Recently, a friend asked me about the pros and cons of investing leftover student loan money (a pretty considerable sum…around $5,000.00). My advice: BAD IDEA. The risk outweighs the reward First of all, the likelihood that you’re going to make considerable money on a $5,000 investment is decent, I will admit.  However, remember that you’re going to have to pay that money back.  Whatever your chances of gain are, you’re going to have to get a better rate of return than your interest rate…around 6%.  Even if you invest in a “high-risk” internationa...

While unemployment is on the rise, up to 9.4% in May from 8.9% in April (http://bls.gov), compensation packages are on the downturn. Employers have more bargaining power due to the excess supply of job-seekers, naturally causing them to offer lower compensation packages to potential employees. If you receive an offer, don’t settle for less. Ante up your compensation with these helpful hints. Find out what other people in your field are making Check out salary.com, a website designed to give you incomes for a number of professions in locations all over America. Detailed reports can run an...

Jim Rogers, author of Hot Commodities: How Anyone Can Invest Profitably In The World’s Best Market and creater of the Rogers International Commodity Index (^RCT) claims that the world is headed into the next bull-market for commodities and not surprisingly, a flat market for stocks and equities. I’m usually skeptical about gurus who make bold statements like this, but Rogers track record is proven, so it’s lead me to read his book. Not to mention the fact that his index, which is a bundle of commodities, returned 254% from 1999 - 2006, while the stock market only returned a l...

With fall semester right around the corner, you  may feel like you’ve already missed the boat applying for scholarships. But it’s not too late. FastWeb! still has plenty of money to offer, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t get some of it. As the fall semester approaches, we’ll give you the opportunity to apply for every scholarship available. More information on scholarships and FastWeb! Harper Academic Research Competition Award Amount: $1,000 The Harper Academic Research Competition is open to graduate and undergraduate students. To enter the contest you must...

Slate.com, one of our favorite news websites, has done it again. In this parody of the Web 2.0 world, creative authors have made light of the GOP/Democratic bickering, Kim-Jong launching a nuclear missile and the fiascos that face Governor Schwarzenegger and the state of California. Here’s a sneak preview: You can read the full newsfeed here. Did you miss it? Collegefinance101.com offers powerful textbook search engine Collegefinance101.com offers new online shop Four Easy Ways to Improve Your FICO Score The Potential Dangers of Obama’s Credit Card Reform The Amazing Piggy Bank Chase,...

Good news! We now offer a really powerful textbook search engine courtesy of CampusBooks.com. Over 8 million new and used textbooks Dozens of college bookstores Average student savings of 61% Includes tax, shipping, and coupons Free comparison service, so you find the best price available. All you need to do is find your book, click “compare” and this powerful engine will automatically search dozens of textbook sites to show you the best price! No need to hunt for your books on multiple sites anymore… or get ripped off by the textbook industry’s incredible mark-up. F...

We’ve established a simple philosophy ever since the day we started this blog: deliver the most relevant financial content possible to our fellow demographic - college students. Saving money is important, but so is having fun (and spending money). Simply put, we’re here to save you money. But not just with our advice… but with our offers. Why go anywhere else? In our recent efforts, we’ve developed an online “Shop” for our dedicated reader base. Although still in the infancy stage, we’ll be adding to it weekly to bring you the best deals around. Period...

It sure does help to know your FICO score, a combination of variables that determine your “credit score” based on a formula by Fair Isaac (NYSE: FIC), but simply knowing your score won’t make your score go up. But if you follow these four tips, with diligence and patience, your score will surely rise. Don’t be late with your payments Need we say more? Don’t max out your credit cards just because you can Try to only charge a maximum of 20-30% of the credit allowed to you. If you’re credit card has a line of credit equal to $2,000 bucks, don’t charge...

When the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act was recently signed into law by President Obama, consumers felt that something was finally going to protect them from the deceptive billing tactics of credit card companies. But sometimes things aren’t always as they appear. The new laws will inevitably, according to some, force credit card companies to act differently, squeezing money out wherever they can. Here’s what to watch out for: Obama’s Credit Card Reform: Good for Consumers (and gun owners)? New kinds of fees With the new law, there are ...

After putting our savings strategy to the test, we were able to save up (coins and one dollar bills only) close to $360. With a $40 match, we decided to invest $400 into the stock market and track our progress for you. After doing some research (shopping), we decided to go for a stock in the financial sector because we feel that bank stocks have the most potential to the upside (long-term, at least) and are currently the most volatile stocks in the short-term. We originally were going to go for a small regional bank in Ohio, but the trading volume was too low. So what did we pick? Read The Ama...