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We receive thousands of e-mails and comments on the Your Money message board each week and read them all, though we can't respond personally to each one. Below is a sampling of some of the recent MSN Money articles that received insightful comments and feedback.
- I am glad to see something is being done to help this problem, but it is sad that they have until 2010 to comply. Why is that? Why can't this happen in early 2009?
- Why are we giving these companies (crooks) 18 months to comply with these rules? They certainly were not concerned about giving people who were carrying a balance 18 months to get their credit balance corrected before doubling or even tripling their rates. If they conducted business ethically, they would have done these themselves years ago. . . . They also say you should only carry less than half of your credit limit. If this is the case, why don't they make the credit limit half of what it currently is? It is all just tricks to rob millions of people and keep them on the hook for life. I hope all of these companies go belly-up!!!
- I used to work for a credit card company, and every year they would drag us all together via videoconference from multiple sites to "encourage company loyalty" -- and basically to throw it in our face that they made X billion dollars in profit that year. It would be absolutely absurd if they felt the need to charge more or restrict credit due to these new guidelines. The simple fact is they make excessive amounts of profit (the last one I recall before I left was $42 billion, just in profit alone -- not revenue) that are passed on to executive staff. There would be no need to pass on the cost to consumers. These banks are why we're in the financial crisis we're in.
- July 2010 is going to be too late for a lot of people. They are going to go under before that happens. If the credit card companies are going to keep raising rates, then we as borrowers should be able to take the interest rate off our income taxes again. That is the fair thing to do. I am not sure why they stopped letting us do that. We were paying up to $6,000 in interest alone each year.
- I don't understand how this is going to help people now when they need it; 2010 should have been changed to be January 2009. By the time this goes into effect, most of the people will have already received the higher rates and have been paying on them for a year. This delay in the time frame is only going to make it worse when the people need it now.
- I am sure that this inconvenience to the banks of actually having to deal fairly with the people who use their credit cards would have nothing to do with and never be related to the billions of dollars of bailout money they are getting. Start boiling the tar and gathering the feathers!!!
- I congratulate you not only on your personal success but also on the success of your column. I crave the candor you bring to your articles. I have enjoyed reading your articles and find something helpful or something that I didn't know in all of them. I'm encouraged by your personal finance victories as well as those of the subjects of your articles. I applaud your courage both in your personal and career efforts. You are "all that" and then some!
- Congratulations to MP Dunleavey for working her way out of debt and sharing the tough story with her readers! Her writing inspired me to get rid of my credit card debt and never build it back up. I'm sure it was difficult for MP and her Women in Red to be honest about some of the boneheaded things they (and we) do that bring them to financial insanity, but it's comforting to know that just as anybody can get into money trouble, anybody can work their way out of it, too.
- Health is more important than money; what if one or both of these people get sick or killed tomorrow? What would be the point of being debt free? Life's too short. You can always earn more money, but you can never get back the time you lost or get a guarantee that you won't die tomorrow or come down with a terminal or incapacitating illness.
- I heartily congratulate you on your journey and your willingness to be vulnerable and honest about how the landmarks and experiences along the way were really affecting you. I liked the many aspects and approaches that emerged in your articles. Some helped, some didn't. There were times when I thought you were a real lightweight. I apologize for feeling that way. You proved you are the real thing because you pressed on to the end.
- I loved this article because everyone wants a silver bullet or magic potion. You did it the hard way and you are alive to tell the story. That is the backbone we Americans have deep within us. You and your Women in Red have pioneered the way and lit the path. It's not easy, but it certainly is possible. Thank you so very much for letting us go with you step by step.
- So, speed limits are apparently only recommended speed limits if drivers are supposed to move out of the left lane to let a speed demon pass them.
- So which is it -- are the posted speed limits real limits -- or should the left lane remain open for persons driving beyond the posted speed limit, should they choose to drive above the legal limit?
- What a Catch-22! A driver can be ticketed for speeding AND for impeding the flow of traffic by not exceeding the posted speed limit.
- What drives me crazy is that most do not obey the law. That puts the speeder and me at risk. Driving too fast on the road is a selfish thing and needs to be talked about more than the rights of those who can't go fast enough because someone in front of them is obeying the law.
- What if you're in the left lane doing 75 mph and some idiot starts to tailgate you? If you move over to let them pass, it just puts you behind slower traffic, which will cause you to have to brake. If you are in the left lane doing 75 you should not have to move over for someone who wants to drive 80-85 or faster.
- My concern is if the driver needs to catch a left exit off the interstate. Should he endanger his life by driving above the speed limit in the left lane?
- In Germany, the rule of the road is that if the car behind you is going faster than you are, then you must move out of the way. It is not your job to enforce the speed limit. That job belongs to the police officers patrolling the roads. In addition, if an accident takes place, where someone rear-ends you, then you will be considered at fault. Maybe we should learn something from the Germans.
Editor's note: Letters may have been edited for grammar or spelling. Due to space considerations, some letters have been condensed and are not presented in their entirety. The views and opinions expressed in the letters are those of the authors and not necessarily those of MSN Money.
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