August 13, 2010 Archives

News that book retailer Barnes & Noble may be up for sale shouldn't send consumers speeding to the nearest store, gift card in hand.

Barnes & Noble announced on Aug. 3 that it was considering a possible sale of the company. But a potential change in ownership won't leave its gift cards valueless, Barnes & Noble and an independent expert say.

"The fact that the board is exploring strategic alternatives has nothing to do with the day-to-day business," says Mary Ellen Keating, the company's senior vice president of corporate communications. Barnes & Noble is continuing to accept its gift cards as usual, Keating says.

This summer, VH1 aired a new reality show called "You're Cut Off." It starred nine rich and spoiled ladies who go through "princess rehab" to teach them how to be responsible and value their families' money that they spend so carelessly.

At first, the princesses were told that they were going to be on a reality show called "The Good Life" all about their exorbitant lifestyles. The clips from this segment is hilarious--one girl is in a hot tub with nice champagne being poured down her mouth who later brags about her hundreds of thousands of dollars of credit limit spread across multiple cards. Another is a girl getting into a private car in New York while swathed in a massive fur coat. Another getting Botox injections, while another shows off her four luxury cars. Then the girls are informed that they are on a very different show where they are being cut off from their families and forced to "live like normal people."

I hope these nine princesses tune in and read this roundup of some of my favorite posts from personal finance blogs from the past week.