Say no to bank fees and get the best bank for your buck – From Sam Grobart @ FiLife.com Some great insight into choosing a bank. He looks at fees, interest rates, and more to help you make more educated decisions.

Terry Savage, a nationally known expert on personal finance wrote a fantastic article about Geezeo today for TheStreet.com. Coming from the financial services industry, Shawn and I were honored to learn Terry was interest in our company and had a great time sharing with her a bit more about Geezeo and the long term goals for the company. Terry writes,

“The next generation of financial organization has arrived. It’s called Geezeo. And it means you can get to your personal financial information anywhere, at any time”.

Wow…thanks Terry!

You can read the full article here and learn more about Terry at TerrySavage.com

For those of you visiting Geezeo after reading The Street article, thanks for checking out the site! You’ll be pleased to know that we’ll be rolling out the ability to add your brokerage and investment accounts to Geezeo very soon, giving you a more holistic view of your finances.

In the mean time, all you investors should check out the Geezeo Group Vulture Investment Picks moderated by our very own Shawn Ward.

*Please note: As with any investment, Shawn’s past performance is no guarantee of its future success. No Really…

The Geezeo Team would like to recognize Ben Jabbawy, the Brand Executive of the Month! Ben has worked extremely hard this summer promoting Geezeo and just this past week set up a booth to introduce incoming Freshmen to Geezeo! He also recruited two new members for our Product Ambassador Team! Ben will be receiving a $30.00 American Express Gift Card in the mail.
In addition to working with the Geezeo Team, Ben serves as the founder and editor of Technizzel an online publication designed to inspire young people to pursue careers in engineering and advanced technologies, that launched this summer. Be sure to check it out!

Thanks Ben! Keep up your hard work!

This morning I got a call to return to a contract position at an ad agency where I worked last summer. I said no.

I used to believe that only creative types were aboard the Good Ship Freelance. From time to time we’d sail into port and work, and the rest of the time we were at sea. (Sometimes seasick, and sometimes flat out lost at sea…)

Financially, this lifestyle requires a different mindset and approach.

Now I am convinced that in the coming years everyone will in effect be a freelancer/entrepreneur/intrapreneur. What does this mean for you? Are you prepared to embrace the changes in the workforce? How will it impact you financially?

Here are 3 tips I’ve learned, and they aren’t the typical financial advice. Rather, some are coping mechanisms. The choices you make as a freelancer will impact your financial comfort both short term and long-term.

1. Invest in your reputation first. In a mobile workforce you must aggressively build and protect your reputation. Your reputation is the greatest sales tool you have to differentiate yourself amongst your peers. Problem? You don’t control your reputation.

Your reputation rests solely in how other people perceive you. Therefore it becomes more critical than ever to:

2. Leverage your relationships. Most people talk about this in terms of figuring out how you can get someone else to help you out. Here’s the big secret: people are a lot more helpful when they know you’ve got their back, too. Actively help others without expecting anything in return. When you do, you store up social capital and this always has a way of paying favorably.

3. Prepare Financially. In a topsy-turvy job environment you must be prepared. The two biggest items? Saving for the future and paying for health insurance. Everyone knows health insurance is wildly expensive if you are on your own. Investigate your options and do the best you can. Create that emergency fund. Even a small cushion is better than none at all!

51 tips about credit cards – Ka-ra. Ka-Ching. Ka-Blog! Some great insight into credit cards. Learn more about terms, rates, points, benefits and pitfalls.

I don’t make it a habit to play with anything electrical but this is just plain cool. Kipkay over at instructables.com shows you how you can turn one battery into eight and save about $40. Lifehacker show’s you how to do something similar with a 9-volt battery. Who knew?

12 Volt Battery Hack! You’ll Be Surprised… – video powered by Metacafe

During the summer I find myself driving much more than I do during the school year… which unfortunately means filling up the tank more. SO… I did some important research (wikihow.com) to see how I could save money on gas. While of course, getting a hybrid car or switching to a bike are the obvious answers, I found that there are tons of other changes you can make that can really reduce the amount of gas your car uses…

First off, check to see what kind of tires you use. Low resistance tires are known to help with your gas mileage… so if you are really serious about it, then change your tires!

