According to psychographic ad targeter Mindset Media, the TV shows you watch can offer marketers key insights into your personality. For instance, very modest people are more likely to watch the blue-collar hero show “Deadliest Catch” while altruistic people tend to prefer cooking shows like “Rachael Ray” and reality shows with happy endings like “The Bachelor.”

Beat the Marketers: Ever heard that you shouldn’t grocery shop on an empty stomach? It’s a good idea not to shop online when you’re feeling emotional. Whether you’re insanely excited about the new business idea you had in the bar, or in despair over the state of your finances, you’re likely to fork out a fortune for unnecessary information products.

Keep a cool head, and promise yourself that you’ll sleep on it before making any decisions. Your mood will have changed in the morning – and if you still want the product, you’ll know it wasn’t just an emotional reaction.

Some items that were seen as fads or didn’t exist in 1996 have also jumped onto the necessity list:
• Cell Phone: 49%
• High-speed internet: 29%
• Flat-screen TV: 5%
• iPod: 3%

1. Applied Bank Unsecured Visa Gold Card

The Applied Bank Unsecured Visa Gold Card advertises a $500 line of credit and charges you an annual fee of $125 for the privilege. After the first year, that fee jumps to $180. Plus, the interest rate on the card is a high 29.99%.

2. First Premier Bank MasterCard

It doesn’t get much more expensive than First Premier’s card, which has an APR of 59.99% and fees of more than $120 a year.

“You have to be awfully desperate to have that card and pay that kind of APR,” said Curtis Arnold, founder of CardRatings.com. “But I don’t know why you would do that when there are so many other options even if your credit is bad — even a secured card with all its fees would be a better alternative.”

The company, however, stands by its claim that it serves the needs of a growing number of consumers with less than perfect credit. And, in fact, it has nearly 300,000 customers for this card, most of whom carry a balance.

3. Baby Phat Prepaid Visa RushCard

Many prepaid debit cards are loaded with fees. And the BabyPhat Rush Card is the worst out of a bad lot.

It’s even more expensive than all of the RushCards, costing $14.95 just to own, while the three other Rush cards top out at $9.95

“The BabyPhat card allows its holder to make a statement,” said a RushCard spokesman. “Its distinctive pink facade is adored by those who want panache with their purchasing power.”

That panache costs: If you choose a monthly plan, you’re going to pay $9.95 per month plus a $1 per transaction if you use the card as debit instead of credit. Plus, there are hefty ATM fees and other charges.

If you instead choose the “pay as you go” plan, you avoid the monthly fee and instead pay $1 every time you swipe your card — up to $10 per month. If you don’t use your card for 90 consecutive days, you get hit with $1.95 fee. And the ATM fees are even worse.

“This is what I call the “plastic tax” because you’re so desperate to use plastic you’ll accept almost any terms,” said John Ulzheimer, personal finance expert at SmartCredit.com.

4. Hooters MasterCard

If you’re a regular Hooters customer, this card gives you five points for every dollar you spend at the restaurant. But that doesn’t make up for the fact that the APR on the card can hit 25.45%.

The card, issued by Merrick Bank, also comes with an annual fee of up to $48 for the first year, plus $4 per month after that. Late payment fees, returned payment fees and over-the-limit fees go up to $35.

That makes this card among the worst in terms of restaurant-branded credit cards, according to John Ulzheimer, personal finance expert at SmartCredit.com.

“Even if you have excellent credit, it looks like you’ll get a rate of more than 16%,” he said. “You can definitely find a better card than that with excellent credit — and if you’re credit isn’t so good, you’re certainly going to get hit with that 25.4%.”

Claudia Buck: sacbee.com

Valentine’s Day: That heartfelt time of rings, romancing and oh-so-many wedding proposals. And a day when three little words just might be whispered in your ear.

No, not those three little words. The I-love-yous aside, we’re talking these: a prenuptial agreement. As the busy summer wedding season approaches, it’s a good time to consider a document with a decidedly ominous reputation. To read the complete article, please click here

November 30, 2010, 12:03 pm

Ramit Sethi runs the Web site I Will Teach You to Be Rich.

One of my friends has been meaning to fax his health insurance company to stop an overcharge worth hundreds of dollars each month. When I asked him why it’s taking so long to fix it, he gave me an astonishing reason: He said he didn’t have a fax machine.

It’d be easy to point and laugh at him for being lazy. But he’s a successful entrepreneur. So why does he find it so hard to motivate himself?

Many of us think we make rational financial decisions. We believe we’re in control. “If I just try harder,” we say, “I could save $100 more each month.”

Yet time and time again, our willpower fails us, and we yo-yo back to our same spending patterns.

So here’s how to turn a few powerful psychological principles in your favor and save more, pay off debt and live a richer life. To read the complete article, please click here.

ATM fees. Know where your own bank’s ATMs are located, even in other states, so you can save $2 or $3 every time you get cash out of the wall. Or consider switching to a bank that offers free ATM usage regardless of which bank’s ATM you tap.