This week we’re taking a look at recent posts on the Credit blog and looking forward to new blogs we’ll post in the Credit Bloopers section of the Experts on Credit website. In recent months we’ve posted a wide variety of credit tips on the Bloopers blog, including:

 

• Avoiding problems with credit while in college. Post-graduation, a good credit report can make the difference between getting the job you want and getting turned down.
• The downside of swapping homes instead of selling- there are many upsides to swapping homes, but a few concerns to keep in mind, too.
• The high cost of airline travel- which airlines charge the most for travel-related fees like food and checking bags.
• We’ve explored common credit mistakes that happen during a divorce, and how to avoid those mistakes.
• Tips to use before you apply for car loans or shop for cars.
• Common credit mistakes to avoid to improve your credit score.
• Sticking to your budget, even during special events and holidays.

 

This year we introduced credit cards pros and cons and we’re pleased to see how many people have visited the new area of the site and contributed their thoughts on the good and bad of the most popular types of credit cards available today. In addition, we have dozens and dozens of credit card reviews that allow you to see what people are saying about their credit cards online. Let us know if you have a topic you’d like to see addressed on the Credit Bloopers blog by commenting below.

This week we’re looking back on some of our recent Credit blogs. In recent months, we’ve profiled a number of stars in the Celebs and Credit blog. Some of the celebrity profiles and news on the blog have included:

 

• Tori Spelling and her out of control credit card spending;
• Celebs who improve their credit by doing celebrity voiceovers;
• Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and Bill Gates and Warren Buffet’s charitable spending and good works;
• Celeb divorces and almost divorces and settlement amounts;
• Celebrity home foreclosures and almost foreclosures;
• Celeb entrepreneurs who amp up their credit with celebrity perfumes, colognes, clothes and coffee;

 

We also provide tips for people who aren’t celebrity superstars to improve their credit and purchasing power by comparing credit cards and finding cards that reward them just for making everyday purchases. We’ll keep providing you with credit tips, and we’re open to suggestions about which superstars to profile on the Celebs and Credit blog. Feel free to comment and tell us who your favorite Hollywood star is and we’ll add them to the list of people to watch!

I find this election season totally fascinating.  I’ve written before that I’m supporting Barack Obama.  My support hasn’t changed, but man has a lot happened since I was originally writing about the election and how it related to credit cards and finance last year.  Really, I don’t fit the demographic for an Obama supporter, as I’m of the Clinton’s generation.  Call me a self-hating Boomer, maybe.  That might be a little strong, but I do agree with a lot of the criticisms that Boomers take and why a fresh start is necessary.  

While I don’t agree that the Boomers are to blame for our current economic trouble, they’re far from blameless.  Here’s the situation: across the board we’re seeing that industries are looking for short-term profits over long-term sustainability, which is finally coming to a head in today’s credit crisis.  The subprime mortgage crisis was a direct result of this outlook.  Many new, and warned, that giving out so many loans was unsustainable and then the inevitable happened.  

Climate change works under the same framework.  Companies may have gained short-term profits by skirting environmental laws, and now it is coming back to haunt all of us.  Giant SUV-drivers may be driving a safer car, but that car is wreaking havoc on the environment.  At the same time, I have no figures, but I imagine the bulk of SUV drivers are those under 50 with young children: i.e. not the Boomer generation.  

Where Boomers get blamed is that they’ve created this culture of live now, forget the future.  I don’t buy that exactly.  As I’ve written here before, the desire for a quick fix is a human issue, not necessarily a generational one.  That said, what makes the current election so vital is that it so symbolic.  It is an election about the older generation against the younger generation.  Defend the Boomers all you want, but there’s no doubting that we’re facing serious challenges built upon generations of bad policy and neglect.  

For this reason I think the “Change” tag is an important one.  We definitely need to rework how we act as a civilization.  Yep, I’m thinking in big terms because we’ve got big problems.  A potential perfect storm is on the horizon: both economic and ecological collapse.  It’s painful to write those words, but the fact that it’s even a possibility is pretty startling.  Electing a candidate like Obama would be as much a psychological break from the past as it would be a way to bring about new policies in regards to the environment or the economy.  That’s why this Boomer wants to vote for a President much younger than I.  

Jose Canseco, former baseball star and former star of the celeb reality show “The Surreal Life” has lost his home to foreclosure. Celebrity Canseco spoke to “Inside Edition” about his home foreclosure, explaining that it didn’t “make sense” to keep making payments on a house that he didn’t own. Huh? The celebrity stated that he voluntarily let his home go into foreclosure and did not clarify where his family had moved.

 

Past Debts Contributed to Jose Canseco’s Home Foreclosure

 

Canseco’s past debts probably contributed to his current financial situation. Before going into home foreclosure, the celebrity spent millions on costly divorces, steroid use and battles with law enforcement. Jose Canseco’s former home, which measured 7300 square feet, was located in Encino, CA.

 

Reduce High Interest Debt to Mitigate Recession Woes

 

Moe and more people are starting to come forward to talk about their recession-related woes. U.S. home foreclosures have doubled since this time last year and experts predict the recession will continue well into the next year and potentially into 2010. If you’re looking for some debt relief, consider a low interest credit card or a balance transfer credit card. These cards can help ease high interest debt with low, life-of-balance interest rates or zero percent introductory interest rates.