new homes.

In November, jobs increased by 1.4 percent from last year and unemployment eased to 7.7 percent, basically no change from what we’ve seen the last six months. Jobs were up 1.4 percent in manufacturing, 1.5 percent in retail trade, 3 percent in business services, 2.2 percent in health care, and 2.7 percent at restaurants. Jobs in government and construction were flat.

Retail sales in October slowed slightly from the level of previous months, not what you like to see right before the Holidays. Sales

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Posted by Ebony Verbrugghen

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Its been a volatile few months for solar stocks which saw a big surge off the bottom late last year only to retest those lows recently. Today, solar stocks get a spark in positive guidance from First Solar (FSLR) which posted much better than expected guidance, but it remains to be seen if they catch fire again. Its too soon to begin calling another bottom in solar stocks, but todays buy interest/short squeeze definitely means you should put solar stocks back on the radar for a potential trade in the coming days and weeks.Full Article…

Posted by Harrison Geneff | Tags: Guidance, Solar Stocks

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These days, everyone is trying to save a little extra money. And while it’s not a bad idea to pursue a few simple money saving ideas, what we sometimes forget is that we can also improve our finances (and our credit) by finding ways to make a little more money. Pinching pennies and giving up our lattes only goes so far. Instead, take a look at the collaborative economy, where it’s easier than ever to earn more with what you already have. A growing number of people are providing services and short-term access to goods directly to each other and you can take advantage of this new economy as well..

From renting out your car to sharing travel experiences, here are five ways to bring in more income through the collaborative economy. These sites help with one of the most difficult aspects of earning more income: finding people who want to pay for what you’re offering.

1. Provide accommodations

If you have extra space in your house, websites like AirBnB and Roomorama connect private hosts to people who are looking for a place to stay. You c

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Posted by Harrison Geneff | Tags: Money, Money Collaborative

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