According to recent surveys, the average American holds six different credit cards in their wallet.  If youre wondering why Americans carry so many, the reason is quite simple.  Some cards offer better perks and rewards on specific purchases and if a cardholder is disciplined in using credit cards, the rewards and cash back that can be earned is quite substantial.  Taking a look at one of those specific purchase categories, owning a travel rewards credit card will not only earn you valuable rewards but also offer you extreme convenience.

Regardless of whether or not your an experienced or amateur traveler, acquiring a travel rewards credit card for all of your traveling purchases is essential.  The convenience of paying for everything on one credit card while earning a high caliber of perks and rewards will only increase the value of your card over time.  To help you out, weve compiled the best travel rewards credit cards and have dissected them to show their pros and cons.  If you have any experiences with these cards, good or bad, wed love to know what they are.  Please feel free to leave your comments below.

Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express Regarded by many as their favorite travel rewards credit card, the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express was awarded the Smarter Travel Editors Choice Award for Best Travel Awards Card for Domestic Use. Read more…

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One of the pitfalls of investing can be overconfidence in our abilities as investors. You might be a smart and savvy investor, but it important not to let those feelings run away with you. And it is especially important not to let overconfidence in your abilities lead you to think that whatever you decide to do with your portfolio is full-proof.

The problem with overconfidence is that you might not recognize it as such. However, it can be a good idea to take a deep breath and re-evaluate how you feel about your investing abilities. Explore the reasons that you feel good about your investing prowess, and see if there might be an explanation for why you feel so good. Some common sources of investing overconfidence include:

• Market Performance: Just ahead of the 2008 financial crisis, many financial markets were doing well. If you picked a particular investment, it was probably doing well, riding the wave of general gains. But you might have felt like a genius.

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– The financial world is flashing an alert to politicians in Washington: You better stop bickering pretty soon, and reach a deal to raise the federal debt limit.

First came word from Moody’s, the credit rating firm, that it might downgrade US Treasury debt from its top tier in the realm of bonds. That was Wednesday.

On Thursday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, in his semi-annual testimony to Congress, said politicians would impose a “self-inflicted” wound to the economy if a needed hike in the debt limit is held up by political differences.

“I think it would be a calamitous outcome, create a very severe financial shock,” Mr. Bernanke said. “A default on those [Treasury] securities would throw the financial system … potentially into chaos.”

The warnings are a preliminary signal that, despite an aura of calm in stock and bond prices, the financial response to continued gridlock on the debt issue could be severe.

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According to statistics from April 2011, more than 6.1 million Americans have been unemployed for at least six months, which is a record high. Those numbers mean that no matter if you’re a recent graduate, were laid off, or are looking for a new career, you’ll probably need some non-traditional tactics to land the job of your dreams.

It may seem counter-intuitive to suggest that working for free is a solution to finding work that pays. But doing volunteer work can be a powerful way to make connections, showcase your talents, learn new skills, and give back to your community at the same time. After all, getting the job of your dreams usually comes down to knowing influential people, having the right skills, or both.

If you’ve done volunteer work, you know that people can take it very seriously. I’ve attended meetings for volunteer groups that were more ambitious and ruthless than for-profit meetings! Read more…

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The new Household Bank credit card has an offer that we’ve more or less never seen before: 2% cash back on a credit card for bad credit is unusual enough, but Household Bank offers the same deal on its Household Bank MasterCard. Household follows in the tradition of its parent company HSBC’s subsidiary, Orchard Bank. Both lenders go out of their way to help those with bad credit to rebuild their credit histories without paying exorbitant fees or interest rates. Unlike other banks whose sole target is those with bad credit, Household Bank and Orchard Bank offer clear and reasonable terms.

The Household Bank credit card’s offer is unusual for bad credit offerings: to start with, it offers pretty substantial rewards, the kind you usually see with good or excellent credit. It gives a flat 2% on all purchases, redeemable for cash or gift cards. The annual fee is pretty darn reasonable: $0 or $39. There’s no processing fee, unlike the other Household Bank MasterCard offer.

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