Funny Money Friday: Icon of the Mortgage Bubble

Money doesn't have to be boring! Each week, CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance world in a series called Funny Money Friday.

Big economic bubbles seem to always come with mascot or posterchild. For the dot com bubble, the Pets.com sock puppet became an icon for internet companies that were all marketing and no sense. For the 1920's stock bubble, it was the flashy Jay Gatsby. For the 1637 tulip mania, there was the red and white tulip bulb, Semper Augustus, that sold for 6,000 florins when the average yearly income was around 150.

What will emerge as the icon for the housing bubble? I'm putting my money on Ameriquests' "Don't Judge" advertising campaign.

Ameriquest was the nation's largest subprime lender. And they put on an extensive television advertising campaign with the tag line "Don't Judge too Quickly, We Won't". The funny ads presented people being inaccurately judged when caught in embarrassing situations and ended with the phrase "Ameriquest. An open-minded, equal opportunity lender." Here's a sample:

The idea being that Ameriquest understands your embarrassing financial situation and will still give you a mortgage loan. Marketing genius!....Until the company started a tailspin in 2006 with predatory lending lawsuits and big layoffs. In September 2007, Ameriquest stopped taking new loan applications. They were officially #41 on the Mortgage Implode-o-Meter.

It turns out that judging is kind of an important part of the mortgage process. You might know it better by it's other name: underwriting.

Emily Davidson – A former TransUnion insider and a member of Credit.com's expert team. Emily writes about credit reports, credit cards, loans and personal finance as the CreditBloggers.com editor.

Funny Money Friday: A Sign of the Times

Money doesn't have to be boring! Each week, CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance world in a series called Funny Money Friday.

This week's Funny Money Friday post is less funny-ha-ha and more funny-to-keep-from-crying. There are a couple apartments on my walk to work that have been on the market for 6+ months. In San Francisco...that's pretty darn rare. I was just commenting on it, when I saw that one of the owners had taken matters into her own hands:

Taped over her realtor's - apparently ineffective - sign was a hand drawn plea to make a deal. Not only will the lucky buyer get a parking spot in the garage, but you'll get a small car thrown in to boot. This is an extensively remodeled building on a a pretty decent street in San Francisco. Truly a sign of the times!

Emily Davidson – A former TransUnion insider and a member of Credit.com's expert team. Emily writes about credit reports, credit cards, loans and personal finance as the CreditBloggers.com editor.

Funny Money Friday: Are You an Angry Renter?

Money doesn't have to be boring! Each week, CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance world in a series called Funny Money Friday.

There was a time around 2005-2006 that anyone who wasn't buying a home was called a "chump." I remember being harangued by friends with newly acquired real estate licenses and 28 year olds with four investment properties: "Housing prices will never fall!" and "You're throwing your money away by renting."

Now, a couple of years and one credit crunch later, I feel somewhat smug about my decision not to invest in a $700,000 1 bedroom apartment.  That particular bubble wasn't too hard to spot.

The bailout of homeowners with my tax money, while I understand it from a save-the-economy perspective, does irk me a bit. And it turns out I'm not alone. A website called AngryRenter.com is leading the revolt with a YouTube video and a petition:

AngryRenter.com is sponsored by Freedom Works, a group that campaigns for smaller government, deregulation and tax cuts. It's not an organization I regularly support - I kind of like the fire department and the FDA -  but I do have to give them props for a clever campaign that cuts straight to the bone.

Emily Davidson – A former TransUnion insider and a member of Credit.com's expert team. Emily writes about credit reports, credit cards, loans and personal finance as the CreditBloggers.com editor.

Funny Money Friday: Recession-Proof Credit Cards

Money doesn't have to be boring! Each week, CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance world in a series called Funny Money Friday.

During an economic downturn, many investment experts tell you to put your money into stable metals and other precious commodities. Why chance it with the stock market when you could have cold hard gold instead? But all that bouillon can get heavy...

Enter Rosan, a Russian Visa and MasterCard certified credit card manufacturer.  They've invented a way that you can use plastic and still get that luxurious metal investment. Gold and jewel encrusted credit cards!

