Archive for the ‘Financial Reviews’ Category

Brits plan to holiday during the Olympics

February 8th, 2012 Kevin Martinez

A number of Brits are planning to holiday in the UK this year, with a view to visiting the London Olympic Games. In contrast though, many are hoping to escape the Olympic buzz altogether. 

According to the latest research from the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) 40% of the British public are expected to take some time off, whether at home or abroad during the Olympic Games. 

The Games run from 27th July to 12th August, which is one of the busiest times of the year for travel.

The ABTA poll found that 31% of people will not take any time off during the 2012 Olympics because they are ‘excited about them’. However, 30% of people plan on ignoring them. A fur

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Tags: Holiday, Holiday Olympics

What a Walk in Spain Taught Me about Money

January 31st, 2012 Kevin Martinez

There’s a lot of “stuff” we don’t need.

Walking the Way of Saint James, you carry your life on your back, from your clothing to your food. After walking a few days, we realized we were all carrying too much unnecessary stuff. So we loaded the excess into a box, shipped it off to our final destination, and carried on with much lighter loads.

I still have too much stuff, but I’m learning when and where to curb my spending habits. I plan out most shopping trips, or open a savings account to stash away funds for a particular splurge.

Sometimes, our feet are the best mode of transportation.

I still have the hiking boots I wore for those 500 miles. And, after nearly a decade, they still fit perfectly. My feet carried me all the way across a country; why can’t they carry me a couple of miles to the store?

These days, I have it easy. I live in downtown San Francisco, where restaurants and markets reveal themselves at every corner. But it’s still tempting to hop on my scooter, catch the bus, or hail a taxi. So I

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Tags: Walk, Walk Spain

Sprint Media Tour Means 2012 NASCAR Season is Right Around the Turn

January 18th, 2012 Kevin Martinez

Every day we get closer to the highly anticipated kick off to the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Yesterday was another mile marker on the road to Daytona and the green flag.

Charlotte, NC was the site for the 30th annual NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by the Charlotte Motor Speedway, and the first with Quicken Loans as the primary sponsor of Ryan Newman and the #39 car. A small team of QL teammates headed down south, along with more than 230 motorsports journalists from around the world, for the Stewart-Haas Racing portion of the tour.

It was our first chance to get a good look at Ryan, teammate Danica Patrick and teammate/team leader Tony Stewart, their respective crew chiefs and director of competition in front of a packed banquet hall. They talked about how exciting it was to start out this season, the pressures (or lack thereof) being the reigning Sprint Cup champions, and the excitement of working with new sponsors.

“You need to surround yourself with great sponsors in order to accomplish the great things we want to,” said Newman. “Sp

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Tags: 2012 Nascar, Nascar

Consider Last Year’s Models (14/365)

January 12th, 2012 Kevin Martinez

A few weeks ago, I found myself at a local department store looking at microwave ovens.

While I was browsing the ovens on sale there, I couldn’t help but notice a few things.

For starters, there were quite a few display models of microwave ovens right there at eye level. They had various features – wattage, size, and so forth – and had various prices on them, as you might expect.

What was particularly worth noticing is that down by my feet, there were a few additional models. They were kind of jammed in there, without nearly the space devoted to them as the models on top. They also had fairly low prices on them.

Ordinarily, I might have ignored these models, writing them off as being generics or poor models simply because of how they were displayed. Instead, I took a closer look at them.

It turns out that they were more or less identical to the models that were on sale above. The same brands. The same features. Much

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Young males make the most out of savings

January 6th, 2012 Kevin Martinez

Males aged between 25 and 34 are the nation’s top savers, new research has found.

Young men are saving well above the national average, putting a tidy £104 away each month compared to the rest of the nation who manage an average of £88 per month.

Recent research from NS&I revealed that young people are more efficient at saving compared to older generations. Motivated by life goals such as owning a house or car, young people are putting away more in savings than ever before.

Those aged 16-24 are saving a massive 7.8% of their monthly income, compared to the 6.7% saved by 45-54 year olds.

John Prout, NS&I Savings Spokesperson advised savers on how to effectively put money away.

“Setting specific targets is a good way to stay motivated, and even if it’s only a small amount being set aside each month the savings soon mount up,” he said.

NS&I found that 47% of those aged 25-34 are saving for a deposit and that saving for emergencies and the future takes higher priority than saving for a holiday.  Less than a fifth of those aged 45-54 are saving for potential emergencies.

Despite this, further research from first direct found that 28% of households have less than £250 in accessible savings. Shockin

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Tags: Males, Males Make

Last Minute Holiday Shopping Don’ts

December 30th, 2011 Kevin Martinez

Have you finished your holiday shopping? I know I haven’t. And I’m certain that one or two of you are in the same boat. So for those of us frantically rushing to finish up our gift buying this week, here’s a quick list of “don’ts” to keep in mind.

Don’t think that more presents equal a happier holiday. As Justine learned when she “ruined Christmas,” you don’t have to spend $1,000 on a single loved one to make it a Merry Christmas. Sometimes, the gifts that are most meaningful are the ones that don’t cost a cent and come from the heart. In Justine’s boyfriend’s case, it was a free public screening of his favorite Will Ferrell flick.

Don’t apply for a store credit card just to get the Christmas Eve deals. Just a week ago, most consumers still had more than halfway to go with their holiday shopping, according to the National Retail Federation. Shoppers may be taking advantage of last-minute deals during Christmas Eve this year. If you head to the mall on Dec. 24, don’t be tempted by the additional discount offered if you qualify for a store credit card. Store cards traditionally hav

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Tags: Holiday Shopping, Shopping
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