Be Careful About Those Checks!

A check is merely an IOU, and IOUs can be written on anything. Someone once wrote a $15 check on an eggshell. The recipient took the eggshell to a bank in Canada, where it was cashed like any other check.

Family Begs For $1 Million Dollars?

Here is an interesting article that caught my eye! It is about a family that wants $1 Million Dollars so that they can afford an apartment in New York City.

I have seen a lot of "cyberbegging" sites online and even though this wasn't a cyber-begging website it was placed as an ad in a New York magazine. Now I'm not totally surprised by this because I have seen a lot of sites where people are asking (or even begging) for money.

Although I seriously doubt it I wouldn't be too surprised if this family actually got what they were asking for.

I do have some problems with it though. I realize that sometimes once someone becomes used to living a certain lifestyle it is hard to give it up and they will resort to almost anything in order to maintain that lifestyle.

The article is not specifically clear about their situation although it does say that they want the apartment that's in their neighborhood. Where are they living now?

Another "ironic" thing is that the family says that it does have some money and I'm wondering why they are "working" with that money to secure a place.

But you can read the article and decide for yourself.

Have You Ever Heard Of "Eminent Domain"?

Its really a terrible situation. Basically what it means is that the government can take your land or property. Here is a link to an article where business owners are facing this threat.

The power of eminent domain means that the government can acquire property from landowners whether they want to sell or not.

What is also interesting about this situation is that a proposed proposition was put on the ballot that would decrease the power of eminent domain but the proposition didn't pass - meaning that it didn't get enough votes (from the voters) to pass. Since the proposition to decrease the power of eminent domain wasn't passed then that means that the power of being able to take one's property by eminent domain is still there.

It also seems that a couple of the buildings are on the historic registry but can still be taken away by the eminent domain process.

There is an effort going on now to collect signatures for a ballot initiative that would prohibit governments from using eminent domain to buy property that would be turned over to private companies. Cities under the proposal still would be allowed to use condemnation powers to build hospitals, schools, roads and other public-use projects.

I believe that this is another reason why people have to get more involved in their community and use the power of their "vote". You may think that something like this won't affect you but indirectly it really does!


I do a lot of grant research work and unfortunately this is a darker side of the government and what it can do.

So far the situation is at a standstill. The eminent domain process takes some time to implement and in the meantime the government wants to be able to settle with the landowners but some of them do not want to move!

This is truly a "darker" side of the government - unfortunately!

Free Or Low Cost Dental Care

There are still a few places around that still provide free or low cost dental care. For instance in my area - Philadelphia - there is the:

Catholic Worker Clinic - free medical and dental care

1826 E Lehigh Ave

Philadelphia, PA, 19125

Phone 215-426-0364

It is best to call first to make sure that they will be able to help you.

Another Big Worker's Strike May Be Happening!

Here is a link to a blog post about a possible strike by GM Workers. What is interesting to note here is that if they do decide to go on strike they will receive $200 a week in "strike" salary!

This just goes to show that the "workforce" is not what it used to be! I remember that my father worked for the post office and that was the same job that he had until he retired. It's hard to be able to say the same thing today!

Mesothelioma

What is mesothelioma?

According to Wikipedia mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos.

If you have seen this term mentioned before it is because the name is very popular! And it is popular becaue there are lawsuits going on where people are suing because they have contracted mesothelioma. For example the W.R. Grace company is up on criminal charges that they released dangerous asbestos fibers throughout a mining town.

The first lawsuits against asbestos manufacturers were in 1929. Since then, many lawsuits have been filed against asbestos manufacturers and employers, for neglecting to implement safety measures after the links between asbestos, asbestosis, and mesothelioma became known (some reports seem to place this as early as 1898). The liability resulting from the sheer number of lawsuits and people affected has reached billions of dollars. The amounts and method of allocating compensation have been the source of many court cases, and government attempts at resolution of existing and future cases.

There have also been instances where the cause of contracting mesothelioma was found with people who worked at shipyards or those who were in the military service.

It may be even possible that you could have a legitimate legal case against a company if you think you contracted mesothelioma. The best thing for you to do would be to either search online for lawyers or law firms that are handling similar cases or check the law firms in your own local area to see if they are handling similar cases.

Unclaimed Money Blog!

I have started a new blog about "Unclaimed Money".

Even though there is some information about unclaimed money on my grants related page and my Grant Basics 101 Blog, this new blog will focus on unclaimed money and the related information about it.

"I Need A Car To Get To Work"

Now first off don't get me wrong - having a car is great! I have been through both experiences of having a car and not having a car - and having a car is the better of the two!

However with all the jobs that I have had I would say that a good 20% of them warrented me having a car. These jobs were mostly my radio jobs where the radio stations were located so far away!

The rest of the jobs that I have had I could get to on the bus using public transportation. (Now that I work from home my "commute" is even smaller).