Why settle for a gold or platinum account when you could have an actual gold or platinum credit card?

According to the March issue of The Nilson Report, the company is marketing credit cards encrusted with gems and semiprecious stores. Their hope is that card issuers will use them to reward wealthy customers. The individual cards will sell for $10,000 to $75,000.

The example above features a dragonfly with pearl eyes and diamond tipped wings...seriously.

Emily Davidson – A former TransUnion insider and a member of Credit.com's expert team. Emily writes about credit reports, credit cards, loans and personal finance as the CreditBloggers.com editor.

Funny Money Friday: Suze Orman on SNL

Money doesn't have to be boring! Each week, CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance world in a series called Funny Money Friday.

Us "real" financial experts have been known to occasionally have fun teasing those "celebrity" financial experts. Sure, they're vastly more famous than we are...but at least we don't have staffers feeding us information, right?  Out of the lot (Dave Ramsey, Rich Dad Poor Dad, etc) Suze is my favorite. What a character!

I've been looking for a clip of the Saturday Night Live Suze Orman kit since it first aired and finally tracked it down. Enjoy!

SNL - Suze Orman Show
Uploaded by stephen2417

Emily Davidson – A former TransUnion insider and a member of Credit.com's expert team. Emily writes about credit reports, credit cards, loans and personal finance as the CreditBloggers.com editor.                            

Funny Money Friday: Recession Blues

Money doesn't have to be boring! Each week, CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance world in a series called Funny Money Friday.

I'm starting to get a little woozy from all the economic ups and downs. Fed rate changes used to be big news, now they're reported along with the daily weather. Can someone stop the ride, I want to get off? One of my friends told me that her company announced major cutbacks yesterday and she's selling her car to better afford her mortgage. Yikes.

Time to sit back with your can of cold baked beans and sing along with B.B. King's The Recession Blues:

Emily Davidson – A former TransUnion insider and a member of Credit.com's expert team. Emily writes about credit reports, credit cards, loans and personal finance as the CreditBloggers.com editor.

Funny Money Friday: The Credit Crunch Fix

Money doesn't have to be boring! Each week, CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance world in a series called Funny Money Friday.

I'm not an economist or an investment banker...just a lowly credit expert...so all the news of recent credit crunch bailouts and bank rescue programs are a little above my pay grade. Maybe you're smarter than me. Can you explain this?

How is a government plan to encourage banks to issue subprime loans and to then buy those loans supposed to help us get out of a financial crisis caused by too many subprime loans and too much buying of those junky loans?

I don't know about you, but when I'm poisoned, "eat more poison" isn't exactly at the top of my to-do list. Is this one of those the-venom-is-the-cure situations like you'd see on MacGyver?

Have a great weekend!

Emily Davidson – A former TransUnion insider and a member of Credit.com's expert team. Emily writes about credit reports, credit cards, loans and personal finance as the CreditBloggers.com editor.

Funny Money Friday: Online Banking Can Save the World

Money doesn't have to be boring! Each week, CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance world in a series called Funny Money Friday.

Who doesn't love online banking? It's so easy to check your balance or look up that deposited check when you can do it directly from your desktop. But did you know that online banking is the solution to everything?

Online banking has been reported as:

• One of the three greatest things about the internet.
• A way for consumers to be more aware of fees and interest charges.
• Making it easier for consumers to set up savings programs.
• Helping you save an average of $6 a month on stamps.
• Revolutionizing the way you keep track of your money.
• Reducing identity theft cases by allowing consumers to track their accounts closely.

And just today, I heard that online banking is also saving the environment! BankServ has created a calculator that shows how much gas, greenhouse emissions and fuel costs you can save each year by skipping trips to the bank. Banking online instead of making a weekly trip to the bank is apparently the equivalent of planting a tree.

If online banking can do all of this, what else can it do? Maybe online banking could:

• Bring peace to the Middle East.
• Carpool with you to work.
• End the recession and solve the credit crunch.
• Make you a sandwich.
• Find a cure for scurvy.

Happy Friday!

