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“It’s a good thing the American financial system doesn’t have to run for election.” Ain’t that the truth.

MSNBC reports that just 26% of Americans trust the financial system. Surprisingly, this is good news for big banks and financial institutions; its up from 20% since January 2009.

Big corporations fared the worst, with only 14% of Americans saying they trust major businesses. The stock market is also low on the trust index, with only 16% of Americans saying they trust it. Banks, on the bright side, had the biggest percentage gain in trust this year, up to 43%.

The survey itself, compiled by the University of Chicago and Northwestern University, aims to capture “the amount of trust Americans have in the institutions they can invest their money”. Would you say you trust the financial system?

TGIF! Happy Friday,

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Welcome to the 295th edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance, a weekly roundup of the best personal finance blog posts on the Web.

This week’s theme is the seven deadly sins of personal finance. From lusting after unnecessary expenses to slothfully letting debt grow, we’re all a little guilty of financial transgressions from time to time.

Throughout this carnival, we will explore the seven sins of lust, wrath, pride, envy, gluttony, greed and sloth. Enjoy!

Editor’s Picks:

• Free Money Finance shows how easy it is to make $1 million, but goes on to explain why most of us never get around to making it happen.
• Credit Card Forum brings up a topic I haven’t heard much about: whether you can get a credit card without a Social Security number.
• As someone who is getting married in less than two months, this is one that really interested me.

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Consumer confidence is up … but spending intentions remain flat, says the latest Discover U.S. Spending Monitor. The Monitor is a poll of 8,200 consumers which tracks confidence and spending intentions on a daily basis, with results released monthly.

The poll shows the highest level of consumer confidence (rated at 93.1) since November 2007. Yet, that’s not as optimistic as it looks at first glance. Only 10 % of consumers rate the economy as “good” or “excellent,” and more than half (51%) still rate it as “poor.” Thirty-seven percent of consumers polled say the economy is “fair,” a 3-point increase from last month.

Optimism Highest Amongst Middle Income Consumers

It’s the middle class, says the report, who are driving the optimistic statistics. Thirty-two percent of

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If you’re a fan of prepaid cards, have a tough time opening a checking account or a credit card, Western Union may have an answer for you. Western Union, along with InComm, is kicking off its “MoneyWise” General Purpose Reloadable prepaid card. This complements the Western Union “GoCash” in-lane money-transfer service offered through 150,000 InComm retail locations in the U.S., including grocery and convenience stores, pharmacies, and mass merchandiser locations. Issued by MetaBank, the Western Union “MoneyWise” Prepaid Card can be reloaded in-person at any of the over 46,000 participating Western Union Agent locations in the U.S.; used for direct deposit through an employer; used to load a Western Union Money Transfer transaction directly; and added to online using a bank account. The card can be used anywhere Visa and MasterCard Debit cards are accepted, online and at ATMs; is protected by Visa and MasterCard’s zero liability policy; and requires no credit check or bank account.

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Selling your home, but not sure what fluffing and polishing you should do?

Well, you’re in luck. It’s easy to tap into nationwide real estate wisdom. Every two years, the real estate web site HomeGain.com surveys hundreds of realtors, asking them what improvements they recommend for sellers.

Here are this year’s top five:

1. Get Cleaning.

The #1 recommended improvement in this “Home Sale Maximizer Survey” has remained the same for several years: Clean and de-clutter. In general, you want to clean the entire house and make sure that everything has its place. Specifically:

The good news is that this is a cheap fix, generally costing less than $300. The better news is that it leads to a nearly $2,000 improvement in the sale price of the property, for a 586% return on investment.

2. Let There

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