As a consumer I have always been skeptical of some of the intangible cardholder benefits associated with certain credit cards. Typical among these benefits are purchase protection plans, car rental loss and damage insurance, lost/stolen baggage insurance, and delayed trip insurance. I never perceived a real value in these services and thought I would never have the occasion to use any of the benefits. I also typically do not like paying annual membership fees on credit cards that offer these benefits. All of that changed recently. I booked a flight to Italy with my American Express card, which provides trip … Continue Reading →

Do Gen Yers know of Rodney Dangerfield? Baby boomers think him as a great stand-up comedian, and Gen Xers revere him for his part in the movie that so many of them consider to be the greatest of all-time: Caddyshack. For many of us, we’ll always remember him by his tag line: “I don’t get no respect.” Which leads us, naturally, to e-mail marketing. Talk about getting no respect. If you listen to the social media gurus, e-mail is dead, and any firm still doing e-mail marketing is a dinosaur that should be put out to pasture. Thankfully, there are a lot of … Continue Reading →

Banks have been working on transforming their organizations from being product-focused to customer-centric for years; they have lofty goals of helping their customers make financial decisions across all areas of their financial lives. But for customers to trust their banks with important financial decisions, banks will need to demonstrate that they are truly interested in helping customers make the right financial choices. Following the events of the last couple of years, customers have been left with a contrary impression (e.g., unfair overdraft charging practices, poor credit card disclosures, and significant gaps in banks’ mortgage foreclosure processes). While changing the website may … Continue Reading →

I attended FinnovateFall (Oct 4 and 5), where 56 companies large and small presented their latest technology innovations. Most of the solutions came from B2C firms, with a few B2B companies focused on small businesses, and one in particular (Ace Portal) addressing the private placement market. Solutions spanned product/service areas, ranging from bill payment to online investing. This post focuses on some of the most interesting solutions catering to the wealth management/financial planning space. Personal Financial Management (PFM) Among the many PFM solutions showcased, my pick is Bundle. The company provides a unique graphical display of a user’s transactions and … Continue Reading →