I keep seeing people posting about how they need a car to get to work and I'm wondering if that is necessarily so. I do grant research so I know that there are some programs out there to help people get a car but in order to qualify to apply for these grant programs you have to meet certain requirements.

I also do know that there are some jobs whose location is so abnormal that having a car is a necessity.

But while having a car is a great thing do you REALLY need it to get to work? Can you use public transportation? And what about when your car breaks down - how are you going to get to work then?

Home Equity Line Of Credit - Definition

What exactly is a home equity line of credit? A home equity line of credit is a form of revolving credit in which your home serves as collateral.

You can also read Wikipedia's definition of what a home equity line of credit is by clicking here

Basically speaking you borrow money against the value of your home. Of course you have to pay that money back but a lot of people have been using this kind of tactic to get money quickly.

Have An Adjustable Rate Mortgage That You Are Having Trouble Paying?

Here is a link to an article that offers some helpful advice for those that are having trouble making the monthly payments on their adjustable-rate mortgages.

The number of homes that are going into foreclosure are increasing at an alarming rate and something just has to be done to help people from losing their homes!

Sneaky Tactics By Debt Collectors

Here is a very good article about some of the tactics that debt collectors may try on people that they are trying to collect from.

So many people are in debt nowadays and sometimes it seems as though the only solution to get out of debt is to get into more debt!

The article mentioned above talks about how some of the tactics that some debt collectors may try on on people are really not valid and they are just trying to scare people into paying their debt.

More News On The Ever-Increasing Foreclosure Front

Here is a current article about Prsident Bush and the current foreclosure problems that are plaguing homeowners who can't afford to meet their monthly mortgage payments.

While the President said that he didn't approve of giving homeowners out and out grants, he did favor programs that would help homeowners with good credit to be able to re-finance their mortgages. However I think that a big problem with this is that there are a lot of homeowners that have bad credit ratings who need help with meeting their monthly mortgage payments. There are a lot of homeowners who have taken mortgages with very high rates and more worse they have taken out adjustable rate mortgages as opposed to fixed-rate mortgages. With adjustable rate mortgages the monthly mortgage payments are not the same every month and will sometimes increase to a lot more than what was paid the previous month.

I was watching one of those infomercials about how there is a lot of money to be made with foreclosures but all I could really think about when I was watching this program was about the people and families that have lost their homes!

Phony AOL Email!

Here is a copy of a phone AOL email that I got:

Dear AOL Member,

This confirms that your AOL payment method has been updated to reflect the new information you provided. You can make payment method changes at AOL Keyword: My Account throughout your monthly billing cycle if you decide that a different payment method would better suit your needs. Please note however, that the billing method on record at 10:00 AM EST on your billing cycle date will be the one used to process your account charges.

You can access America Online`s secure, self-service Billing Center by going to AOL Keyword: My Account. Here you can review and modify your AOL account information online, anytime.

please use the following link--> AOL Billing Center

Please Remember: If your account information is not updated within 48 hours then your ability to use your AOL account will become restricted!

Sincerely,
Member Services
AOL, LLC.

First of all I can tell that this is a phony email from someplace claiming to be AOL because the link does not go to an official AOL website!

You have to be very careful about email nowadays because if you click on the link you could risk losing very important information. Some of these links will ask you for your log-in information including your password!

In some cases you might get phony email from your bank asking you to "verify" your information by providing important information about your account.

When you come upon an email that asks you to click on a link, put your cursor over the link to see where that link is. If it's not an official site then do not click on that link. If you have an association with the company it is best to call them first as opposed to being involved in some kind of scam email that could possibly ruin you!

Unclaimed Money - It's Looking Mighty Good To Others!

For more information about "Unclaimed Money", just click here

---

Most of the unclaimed property is cash from dormant bank accounts, unclaimed utility deposits, insurance benefits, premium refunds, uncashed checks and trust accounts.

One state has returned $546 million to rightful owners over the past five years, but all that cash proved too tempting for Arthur Vincent Coppola, 39, of Kennelon, N.J.

Coppola was sentenced Tuesday in Tallahassee to 30 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $57,000 in restitution for faking the identities of two Floridians to collect more than $290,000 in unclaimed cash.

Is Your Mortgage In Trouble?

Is Your Mortgage In Trouble?

Here is a very interesting article about a loan company that went bankrupt. Unfortunately a lot of people that had mortgages with this company simply thought that since the company had gone bankrupt that they didn't have to pay on their mortgages anymore.

WRONG!

Have you ever considered donating your car?

At first glance, donating your car might seem like a worthy thing to do but that is only if you have the car to donate.

Now-a-days people need their cars more than ever!

Need Financial Help With Paying Your Utility Bill Before It Get Shut Off?

I just posted on my Grants Basic 101 Blog about how you can get help if your utility company is going to shut off your power.