A more EASY approach to saving money, get a membership card at the gas station that you go to the most. In my town, there are membership benefits for filling up a lot at one station… so ask next time you pull up to fill the tank.

Use CRUISE CONTROL! Breaking or accelerating eats up gas… I’m not suggesting that you run through stop signs and red lights :0 but try to avoid hard breaking as much as possible.

Fill up the tank until it is FULL every time you stop at the station. Waiting for a pump and traveling to a station uses up gas… so while it is painful to watch your wallet empty out for the day, it really is more efficient to do it all in one shot.

Stop searching for the “perfect spot” – Just park where you see a spot. No searching around the lot or watching for people leaving the store to see if they parked in front.. just park and walk, the extra 50 feet won’t kill you, I PROMISE =)

HOWEVER… if you have a choice, park in the shade. Gasoline evaporates in the sun and it will also stop you from blasting the AC as soon as you get back in, which also uses up gas.

These SMALL changes can really add up and help you save!!!! So definitely give these tips a try!

If anyone has any other tips to add, please comment. We ALL want to save money on gas!

The potheads in #5 moved out last week.

They left some interesting items which I salvaged for my own use. (No, not of the green variety). Take a look at this set of ceramic rabbits. Is it just me, or do they look a little baked? Perhaps a touch paranoid, a bit spacey?

10 Financial Lessons Learned from Potheads:

10. Dude… numbers are, like…the core circulation system of this universe!

9. If your reserves run low, deny you had anything to do with it.

8. Know that it is super easy to forget what you spent your money on…

7. Let’s get some pancakes!

6. Share. But…

5. Make sure your stash is kept in a safe place.

4. Save some for a rainy day.

3. Save some for when you’re old and blind. You’ll really appreciate it then.

2. Dude…No, seriously… dude…

the number one reason: Its always best to pay with cash.

~FINE PRINT FROM THE LAWYERS: Obviously, the opinions stated in the Geezeo blog do not reflect the views of The Company, its readers, and anyone with delicate eyeballs who might inadvertently glance at this material while looking for porn. Geezeo does not condone illegal drugs. Or hacky sack. Or dancing bears, for that matter.~

To all of you out there that have tried Geezeo..Thanks! We are thrilled with the fantastic suggestions and genuine interest we have received from our users ~ it has far exceeded all our expectations.

We are in the process of making Geezeo better. Much Better! To do this we need your help. The Geezeo Band is looking for some Rock Stars to help Geezeo climb the charts.

Want to be a Rock Star? We’re currently looking for a strongly opinionated group of individuals that are passionate about their finances and are interested in helping shape the future of Geezeo.

If you are interested in joining our “Geezeo Rock Star” group of Power Users, please email us at rockstar@geezeo.com.

Even if you’re not interested in becoming a “Rock Star”, keep the feedback coming! Your emails are personally read by the team and each suggestion is strongly considered.

Rock On!

Thanks for all your support!

The Geezeo Band

With the end of the summer approaching (sadly) we find ourselves with AMAZING summer sales. Maybe this fall you can only get  a few uses out of these tanks/shorts, but next summer they will still be in! So shop now for next summer. Perhaps stay away from patterns and logo tee’s to ensure that they will still be items you want to wear… but those plain tanks and denim shorts will never be out. So buy them at almost half the price almost anywhere and store them away with the price tags on them and all! That way next summer it will feel like Christmas when you open up those shopping bags and find just what you had in mind!

ALSO… this trick is great for when you have your eye on an expensive item the whole season, and then find it more than half off by the end of the season. Patience is a virtue =) Maybe you had to suffer a whole season without your adorable pricey jeans, but I am sure they will continue to be your favorite pair throughout the fall!  If it’s a handbag you have you eye on, try to stay away from bright colors that you can only wear in summery seasons.

Don’t be afraid to buy something that is a size too big if it is a great sale. Nothing can’t be adjusted and fixed! With time + sewing kit, you can find yourself with a perfect buy!

**The Golden Rule to making expensive purchases: Dollar to Wear Comparison**    Example – You have a pair of jeans for 200 dollars. You ask yourself… Would I pay a dollar two hundred times to wear this jeans for the day?   If the answer is yes, then go for it! It IS worth it. But just make sure the answer is really YES!