Emily Davidson – A former TransUnion insider and a member of Credit.com's expert team. Emily writes about credit reports, credit cards, loans and personal finance as the CreditBloggers.com editor.

Funny Money Friday: Dunk the Scammer

Money doesn't have to be boring! Each week, CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance world in a series called Funny Money Friday.

Another National Consumer Protection Week has come and gone. But helping you understand credit and avoid scams is always a top priority here at CreditBloggers.com.

For Funny Money Friday this week, I found an educational anti-fraud game that is actually fun to play. eBay Australia created "Dunk the Scammer" to help teach their users about avoiding online fraud. After a few rounds, I could only get to level 3:

Have a great weekend!

Emily Davidson – A former TransUnion insider and a member of Credit.com's expert team. Emily writes about credit reports, credit cards, loans and personal finance as the CreditBloggers.com editor.

Funny Money Friday: Currency Devaluation Travel Tips

Money doesn't have to be boring! Each week, CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance world in a series called Funny Money Friday.

I'm in the middle of planning a vacation for next fall...and the timing could not be worse. The dollar has fallen to a 3-year low against the yen and the weakest ever point against the Euro. If this continues, it won't be long until a dollar will get you twenty cents and a smirk. So, savvy travelers need to start thinking of creative alternatives to that trip to Paris:

Turkmenistan - The average hotel room in this dessert oasis is around $50 a night. Pay no attention to the reports that it serves as a "transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and Western European markets" and that border areas may present an "unstable security situation and the presence of landmines."

Bulgaria - Croatia was the new Greece last year. Now Bulgaria could be the next Croatia. Some former Soviet quirks and elements of "social and economic chaos." But very affordable!

South Dakota - What the heck. America is one of the best travel bargains in the world right now. And South Dakota? Well...Mount Rushmore is there? And they've got buffalo?

Have a great weekend!

Emily Davidson – A former TransUnion insider and a member of Credit.com's expert team. Emily writes about credit reports, credit cards, loans and personal finance as the CreditBloggers.com editor.

Funny Money Friday: Taking a Break from the Credit Crisis

Money doesn't have to be boring! Each week, CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance world in a series called Funny Money Friday.

I can't be the only one suffering from a case of credit crisis burnout. Since we've been predicting trouble with the housing market since 2005 here at CreditBloggers.com, this is our third year of playing economic gloom watchdog. 

It's old news that housing, lending and credit card markets are feeling the pinch. Now student loans are in trouble and who knows who will be next. I'm frankly getting tired of reporting bad news day after day. So I've decided to use Funny Money Friday this week to highlight a couple good things about the credit world. Here we go:

• The credit system doesn't consider income or net worth. This alone is a good reason to feel optimistic. I love that our credit system doesn't know the difference between Bill Gates (Microsoft Founder) and Bill Jones (average-joe handyman). In fact, the handyman is likely to have a better credit score than the billionaire.
• You can't buy your way to good credit. This ties into the last one. The credit system is all about actions and personal responsibility. No amount of money can buy you a good credit score.
• Lending works. It is all too easy to blame lenders right now, but the American lending system really is amazing. There are few other countries in the world where you can fairly easily and affordably borrow in order to start a business or buy a home.
• The system is all about second chances. You can absolutely destroy your credit with a bankruptcy, foreclosure, etc, etc. and still get a completely clean slate once the records expire in 7-10 years.
• We have options in a financial crisis. Credit cards and other financial tools allow us to manage a money emergency without having to pawn off valuables or take other dramatic measures.
• There aren't debtors prisons in the US. Yes,  recent bankruptcy reforms haven't been kind to consumers. But we're still lucky to live in a country where your financial troubles won't land you in jail.

Whew! I don't know about you, but I feel better. Is there something in the financial world that you're thankful for that I've missed? Share your appreciation in the comments section below. Have a great weekend!

Emily Davidson – A former TransUnion insider and a member of Credit.com's expert team. Emily writes about credit reports, credit cards, loans and personal finance as the CreditBloggers.com editor.

 

Funny Money Friday: Where to Spend Your Windfall

Money doesn't have to be boring! Each week, CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance world in a series called Funny Money Friday.

