Profile
twestr1
www.americanprogress.org/issues/domestic/debt
Tim Westrich
Washington, DC (20005)
Tim Westrich is a Research Associate at the Center for American Progress and the author of several reports and articles on credit cards, checking accounts, home mortgages, and other financial services policies. Tim has been a frequent guest on radio shows and at conferences; his work has been cited in USA Today, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and other major newspapers. He is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio.
June 23, 2008
None so far.
None so far.
None so far.
- To Use Bank Accounts & Credit Cards Wisely, You May Need To Get Inside Your Own Head, 11/14/2008
- Not All Credit Cards Are Bad For You, Try One From A Credit Union, 10/21/2008
- Credit Card Showdown, 09/18/2008
- Avoiding Costly Overdrafts: Think Twice Before You Swipe Your Debit Card, 08/28/2008
- Six of One, Half Dozen of the Other, 08/06/2008
- Your First Car Loan: Know Before You Go, 07/22/2008
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On
Not All Credit Cards Are Bad For You, Try One From A Credit Union,
10/24/08
Thanks for your comments. Both the weakonomist and Guy make great points about the differences between banks and credit unions. As Guy points out, credit unions aren't taxed because they are nonprofits, and therefore have an advantage over banks given that they compete to provide the same products. And to your point, a lot of them are doing just fine despite the banking crisis. (A lot of small banks are doing fine too.) They tend to have a culture of high-quality customer service. Depending on your situation, it might be wise to have some of your financial services at a bank and some at a credit union. -
On
Credit Card Showdown,
09/23/08
Hi Matt, your intuitions are right about where the parties really would stand on the bailout. The Center for American Progress just put out a great "cartoon" explainer on what we propose it look like: http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/09/fair_effective_graphic.html I am also from Cincinnati -- looks like our Bengals are back to their old form, eh? FYI, this post needs an update -- as of 1 hr ago the Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights Act passed the House! -
On
Avoiding Costly Overdrafts: Think Twice Before You Swipe Your Debit Card,
09/04/08
I'd be very interested in the results of your survey. Thanks for bringing up the "funds available" issue. With phrasing like that, it really makes overdrafts like a lending product, rather than a courtesy service. -
On
Your First Car Loan: Know Before You Go,
08/01/08
Thanks for your comment and your story of buying a car. Your experience brings up that it pays to shop around -- different dealers often have different prices for the same car. And of course summer usually is a great time to buy last year's model at a low price as dealers are looking to clear inventory.