Your credit health may start going south, and it may not be your fault.

Currently, your FICO score is the long standing gauge on risk when it comes to lending money. Some are saying that the FICO financial thermometer may be due for calibration, all thanks to the current credit crunch, backed up by the mortgage epidemic.

Analyst Meredith Whitney, on the notion that more people have taken on “more house”, says that a loan-to-value (LTV) may be a more appropriate way to measure financial risk when it comes to lending money. Lenders who have put too much weight into credit scores when it came time …

It seems not everyone loves Jim Cramer. It seems not everyone sees the value in his show, Mad Money.

It seems that Paul Ferrell, in particular, given a stage and a microphone, is more than willing to lob the opening volley that would not only spur an open retort from the mad man himself, but a frothy discussion on boards, blogs, and forums.

In case you missed it, Paul Ferrell’s column appeared on MarketWatch.com last week, and I really didn’t find anywhere in the piece where Ferrell held anything back. I even read between the lines…

“Last week I finally listened to the “Mad …

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Well it appears that the effects of our credit crunch are starting to show up in non-essential services.

Sprint is losing subscribers. Big time. Sprint lost 337,000 post-paid subscribers, or customers who sign annual contracts and pay monthly bills. Total subscribership fell 60,000 from the second quarter to 54 million. The competition, however is doing better. AT&T and Verizon Wireless added two million and 1.6 million net subscribers, respectively. Furthermore, Sprint expects subscriber losses to continue into the fourth quarter.

It seems that Sprint’s troubles stem from its reliance on customers with poor credit, the cellphone industry’s version of the …

The new Fox Business channel debuted a couple weeks ago, and at first I blew it off as another talking-heads show that did little for the common Joe’s Wall Street appetite.

However, the channel is starting to grow on me. Maybe it’s because it’s new, or maybe it’s because it’s just different.

I particularly like the Fox Business Happy Hour. It’s got a couple young hosts (Cody Willard and Rebecca Gomez) that a guy my age could identify with. They’re out in the open instead of being stuck behind a desk, and …

It’s really no surprise that the Fed dropped rates by another quarter point yesterday. In fact, The Street figured it was a 90% sure thing that it would happen.

So now I can expect my Emigrant Direct savings account rate to drop accordingly, just as companies like Proctor and Gamble are issuing statements that they’re worried about consumer spending in the next few months (and when they indicate publicly they’re worried about it, don’t count on financials being all that great next quarter).

With the second rate cut totaling 0.75% in six weeks, it’s clear the Fed is trying …

Yesterday crude oil settled in above $93 per barrel on production problems in Mexico and a weaker dollar.
Pemex, of Mexico, took 600,000 barrels a day off line due to weather. Most of the problem stems from ports being closed, as they are unable to export any more crude and have run out of storage.

The lost production will likely be made up quickly, but it will certainly draw on U.S. inventory levels in the coming weeks, which should further support prices. Crude is up 10% since Wednesday, when the DOE said in its weekly inventory report that stockpiles fell, contrary to analysts’ expectations for a build.

On Wednesday, the Fed may …

This is going to be an interesting week in economic review. The Fed meets again on Wednesday, and the stock market seems to have another rate cut factored in.

I can’t believe Ben Bernanke would drop the overnight rate this soon after dropping the rate a larger than anticipated half point.

The credit problems are starting to moderate, third quarter financials are stronger than expected, the World economy is booming on the weak dollar, and the dismal housing market has yet to spill over into the rest of the economy. In short, things don’t look all that bad from my point of view. Or, more properly stated, things don’t …

I read a post by Robert Frank at The Wealth Report blog hosted by The Wall Street Journal Online today that left me scratching my head.

It might be my engineering background that had me thumbing my nose at the post, but generally it’s my propensity to question what they’re not telling you that really had me intrigued.

The author noted that as evidenced in the book “The Millionaire Next Door,” it’s those who pinch their pennies, drive old pickup trucks and make conservative investments that end up getting ahead in the financial game.

The author goes on to …

Two weeks ago we finally broke down and traded in my wife’s ‘95 Honda Accord. The airbag light came on out of nowhere, and it would have cost us about $500 to fix it. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

So after much agony, we went to the local Honda dealer looking for the last car we’ll buy. At least for the next 13 or so years.

With eyes set on a new, 2007 light metallic blue Accord, we started talking numbers. Most of you frugal readers are thinking: “You bought a NEW car, and took the …