It seems as though airlines are doing every little thing they can lately to tack on fees (American Airlines, for example, now charges $8 for a blanket and neck pillow) while simultaneously curtailing service (removing a number of lavatories to make room for more seating). Somewhat paradoxically however, airlines also love to offer incentives for flying with them. The most common among these incentives are of course frequent flier programs, in which points accumulated through travel and other purchases can be applied as airfare discounts and upgrades. Unfortunately, there's not much we can do about $8 blankets or the lack of sufficient lavatories. What we can do as savvy travelers is find the best ways to take advantage of the incentives airlines actually still provide. Here are some tips on how to rack up airline frequent flyer miles as fast as possible:

Every industry has its own "Sultan of Swat." Finance is no exception. In fact, the world of finance is home to some of the most widely recognized names in the world. Here they are, in descending order: "The World's Best Financial Gurus."

Warren Buffett

When a new customer chooses from the endless array of credit cards with airline miles rewards, there are many important factors that come into play. Annual fees, introductory rates, and the rate of mileage accrual must all be taken into careful consideration before choosing a card. But one aspect that often gets overlooked is perhaps also the most important: just how ‘rewarding’ are these airline rewards programs really?

It seems impossible to escape the reach of the Kardashian family these days:

A hit reality show on E! network.

Enough magazine covers to wallpaper an aircraft hangar.

And now Kim Kardashian's wedding has all of Hollywood talking.

Indeed, the omnipresence of the three sisters is inevitable. And this feeling of inescapability is just what the Kardashians like. Don't believe us? Just take a look at the credit card (or shall we say, Kredit Kard) they introduced last year, and you'll see just how predatory these three sisters really are. Thankfully, public backlash against the card's outrageous policies led to its discontinuation just 19 days after its debut.

Hallelujah! My wife and I just finished paying off another student loan. Two down, and one more to go! This past year, nearly seventy percent of undergraduates finished school with outstanding student loans.  In fact, the average student loan debt in 2010 totaled around $25,000 per person! If you take the average of 16-18 years to repay these loans, at the standard 6.8% interest rate of unsubsidized, Federal Stafford loans, that $25,000 would equate to over $40,000 in total payments! And don’t forget, these numbers only account for bachelor degrees; graduate school is often two or three times more expensive. So what's the best way to manage your student loans so you can quickly pay them off and move on with your life?  Here are some ideas to help you get started on the right path.