Pertuity Direct is a new social lending site where consumers can lend and borrow money directly without the involvement of a traditional bank. In this Pertuity Direct review, I’ll take a look at some of the features and explain how Pertuity compares to other social (or peer-to-peer) lending networks like Lending Club and Prosper. [...]

For the foreseeable future, new credit will be increasingly difficult to obtain. Whether your goal is a new credit card, auto loan, or a mortgage, you may have to wait until credit markets improve, you improve your credit score to an excellent level…or both. That said, it’s not time to ignore your credit score. In fact, it’s the perfect time to work on improving your credit score. Here’s why, and how. [...]

All my friends who bought homes before their 30th birthday love to proclaim that they’re no longer “throwing money away” by paying rent. Although I too aspire to one day own my home, I’ve never felt like renting is wasting money. That’s because when I do buy a home, I will buy a place to live; not an investment. [...]

There is already speculation that this past Monday will mark the bottom of the stock market in our current recession. What do I think? I don’t care. And, if you want to consider yourself a savvy investor, neither should you. In fact, when asked recently where he thinks the stock market will go over the next few years, investor demigod Warren Buffet retorted that he didn’t know, and that it doesn’t matter. [...]

When times get tough most of us clip coupons, take on second job, and lean on friends and family. Some, however, turn to crime. And in our digital age, that crime is less likely to be petty robbery and more likely to be identity theft. Reports of identity theft jumped up 50 percent in 2008, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which adds that ID theft is the fastest growing crime in the nation. The FTC estimates that as many as 9 million Americans fall victim to some kind of identity theft every year. What can you do to prevent identity theft? And what should you do if you’re a victim? [...]

Anybody with a high yield savings account knows that the rates on these accounts have been plummeting recently. Many of them, including ING Direct, now pay less than 2% interest.

While some, including top-rated FNBO Direct, continue to pay competitive rates (as high as the market will allow), you can’t expect your cash to grow substantially in these accounts. Although I still highly recommend FNBO or a similar online savings account for short-term savings (such as your emergency fund or surplus checking funds), if you are going to be saving money for a few years, it may be time to look beyond the savings account. [...]

Around tax time, the mere utterance of the “A” word is enough to make even the most honest taxpayers break into a cold sweat. Tax codes are so complicated, and the IRS so stringent, that an auditor could probably find an error or two in almost anybody’s return. But don’t sweat; understanding how the IRS selects tax returns to audits may just decrease your chances of being selected. [...]

At first, I was shocked to read that Suze Orman is recommending you pay only your minimum credit card payments and instead save cash in an emergency fund. It’s a total about-face from what Suze and probably 98% of personal finance writers typically recommend: above all else, get out of debt. But, given these unprecedented economic times, I think I agree. Do you? [...]

Deciding what to do with your 401(k) retirement plan when you leave a job can be intimidating. Unless you have an extreme hardship and need to cash out your 401(k), it’s almost always best to rollover your old retirement plan into a rollover IRA. Once you understand why—and how—to rollover your old 401(k) into an IRA, the process is easy. [...]

Anybody looking for a job right now knows—it’s a jungle out there. Unless you are looking in recession-proof fields, jobs are few and far between, and thousands of workers are losing their jobs every day. Put simply, competition is cutthroat. Don’t despair. Whether you are fresh out of school or have several years of experience and are recovering from a layoff—it’s still possible to stand out from the competition and land a great gig. [...]