Visa

Remember when eBay was cool? You'll have to think hard, because those days are long gone. The online auction site used to carry cool, quirky merchandise, as well as serving as a source of last resort for otherwise impossible-to-find items. Nowadays, it's basically being held up by PayPal, which will soon face challenges of its own.

It's been quite a bumpy road for the stock market. But as investing is all about staying cool and thinking clearly in a crisis, the recent stock market shock provides plenty of opportunities to show your savvy. Here are three key strategies to help you not just survive, but profit from the shocks.

Banks lost billions in the financial crisis, and now face profit-squeezing regulations. And make no mistake: They're looking at your balance to fix their bottom lines. Here are four ways your bank takes your money, and what you can do to hold on to more of your hard-earned cash.

When it comes to the out-of-pocket cost of medical procedures, several financial services companies -- not to mention health care providers themselves -- are willing to offer lines of credit. But patient beware: Plunking down your credit card to pay for any major medical expense, cosmetic or otherwise, can leave your finances with some pretty ugly scars.

The volume of card purchases made on Visa branded products globally has risen from around $2.1 trillion in 2006 to $3.1 trillion in 2010, and with strong first-quarter earnings, further growth in payment volume, and a strong foothold in the mobile transaction business, Trefis expects healthy growth ahead.

Many major companies are hoping that consumers will use their smartphones as a credit or debit card, and Google may be preparing to join in with its Android phones. But is the trend, which has grown popular in Japan, finally ready to take off in the U.S.?

Prepaid credit cards are marketed as a great tool for training teens about credit. But critics point to a long list of steep fees and penalties. That leaves parents to figure out if the credit lessons are worth the money. Here's what to consider before buying that card.