With tax rebates on the horizon and the economic stimulus package pumping out big check, most Americans are in for a bit of a cash windfall in the next four months. According to our poll earlier this week, 46% of people plan to use their rebate to pay bills and 30% plan to deposit in a savings account.

For Funny Money Friday this week we've come up with our own top five list of what to do with your windfall, considering the current economic climate:

Top 5 Ways to Spend Your Windfall in 2008

5. Invest in real estate! It is a sure thing since home values will never drop.

4. Convert it to gold coins and bury it in the yard to prepare for peak-oil armageddon.

3. Beanie babies.

2.  There's this Nigerian archbishop who needs your help getting his money out of the country...

1. You'll finally have enough to pay for a bankruptcy filing!

Have a great weekend!

Emily Davidson – Credit.com credit expert and former TransUnion insider. Emily writes about credit reports, credit cards, loans and personal finance as the CreditBloggers.com moderator.

Funny Money Friday: Alternative Economic Stimulus Plan

Money doesn't have to be boring! Each week, CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance world in a series called Funny Money Friday.

Stephen Colbert has a revolutionary idea for economic stimulus! Do-it-yourself googly eyed clams:

Have a crafty weekend!

Emily Davidson – Credit.com credit expert and former TransUnion insider. Emily writes about credit reports, credit cards, loans and personal finance as the CreditBloggers.com moderator.

Funny Money Friday: Weekend at Bernie's Check Cashing Caper

Money doesn't have to be boring! Each week, CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance world in a series called Funny Money Friday.

In 1989, George Bush was in office, unemployment rates were rising and the country was entering a recession after federal fund rates peaked at almost 6%. Sound familiar?

1989 was also the year that Weekend at Bernie's came out in theaters. In a sign that the economy is getting bad these days, history appears to be repeating itself and cheesy 80's movies are coming to life:

Last week, two men attempted to cash their roommate's $400 Social Security check. The only problem was that their roommate had passed away. So they did what any die-hard 80's movie fan would do: they dressed him up and rolled him down to the check cashing store in an office chair. Unfortunately, real life isn't like the movies and a crowd of people quickly noticed the ruse. A detective across the street called in the authorities and put an end to the caper.

If the 80's really are back, I need to go dig up my crimping iron now. Have a "bodacious " weekend, "dudes!"

Emily Davidson – Credit.com credit expert and former TransUnion insider. Emily writes about credit reports, credit cards, loans and personal finance as the CreditBloggers.com moderator.

Funny Money Friday: Top 10 Worst Financial Resolutions for 2008

Money doesn't have to be boring! Each week, CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance world in a series called Funny Money Friday.

Do you have a financial resolution on your to-do list for 2008? Planning to improve your credit? Get out of debt? Increase your savings? We've heard them all! Here's a list of the top 10 worst financial resolutions people might have for 2008:

10. Buy a new Jeep Grand Cherokee! Not only is it expensive and likely to depreciate fast, but you'll also have the benefit of one of the worst fuel efficiencies around with a terrible 11 MPG.

9. Close all your credit cards to get a clean slate. You'll end up destroying your credit scores and having to start from scratch.

8. Work on improving your credit score from 800 to 850. I talked to a reporter about this earlier in the week. Odds are that you'll actually do more harm than good trying to achieve the perfect score. Plus, there's not really an interest rate difference between the two scores.

7. Subscribe to LifeLock. There's nothing that this service offers that you can't do for free yourself. Save your $10 a month and call 888-5-OPT-OUT, go to annualcreditreport.com, and request your own fraud alerts.

6. Stop contributing to your 401(k) and IRA. The tax benefit of these easy retirement savings accounts is a no-brainer.

5. Keep your money in a traditional savings account. Why earn over 4% APY on your savings when you could rake in a health 0.04% from a savings account with your bank?

4. Don't check in on your credit cards. Do you know what rates and fees your credit cards are charging you? If they're not to your liking, call and negotiate a reduction.

3. Don't shred anything. Who cares if identity thieves can easily grab full credit card applications and other sensitive documents out of your trash.

