National Payday
Loan Blog

The fiendish Fee Ninjas are back, sneaking through the small  fine print, tip-toeing in the terms and conditions, striking your wallet with ruthless accuracy. These faceless assassins of wealth are stealthy and silent, and you never see them coming until it’s too late.

Every year the American Customer Satisfaction Index ranks the best and worst companies in the country in terms of customer service. Airlines and banks always fair poorly on this list, but this year they are being forced to make extra room for several major cable companies.

Cox Communication, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Charter Communications all made the top ten for lowest-rated companies in America for 2012. Four out of the ten worst customer service companies in the country are cable companies! And why? High prices and suspicious hidden fees are two important reasons.

Cable companies employ Fee Ninjas, because they think you can’t fight back. (more…)

If you are struggling financially, questing to find the right job, or despairing your high cost of living, the problem might not be you at all. It might be where you live. Overall the American economy is still in recovery, but some areas are recuperating much faster than others.

While some cities bust, others boom.

Which metropolitan area has the jobs? Which has the pay? Which has the low cost of living? Instead of having to chase down information from every lane of the superhighway, here is a quick and dirty compilation of what you need to know about the best cities in America. (more…)

“The fiendish Fee Ninjas, lurking in the fine print, hiding in the terms and conditions, striking your wallet with lethal precision. These faceless money-killers are stealthy and silent, and you never see them coming until it’s too late.” 

Banks love paperwork. And they really love paperwork with ridiculously small print on it. But there’s a reason for this – many of the “hidden” banking fees people are surprised to be charged for are actually stated in that small print. The only way to fight these extra charges is to know everything you can about your account, and plan accordingly.

Banks institute new fees quite often, but there are several prominent ones that have been doing great damage to savings account for years. It’s time to round up the usual suspects, and identify the most notorious bank Fee Ninjas. (more…)

So you want a raise at work. That’s natural. Everyone wants to see their hard work rewarded. But if you are really serious about trying to achieve a raise, you are going to have to make it happen yourself.

With proper preparation, and following a few simple guidelines, you can markedly increase your chances for getting a raise. No one ever said it would be easy, but do the right things to put the odds ever in your favor. (more…)

It may seem impossible, but you can save 50 % or more of your income annually. It doesn’t require some monastic vow to live a frugal lifestyle, just a few major lifestyle decisions. Instead of worrying about small purchases like lattes or newspapers to save a few dollars here and there, focus on downsizing the big expenditures to create some big savings. Some extreme savers have managed to put away enough money to quit the rat race long before they were due to retire. Here are the three biggest ways they changed their financial lives. (more…)

October 1, 2013, is the beginning of a new era in healthcare. That’s when you’ll be able to sign up for insurance on the new state or federally-run health exchanges. While some people get insurance through their employers, others who work part-time or don’t work will have to get their insurance through a health insurance exchange once the individual mandates take effect. The government is instituting tax credits, or expanding Medicaid in some states, to help more people afford enrollment in health insurance plans. (more…)

Let’s face it; you’re already dreaming of your next big trip. From hotels to attractions, you’ve got it all figured out; but how are you getting there? If you’re going international, driving is out of the question. If you’re going domestic, is driving 12 hours there and 12 hours back really worth it? Flying can be so expensive, but if you follow these simple rules you’re bound to get the best deal. (more…)

Consumers sick of bank fees flocked to credit unions during the recession. While credit unions have had a reputation of being easier on their customer’s pocketbooks, some changes like the Credit Card Act (CCA) of 2009 have somewhat leveled the field. It’s true that for some types of banking a credit union can be your best choice, but don’t assume you won’t get stuck with fees just because it’s a credit union. Many may offer free checking accounts which banks have long ago dropped, but they do have other ways to make up for the lost revenue that can end up hurting you more. When in the market for a place to put your money, make sure you understand all the services and associated costs before you make a decision. (more…)

Cars are really freaking expensive. With gas expected to cost an average of $3.63 per gallon this year, and considering that the average American will drive 13,476 miles, the cost of just driving your car quickly racks up. Car manufactures know that many want to get the most bang for their buck, which is why they are constantly upgrading the money suckers to provide consumers with ever more efficient vehicles. Most people see the words fuel-efficient and automatically assume that what they’ll save in gas, they’ll end up spending paying for the car. That’s not always the case, though. Here are seven cars that don’t cost a lot to get into that also keep your costs down at the pump. (more…)

You can spot a cheap wedding from a mile away; the clear plastic forks and the fried chicken buffet are a dead giveaway. We’re not trying to put anyone in the spotlight; weddings are expensive and many couples get married at a time in their life when they are not super wealthy. A traditional wedding takes a good amount of work and a lot of money to pull off. You don’t need a David Tutera wedding, but paper plates and hot dogs aren’t really the best route either. The key to a beautiful, yet inexpensive, wedding is to know where to cut back and where to spend. Things like good food and decor can be done for cheap, where as a good photographer or musician are worth paying more for. (more…)