Brandon Ballenger Writer

I'm a freelance writer based in Pompano Beach, Fla. who's done work for The South Florida Business Journal and BusinessMiami, covering real estate, health care, and franchising. I received a bachelor's degree in English and public communication from Florida Atlantic University in 2008, and am currently pursuing a master's degree in communication there. In my free time, I read fantasy novels, plays video games, and take advantage of South Florida's perennial summer at the beach.

Posts by Brandon Ballenger

Scammers Now Accept Prepaid Cards

Mar 11, 2013 - The ripoffs are the same old deal, but now MoneyPak is an acceptable method to part you from your money.

Will We Soon Be Able to Resell E-Books and Digital Music?

Mar 11, 2013 - Apple and Amazon appear to be building systems for selling used e-books, as well as digital music, movies and software. Publishers and media companies aren't thrilled.

Apple, Google and Microsoft Hoarding More Cash Offshore

Mar 08, 2013 - In the past two years, the tech companies have more than doubled the amount of cash they've tucked away out of Uncle Sam's reach. Between the three it's now $134.5 billion.

Employers Are Slower to Fill Job Openings These Days

Mar 08, 2013 - Despite having lots more vacancies, companies are taking 50 percent longer to fill them than in mid-2009.

U.S. Says Only One Major Bank Would Fail in Another Financial Crisis

Mar 08, 2013 - The Federal Reserve's latest round of stress tests on the biggest American banks shows they have enough money on hand to weather future crises – all except one that's been bailed out before.

Google Working on Same-Day Shipping Project

Mar 07, 2013 - A rumored express service could be cheaper than Amazon Prime and incorporate delivery from popular brick-and-mortar stores.

Pair of Senators Wants Congress to Pay For Its Budget Failures

Mar 07, 2013 - Senator Bill Nelson from Florida and Claire McCaskill from Missouri, both Democrats, say Congress should take a pay cut for failing to stop the sequestration.

Debit Card Swipe Fees Have Dropped by 50 Percent

Mar 07, 2013 - The government says what businesses pay to debit card issuers went down substantially after an amendment to the law kicked in.

White House Supports Unlockable Cell Phones

Mar 06, 2013 - Over 100,000 people petitioned the government to reverse a law making it illlegal to unlock your cellphone for use on other networks. They got the response they wanted.

Ready for IKEA Hotels?

Mar 06, 2013 - IKEA and Marriott are teaming up to build budget hotels – in Europe, for now.

Banks Wrongfully Foreclosed on 700 Military Members

Mar 06, 2013 - Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo were all involved. Some people were even wrongly evicted despite being current on payments and out of the country.

Almost Half of Americans Have More Credit Card Debt Than Savings

Mar 05, 2013 - A quarter also said they had more credit card debt than money in the bank.

Apple is Censoring Email

Mar 05, 2013 - iCloud email users won't receive messages with certain words in them – and Apple doesn't tell anybody when it happens.

Bank of America Won’t Prove Disputed $4,000 Charges

Mar 05, 2013 - A customer says he never signed up for a service with automatic recurring payments. The bank says he did, by phone, but refuses to offer evidence.

Groupon CEO Gets $378.36 Severance Package

Mar 04, 2013 - A Groupon founder, kicked out the door last week, is getting what must be the smallest severance in Wall Street history. Don't shed too many tears - he's still worth millions.