If you have received a shut-off notice then that means that the situation has gone very bad because there are some things that can be done BEFORE you get to this point.

First of all you should call your utility company to see if there are any type of payment arrangement plans that you can make to pay your utility bill. A lot of these utility companies will give you an extension in order to help give you more time to pay your bill. If you are still having problems some of the utility companies will send you information about grant programs that may be able to help you financially with your bill.

There is also another option that will at least help delay your bill for about three months. You still are liable to pay the bill but at least you will have some time to get the money together. This is often an overlooked and not known tactic that can be done if you need more time to pay your utility bill.

Making Money Online

Make Money Online!

Making Money Online!

So many people are interested in making money online and they keep searching for information to help them make money online. Of course you have to know that a lot of these "make money online" things are just a scam but there are some legitimate ways to make money online.

One way is with Adsense. Adsense is a part of Google. Adsense is basically a program where you add ads to your website or blog and you get paid everytime a visitor to your site clicks on the ads. If you're curious about how much money some people are making using adsense then here is a link to an article about it:

Just How Much Money Can You Make With Adsense?

Now first of course you have to have a website or blog and you have to join Adsense but Adsense is free to join. You submit your site so that it can be reviewed and approved and once your site is approved then you can go through the process of adding the adsense ads to your site. Once your adsense earnings reach $100 for the month then you get paid either by check or bank transfer. If you don't make $100 during the month then your earnings will roll over into the next month until you reach the $100 and then you will get paid.

I want to stress that adsense is one of the legitimate ways to make money online. Although it will involve work with your website or blog there is still the basic thing that you are actually making money online! And some people have earned enough adsense money to make it their major source of income!

Adsense is about one of the only legitimate ways that I know of to make money online but there are others. Some people have managed to start very successful businesses online. They give lessons, the offer tutoring sessions and they sell things. Many people have managed to start businesses buying and selling on Ebay!

So there are some legitimate ways to make money online.

Avoiding Foreclosure - Help

As the number of foreclosures increases there may be more help available for you then you realize:

Here are some very good tips to follow to help you to try to avoid foreclosure

Do NOT ignore the lender.

Somehow getting behind on a mortgage comes with a built in belief that phoning your lender constitutes a sin or that a call to a lender will result in their ripping your head off right through the chord. In truth, most lenders appreciate knowing why you are having trouble and like updates on how things are going, especially when your problems have justified reasons like health issues or the loss of a job. Treat letters from your lender as wake up call from a concerned neighbor rather than a threat from a bully. Remember – banks want to help get you back on track, they want their payments not your house. If you do not think you can talk to them yourself about a plan there are professional foreclosure negotiators who can help if you have fallen behind.

And this tip I like the best!

Do NOT think you have no options, Do NOT fail to take advantage of
them.

You may believe, or your lender may lead you to believe, that you must pay them in full or lose your home to foreclosure. In fact, many options exist which will allow you to keep your house and stop the foreclosure proceeding without paying all of your arrearage at once. Some choices may even reduce what you owe on your property by tens of thousands of dollars. Almost everyone has some options and the sooner you act the more options you have. As the foreclosure date gets closer, options continue to become unavailable until by the foreclosure date only payment in full or a bankruptcy filing remain. Read more about what foreclosure prevention options you have and take action as fast as you can.

Banks Pull In Over $1 Billion Dollars In Overdraft Fees!

Another interesting article that I found online!

Banks are certainly making a lot of money!

According to the article most of these overdraft fees come from atm transactions and debit card purchases.

The Federal Minimum Wage Will Increase This Week!

The federal minimum wage will increase this week from $5.15 an hour to $5.85 an hour.

What is even interesting to note here is that there are some states that have an even higher minimum wage! It's kind of confusing but it is politics.

Now even though some politician gripe about how $5.85 is still a very low wage, we don't see them doing anything to increase the minimum wage.

The article gives an example of a single person who makes minimum wage and if you go by $5.85 and hour that amounts to around $12,000 a year. The poverty level for singles is around $10,000 a year.

I do know this - If companies/businesses are required to pay a higher wage then they are going to look for ways to cut costs - outsourcing, not providing benefits.......

I also have a Working From Home Blog and the reason why I mention this is because a lot of people want to start their own business and be able to work from home. But there are those that want to work from home but they also want to be able to work for a company but they want to be able to work for that company from their home.

I became disillusioned working for someone else a very long time ago. My dream job has always been to work from home and that is exactly what I am doing now!

Real Estate Investing?

I can see why a lot of people recommend real estate investing as a good way to make money. It's one of the few ways that I know of where you won't have to pay taxes!

