May 29, 2008 By Liz Morris

HSBC launched a new MasterCard into the growing “green” credit card field yesterday, with the introduction of the Ecosmart MasterCard.

Ecosmart MasterCard holders will receive one point for every dollar in purchases with the card, and can use those points to donate to environmental organizations including The Climate Group, Earthwatch Institute, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Arbor Day Foundation, Wind Power Renewable Choice, and Our Energy.

If they lose their environmental zeal in the future, cardholders can instead use the points for cash back, travel rewards, gift cards or other traditional credit card rewards.

HSBC’s Ecosmart MasterCard joins several other “green” credit cards introduced in the past year or so, including the Brighter Planet credit card from Bank of America, and the Earth Rewards credit card from GE Money.

Click here to apply for the HSBC Ecosmart MasterCard.

a quick one-pager! woo-hoo!

Diesel is $4.95 … I fully expect it to be AT LEAST $5 when I come back from the trip. EEK!

When I came home, there was a new package of translations waiting…a lease agreement amendment- joy! (not!)…
still, I’ve gotten quite used by now…but, I swear, thinking about the difference between a lessor and a lessee (or arrendante and arrendatario in Spanish) makes my head…

We were assigned new, larger office space- yay!
we moved today- not yay!
My workstation did not fit the way it did in the other space (it’s a combination reception desk/workstation/file cabinet)…so…we had another piece of it in storage…had to get it out of storage…had to…

A landowner planned to sell property to a developer who put money into an escrow account. The developer defaulted on the contract and the landowner received an escrow payment. The landowner wants to know whether the escrow payment will be taxed as ordinary income or a capital gain.  

A parent asks about how to sell your own home. He has a home he wants to sell to his son at a very low cost and he wants to know his options. Knowing your goals will help you know how to sell your own home. Different tax implications and laws apply depending on how you sell your own home. 

A single professional with a high credit score asks about buying a home. Should he buy a home if he travels a lot? What are good reasons to buy a home? Ilyce outlines both financial and personal reasons that will help you decide whether to move to buy a home.  

A home buyer wonders about buying a foreclosed property near a cemetery. Could buying a home with a perceived defect lead to a lower price? Ilyce discusses pros and cons of buying a home in a less desirable location like near a cemetery or with a problem that you may be able to fix.  

A bank account holder asks about online banking and overdraft protection saying he recently paid a high amount of fees. Banks and credit unions offer different kinds of overdraft protection and electronic banking. But no matter what kind of overdraft protection you have, you need to know the fees the banks charge.