Personal Finance

One-third (33%) of U.S. families are making less money as a result of job loss, moving to a part-time job and/or working at a lower-paying job, which may have an impact on holiday shopping.

In addition, according to three recent consumer surveys from America’s Research Group (ARG), 40% of parents are trying to save as much money as they can for their children's college education, 38% of families did not take a vacation this year of four days or longer, and 44% of parents will do most of their back-to-school apparel shopping in December when the deals are better.

New York - Almost three-in-four Americans are holding back on spending, according to a new Bankrate.com report, with stagnant income the most frequent reason (32%), followed by the need to save more (24%) and worries about the economy (20%). Just 27% of Americans say they are not holding back spending at all.

Additional findings:

Charleston, S.C. – One-third (33%) of U.S. families are making less money as a result of job loss, moving to a part-time job and/or working at a lower-paying job.

In addition, according to three recent consumer surveys from America’s Research Group (ARG), 40% of parents are trying to save as much money as they can for their children's college education, 38% of families did not take a vacation this year of four days or longer, and 44% of parents will do most of their back-to-school apparel shopping in December when the deals are better.

New York -- Walmart brought together 10 moms in Nashville, Tenn., on Wednesday night to air their thoughts about the economy , the federal government and their own household incomes. The gathering — one of several that occurred in different locations throughout the nation — was part on an annual focus group organized by the chain, reported CNNMoney. This year, the discussion focused on a subject very much in the headlines: budgets.

Washington, D.C. – Matthew Shay, president and CEO of the National Retail Federation released a statement on the decision to reopen the federal government through Jan. 15 and raise the debt ceiling until Feb. 7. Shay said that while the agreement provides some satisfaction, it essentially continues debate and postpones difficult economic decisions that must be made.

New York -- American Express Serve announced a free nationwide cash load network and the addition of new money management capabilities to its full-service reloadable prepaid account. The new features enable Serve customers to load cash for free at more Than 14,000 participating CVS/pharmacy and 7-Eleven stores

The new features include: direct deposit, bill pay, mobile check capture, and personal financial management tools. These enhancements are designed to meet the needs of the nearly 70 million Americans underserved by traditional financial services.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens announced it is launching a full suite of integrated financial services, Balance Financial, in phases over the coming months. The services are all built around the chain’s new Balance  Financial Prepaid MasterCard.

Balance Financial is currently offered to customers of more than 250 Walgreens locations in Detroit, Milwaukee, and Nashville, with a nationwide card rollout expected before year end and additional financial services in 2014.

Walgreens plans to launch a full suite of integrated financial services, Balance Financial, in phases throughout the next few months. 

The services are all built around the chain’s new Balance Financial Prepaid MasterCard. Balance Financial is currently offered to customers of more than 250 Walgreens locations in Detroit, Milwaukee and Nashville, with a nationwide card rollout expected before year end and additional financial services in 2014. Balance Financial is powered by Galileo, a leader in advanced payment processing solutions.