2. Carry credit card balances. Be charged copious amounts of interest from your creditors and destroy your credit scores while you're at it.

1. Never check your credit. Your credit reports and credit scores have a huge impact on the rates you'll receive on insurance, credit cards, loans, utilities, cell phones and more. Check your credit once or twice a year at least to look for inaccuracies and signs of identity theft.

I hope none of these are on your list for 2008! Have a great weekend.

Emily Davidson – Credit.com credit expert and former TransUnion insider. Emily writes about credit reports, credit cards, loans and personal finance as the CreditBloggers.com moderator.

Funny Money Friday: Economic Cartoons

Money doesn't have to be boring! Each week, CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance world in a series called Funny Money Friday.

There's always one upside to any political or national crisis: the jokes get better. The recent economic troubles have provided ample fodder for political cartoonists. For Funny Money Friday this week, we're highlighting some of our favorite cartoons. You can click on each to expand:

You can browse through more economic political cartoons online here. Happy Friday!

Emily Davidson – Credit.com credit expert and former TransUnion insider. Emily writes about credit reports, credit cards, loans and personal finance as the CreditBloggers.com moderator.

Funny Money Friday: An Explosive Gift Idea

Money doesn't have to be boring! Each week, CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance world in a series called Funny Money Friday.

Leave it to the Japanese to find a clever and cute way to deal with a boring issue.  Japanese retailers are stocking their holiday shelves with a new piggybank that "explodes" when the owner fails to make a deposit regularly.  If you don't add cash the skull-marked door blasts open and spills the saved money.

The piggyback will retail for about $27 and is expected to sell well. Apparently, it's become traditional to gift piggybanks at the start of the new year to encourage savings:

Last year, the company launched a popular piggy bank with a screen showing comic characters that grow older according to the amount the user saved. It sold 250,000 in a year.

Sounds like one clever stocking stuffer! I'll be on vacation all next week, returning on the 27th, but our team of credit experts will still be around to post occasionally. Have a great weekend and a happy Thanksgiving!

Emily Davidson – Credit.com's Communication Director and former TransUnion credit expert. Emily writes about credit reports, credit cards, loans and personal finance as the CreditBloggers.com moderator.

Funny Money Friday: America's Worst Jobs

Money doesn't have to be boring! Each week, CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance world in a series called Funny Money Friday.

Let's ignore the manic depressive stock market for a moment and find something else to worry about. How about bad jobs? The Center for Economic Policy Research released a report on the top 10 worst jobs based on being paid very low, having no medical benefits and having no retirement plan. The group calculated that $16.50 an hour was equivalent to minimum wage in 1979, adjusting for inflation. That's $34,320 a year.

This calculation reveals quite a bit about the changing value of minimum wage in the US. The current national minimum wage is only $5.85 an hour. This will increase in July 2008 to $6.55. The highest state minimum wage in the US is currently $7.93 an hour in Washington state. Anyway you look at it, this is a far cry from the $16.50 an hour the CEPR calculated.

Here's the worst of the worst:

1. Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop -- 87.0% qualify as bad jobs
2. Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop -- 87.0%
3. Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers -- 85.4%
4. Fabric and apparel patternmakers -- 82.2%
5. Lifeguards and other protective-service workers -- 81.6%
6. Waiters and waitresses -- 80.4%
7. Tour and travel guides -- 79.4%
8. Models, demonstrators, and product promoters -- 79.2%
9. Dishwashers -- 78.8%
10. Motion picture projectionists -- 78.1%

Surprised by the results? Who would have thought that modeling would have made the list above dishwashers?  Do you have one of these "bad jobs"? What do you think of the list?

Have a great weekend!

Emily Davidson – Credit.com's Communication Director and former TransUnion credit expert. Emily writes about credit reports, credit cards, loans and personal finance as the CreditBloggers.com moderator.

Funny Money Friday: Downsizing

Money doesn't have to be boring! Each week, CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance world in a series called Funny Money Friday.

