Chase finally revamped their online account website for their credit card users. One of the best change is the merging of FirstUSA and Bank One database. If you have a credit card from Bank One or FirstUSA, you can now view them all on one single site! Life just got a bit easier. Even better, it was all done automatically. I logged into my Chase account today to find that my Chase MasterCard and BankOne VISA are both showing up. Past payment history, statement, etc. are all there.

Cleaner interfance that’s easier read and navigate. Good job Chase. Now please increase my credit limit…

Saw the Wall Street Journal sitting on my driveway today. Got it for “free” via American Express’s Membership Reward points.

This is the first time I used a credit card reward program and there was no hassle at all. Thumbs up to American Express for easy reward redemption, couple clicks and here’s the reward (4-6 weeks later).

Been sick for the past week, a mixture of small fever and cold. Yay.

Here’s the silly thing, I noticed that I’m a lot more health conscious when I’m sick. It’s pretty stupid to start caring about what you eat, only after you get sick.

This isn’t a health blog, but boy two words come to mind right now: preventive healthcare.

Taking care of your body now will save you a bundle of money in future health care cost. Whether we like it or not, there’s generally a direct correlation between your health, your ability to generate income, and of course your networth.

Summer boring you to death? Are you as unproductive as I am? Fear not, there are millions of books out there to occupy your time.

Free Money Finance is starting another good series, this one titled “Best Financial Book I’ve Ever Read” so get your notepad ready and start jotting down some titles!

To save some money, check your local library first! Just don’t be like nickel (and me), getting charged late fees for laziness.

Here’s the stupid part. The Orange County Public Library system lets you renewal your borrowed materials ONLINE. Just a few clicks and you can return it later if you’re busy (lazy) on the due date. Even with this convenience I still manage to owe late fees. Nice.

So. Pros and cons? Okay, maybe the answers are a bit obvious.

Pro: They return the money promptly and say they owe you one.

Con: They return the money late, or never return it at all. Trust is lost, “friendship” is broken, silence ensue, follow by hate and bitterness…

Letting people borrow money is an iffy issue. Especially if it involves family members, because unfortunately sometimes family members are the ones most likely to take advantage of you. Thankfully I don’t have family members like that, but I’ve read/heard plenty of stories.

Thinking back, high school was a period of time where people were constantly asking to borrow money from their “friends.” They can be small amounts, but they certainly add up. One particular person from back in high school still owes me $60 till today. Not a large amount really, but it still tickles my bone in a wrong way whenever I think about it.

I’ve borrowed money occasionally too, but mostly because I just don’t have cash on me. To my recollection I’ve paid everyone back ( but I’m not perfect so I probably owe a buck here or there). These days it’s not really an issue, as I haven’t let anyone borrow any money — not because I don’t want to, but because no one asked. Although I think I’ve learned my lesson, and can distinguish between those that are trustworthy and those that aren’t.

Which reminds me of something I read before on an online message board. There are two types of borrowers: Those that can pay you back but wont, and those that want to pay you back but can’t.

As mentioned from my previous post, I got the Citi Dividend MasterCard. As I was about to activate my card, I noticed something interesting.

Of all the credit cards I’ve gotten, this was the only attempt by an issuer to remind me to use a credit card wisely. Most large credit card issuers have plenty of educational material on credit responsibility and management – you just gotta look for it. Appearantly, it’s not really their top prority if you charge their credit card wisely or not. I was surprised to see Citibank informing their customer on responsible credit usage, and I was even more amused that they choose to put that short message on a disposable sticker. Ah well, at least they made an effort.

So should credit card companies make more effort in education their customers on responsbile credit usage? Yes. Is America’s consumer debt the credit card companies fault? No, not really. (At least, I don’t think so).

Yeah, they really should stop bombarding us with offers after offers. They really should stop coming up with ways to entice people to spend their money. (Longer introductory rates, lower minimum payment requirements, reward points, cash back, travel benefits, etc. etc..) Regardless, at the end, we’re the ones swiping that card.

Yeah, sometimes the fine prints are too small, sometimes there are nasty surprises, and sometimes it’s just pure scam (delay posting payments so customers are charged late fees – FirstUSA anyone?).

But the majority of times, the majority of the reason why we’re a debt nation, could be avoided easily if we just “Use It Wisely”.

I received my subscription renewal notice today from Car & Driver and Motor Trend. They’re $12 per year each. It’s funny because they’re only $10 if you subscribe from their website online. I subscribed to Motor Trend for 4 years, and Car & Driver for 2 years.

So I looked at the stash of old magazine issues gathering dust in the corner of my room, and I looked at the the small renewal notice evenlopes in my hand. I thought about my blog’s tittle, and I toss the evenlopes in the trash can.

Now I can go into detail about how $20 per year, properly invested, compouned at a conservative 8%, multiply by the rest of my lifespan – will yield some incredible amount (minus tax); but cutting expense is cutting expense.

So good-bye for now Motor Trend, Car & Driver; I will no longer read you from the comforts of my bathroom, but instead on the sofa at the local library.

• Traffic = Wasting time and gas
• Wasting time and gas = Wasting a lot of money

If you live in Orange County, CA. You’ve probably experienced the infamous “Orange Crush” by now. I can’t believe there’s a name to it.

Wondering what it looks like?

If I remember right, it was listed as one of the Top 5 worse highway intersection in the United States. In fact, 6 of the Top 10 was in CA. The intersection is currently undergoing construction projects to make everything a bit better. But in the mean time, that means more traffic and more delays.