Being as anal as I am, I couldn’t imagine ignoring finances, but apparently fewer than half of Americans have ever ordered their credit reports, only 40% use monthly budgets, and nearly a third don’t know the interest rates on their credit cards, which is pretty much pretending they don’t exist.

The study, which was conducted by (deep breath) The Princeton Survey Research Associations International, revealed some pretty financial habits, and almost half of the participants said that they don’t feel the need for any further financial education!

The fact that some people don’t know their credit score and have never seen their credit report boggles my mind. Especially since everyone is entitled to FREE credit reports from each of the three major bureaus each year!

I love reasearching investment options and laying out a plan for playing the markets with my limited funds. Global Futures Exchange & Trading Co. can get you started in global futures with a mere $250. They even offer a future trading training course to give you the foundation to make informed futures trading decisions and develop a strategy to make the big money.

If you’ve never heard of Global Futures Exchangint & Trading Co., you need to check them out. They are registered with the NFO and CFTC and in the past ten years have grown to be one of the largest brokerage firms offering futures, options, and foregin exchange services on all the major exchanges.

I’d like to know where MSN gets their information. Today’s article, 5 Big-Money Majors has undergraduate business majors reporting an average starting salary of $43,523. I have my MBA and work in corporate marketing and I don’t even make that much.

Credit cards are a part of life, like it or not. I no longer use my credit card for frivilous purchases, but I do have one that I use for business purpose and carry at all times in case of emergency. If you’ve had credit problems in the past finding the Best Secured Credit Card is the right approach to handling your credit properly and making it work for you, instead of the other way around. You’re not going to get a $10,000 balance right off the bat, and you’re not going to have a pleasant penalty for late payments, but you are going to have the chance to rebuild your credit.

I admit it, I’m an impulse shopper. No more, thanks to knowing the 15 ways stores truck you into spending. The best new tip I picked up…never use a cart because they are oversized, always use a basket.

Lots of college students will be graduating in the coming weeks, and it’s time for them to start thinking about paying off their student loans. No matter if it is a California student loan or a Colorado student loan, those payments start in six months, and those six months go fast. It’s also not a bad idea for new graduates to think about student loan refinancing. As soon as you refinance, payments do start, but rates are only going up, so it would be smart to lock them in now. I was one of those graduates lucky enough to have a job lined up, so I refinanced at the first opportunity, and locked my rate in at 2.1%, which I am very happy about.

Sorry about the hiatus, I was busy moving all weekend and making multiple trips to Lowe’s, Target, and Wal-mart to get the household up and running again.

How is it that I have everything I need in one apartment, and when I move to another I suddenly need new trash cans, hooks and racks, safety locks, and a list of other junk.

• $38 Target
• $34 Wal-Mart
• $62 Lowe’s
• $50 difference in rent