Has the mortgage crisis got you down? Unable to refinance your McMansion? Shocked at all the Bank-Owned for sale signs in your neighborhood? Stressing over the next Fed announcement? Worried about heating your five bedrooms this winter? Tumbleweed Tiny House Corporation has a solution.

This company specializes in tiny, often portable, homes. For just $21,000, you can have a pre-made 120 square foot Epu cabin complete with front porch delivered to your door. It was featured on Oprah! Or, if you're feeling industrious, you can built it yourself for about $9,000 worth of supplies.

Or, if you have kids, you can choose the Enesti 700 square foot model for approximately $100,000. Four bedrooms, an office, a laundry room, dining nook and porch.

Channel your inner Thoreau! Leave the city and the credit crunch behind! It's tempting isn't it?

Have a great weekend!

Emily Davidson – Credit.com's Communication Director and former TransUnion credit expert. Emily writes about credit reports, credit cards, loans and personal finance as the CreditBloggers.com moderator.                                        

Funny Money Friday: Financial Halloween Costume Ideas

Money doesn't have to be boring! Each week, CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance world in a series called Funny Money Friday.

Halloween is only two weeks away! Time to start planning this year's costume. Here at CreditBloggers.com, we've come up with some timely, financial themed costume ideas. Take your pick:

Bankrupt Mortgage Broker
Wear your best suit with the pockets turned inside out. Carry papers marked with big red foreclosure stamps or a "bank owned" for sale sign. Look disheveled and sad. Maybe buy one of those Countrywide bracelets.

Ben Bernanke
Sport a white beard and a blue suit. Carry a fed rate chart with you. Have your friends dress up as an angry mob of torch and pitchfork wielding investment bankers.

Jim Cramer
Relive the glory days of Jim Cramer's stock market meltdown. Tie and blue collared shirt, with the sleeves rolled up. Goatee. Button sound effect mechanism. Repeatedly scream "They have NO idea. NO idea!"

Suze Orman
Bleach your teeth, part your hair, apply copious amounts of eyeliner and put on the brightest outfit. Bring a microphone and a copy of one of her books.

Scam Lender
Monster mask combined with a polo shirt marked with some terrible made up lender name like "Cash One USA Best Loans Financial Inc."  Offer to lend money to people if they give you a piece of candy. When given said candy, quickly eat it and run away.

Identity Thief
Print out color photos of your friends and relatives and make them into masks. Dress all in black and look nefarious. Carry around credit cards, checks and "stolen" mail.

Any other financial costume ideas to add to our list? Share them in the comments section below. Have a great weekend!

Emily Davidson – Credit.com's Communication Director and former TransUnion credit expert. Emily writes about credit reports, credit cards, loans and personal finance as the CreditBloggers.com moderator.

Funny Money Friday: Buy a Piece of Housing Bubble History

Money doesn't have to be boring! Each week, CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance world in a series called Funny Money Friday.

The housing bubble, mortgage crisis drama is going mainstream. Sure, us credit geeks have been talking about the dangers for years.  The Wall Street Journal just published an article this week about how widespread bad loans are across the country calling it a "Subprime Tidal Wave."

In the meantime, an intrepid Countrywide employee has posted their "Protect Our House" bracelet on eBay.  The bracelets were distributed to employees who pledged to support the company as part of an internal communication program in the face of media criticism.

A true artifact of the current credit crisis, the bracelet's price has already soared to $167. The auction ends tomorrow. Get your bid in now or buy one of the other 10 bracelets that have now been offered for sale for substantially less. You'll need that extra $100 when you have to refinance your Countrywide mortgage.

Have a great weekend!

Emily Davidson – Credit.com's Communication Director and former TransUnion credit expert. Emily writes about credit reports, credit cards, loans and personal finance as the CreditBloggers.com moderator.

Funny Money Friday: Trick-or-Treat

Money doesn't have to be boring! Each week, CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance world in a series called Funny Money Friday.

I love Halloween! The spookiness, the candy, the costumes. According to the National Retail Federation, I'm not alone in my love for this fall holiday. Consumer spending on Halloween increases 10-20% each year. The average person is planning to spend $64.82 this year, compared to $59.06 in 2006 and $48.48 in 2005. This breaks down to:

• $23.33 on Halloween costumes, including kid and pet costumes.
• $19.84 on candy.
• $17.73 on decorations.
• $3.92 on greeting cards.

An estimated $5.07 billion dollars is going to spent on Halloween in the US this year. That's a whole lot of candy corn and a nice way for retailers to launch the holiday shopping season.

If your kids are gearing up for trick-or-treating this year, you might consider a little karmic balancing by sending them out with UNICEF donation boxes as well. You can order a free Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF collection kit online today and it should arrive before the Charlie Brown special airs. Have a great weekend!

Emily Davidson – Credit.com's Communication Director and former TransUnion credit expert. Emily writes about credit reports, credit cards, loans and personal finance as the CreditBloggers.com moderator.

Funny Money Friday: Suprime Song

Money doesn't have to be boring! Each week, CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance world in a series called Funny Money Friday.

Still feeling bad about the credit crunch? You're not alone. The Fed rate cut last week has made things a little more stable but investors seem to be waiting to see if they're willing to go even lower with their next announcement in October before making a move.

One economic consultant has gone so far to compose a song about the current woes. With no further ado, here's his lyrics set to John Lennon's Imagine:

Imagine There's No Subprime

Imagine there's no subprime,
It isn't hard to do.
No Alt-A either, all documentation true.
Imagine all the people, living affordably.

Imagine there's no Countrywide,
It isn't hard to do.
No Angelo Mozilo, no rating agencies, too.
Imagine all the people, living life in peace.

You may say I'm a dreamer,
But I'm not like Option One.
New Century is now an old one,
And Ameriquest is done.

Imagine no repossessions,
I wonder if you can.
No rates to reset, repayment penalties banned.
Imagine all the people, sleeping well at night.

You may say I'm a dreamer,
Or that I've just got an Itch.
But Moody's and S.& P. look pretty bad,
Except compared to Fitch."

Authored by Thomas Lawler of Lawler Economic and Housing Consultants. Have a great weekend!

Emily Davidson – Credit.com's Communication Director and former TransUnion credit expert. Emily writes about credit reports, credit cards, loans and personal finance as the CreditBloggers.com moderator.

 

Funny Money Friday: The Dollar's Low, Eh?

Money doesn't have to be boring! Each week, CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance world in a series called Funny Money Friday.

News reports yesterday announced that the US Dollar was traded equally to the Canadian Dollar for the first time in 31 years. In 2002, the Canadian Dollar (also called a "loonie" because the coin depicts a loon) was equal to 61 US cents. Over the past five years, our neighbor to the north's currency has crept increasingly upward. This Globe and Mail article includes a chart of the price of Canadian dollars over the last few decades.

What does this mean? That trip to Vancouver you had planned is going to be a little more expensive than you thought. Also, imported maple syrup and Labatt Blue prices are going to be higher. Investors with stocks in Canada (for example: me) will be pleased with the performance of their funds.

Best of all, the golden age of the Canada joke may return! I haven't seen news that they're remaking Strange Brew just yet. In the meantime, here are a couple very cheesy Canadian jokes to kick off the weekend:

Q: How many Canadians does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. Canadians don't change light bulbs, we accept them as they are.

Here's a joke about how Canada got its name: When J. MacDonald and Friends were trying to figure out the name of this great place, someone had a great idea. Let's stick all the letters into a hat and draw 3 of them - That will be the new name of this place.. So they did so.. 1st letter is pulled and the guy shouts - "C" eh!? 2nd letter is pulled and the guy shouts - "N" eh!? 3rd letter is pulled and the guy shouts - "D" eh!?

A Canadian is walking down the street with a case of beer under his arm. His friend Doug stops him and asks, "Hey Bob! Whacha get the case of beer for?"
"I got it for my wife, eh." answers Bob.
"Oh!" exclaims Doug, "Good trade."

Have a great weekend, eh!

Emily Davidson – Credit.com's Communication Director and former TransUnion credit expert. Emily writes about credit reports, credit cards, loans and personal finance as the CreditBloggers.com moderator.