But there are some things about it that I'm not too comfortable with. For one there are expenses involved when you buy and sell real estate and the longer you hold on to the property the more in expenses you are going to have to pay. If you put a tenant in your property then you have to make sure that its a good tenant that will pay their rent on time every month because if they don't then that will be more expenses that you may have to incur. It may even get to the point where you will have to legally evict your tenant. I have had some experience with this and though it may be different for each state I can tell you that the process of legally evicting a tenant is not a pleasant process to go through. It also give you that stereotype of being the cruel landlord!

Another thing is foreclosures. While foreclosures may be a good deal for real estate investors I can't help but think about the people who owned the property in the first place. It is not a very pleasant thing to go through when your home is being foreclosed on.

I know that Donald Trump is a big advocate as far as real estate investing is concerned and why wouldn't he be? Real estate investing is where Donald Trump has made a lot of his money.

So if you're thinking about investing in real estate then there is a lot of research that you should do because you do not want to get in way over your head!

AAA

AAA - Keystone!

Yes I think being a AAA member is well worth the cost if you can afford it. There have been times when my car would stop working and those were times when I was glad that I was a AAA-Keystone member! I have had my car get battery jumps, quick repairs so that I could get home and there was even one time when I was able to get gas from AAA. All in all a very good deal and well worth the price of membership!

I Don't Have A Bank Account

If you don't have a bank account - don't worry because you are not alone! I remember a time long ago when I had to close my savings account because they were just taking out too much money in fees. It would have got to the point where I would owe THEM money - so I had to close the account.

I do know that there are at least a few banks that let you open a checking account with a minimum deposit. There are no minimums (as long as your balance isn't negative) as to how much money you can have in your checking account. If you can manage it please try to have a bank account - at least a checking account. Manage to save from at least $50 so that you can open a checking account. While you have to be careful that you don't have a negative balance in your account if you can keep that balance above 0 try to at least keep it that way.

I have to tell you that I have talked to a few bank tellers in my time and what gets me is that I actually talked to a woman bank teller who told me that she didn't even have a bank account. I thought that was strange when she told me but I have since come to realize that just because you work at a bank doesn't mean that you are rich.

Waitress Gets $10,000 Tip!

Well it just goes to show you that you never know where money will come from!

This waitress that worked at a Pizza Hut got a $10,000 gift from someone. It's hard to say whether or not it was a tip or a gift but it doesn't really matter because I'm sure that amount of money will always be welcomed!

You can read the entire story by clicking the link in the title.

CyberBegging For Money

The only successful cyberbegging website that I have seen so far is the one by the woman who was asking for money so that she could get breast implants. She managed to get enough money sent to her so that she could have the operation.

With that being said I have been to a few sites where people post asking and quite literally begging for money. While missing a few bills can make one feel frustrated and depressed enough to post their financial woes, I'm quite amazed at the people who have actually asked for amounts of $50,000 and above!

Do they really think that someone is actually going to send them that amount of money?

Some people are so desparate that they include their phone number and address in their posts which isn't a very good thing to do. You run the risk of getting scammed, junk mailed and worse. But like I said people are so desparate that they include their personal information with their posts.

I have only really seen a few examples of people who have websites that have begged successfully for money.

Comments Received

msladyrag said...

Yes, there are cyberbegging websites where people are just posting a story on a list...Hoping a kind stranger will actually read it. These same people need know that there are good sites that exist. Cyberbeggars where your story will get the attention it deserves. So if your looking for a better place to seek help them try http://www........com

Paying Your Bills - Loopholes?

".......Well when you do the kind of work that I do you become "privy" to certain types of information. First of all hopefully your bank is one of those banks that can only charge this fee for a certain # of days - like for one bank it's $6 per day for 5 days for a total of $30 and you have 30 days from the overdraft to get your account back above $0


Now like I said above there are just some things that go on as far as one's utility bills are concerned that the utility companies don't want you to know about. Now your case may be too late but for those who have been threatened with a shut off notice there is at least one thing that you can do to delay your shutoff. Mind you I say DELAY - you are still responsible for paying the balance owed but you won't get shut off for at least 3 months. Hopefully that will give you enough time to either find a way to make a payment arrangement, get some money to pay the back balance owed or to find a grant program to help you with the utility bill.


Of course "rich" people use this method and it is one of those "loophole" things that the utility companies are trying to get rid of but until they do this "loophole" sometimes turns out to be a person's last resort. Ironically enough this information comes in the bill for your utility bill but people don't read it (or they don't notice it).

I don't even think that its ethical for the social services agencies to suggest it but its not illegal and like I said before its usually a person's last hope - but at least it does provide them with some (temporary) time.................

Would You Like To Get Paid Answering Surveys?

Here is an interesting little site. The name of it is AW Surveys and it pays you to answer surveys. The reasoning is that companies want to be able to test their products and find out what consumers have to say about their products. So that is where YOU come in.

At the time that I found out about this website they had a $6 promotion just for new users to sign up.

You can make $4-$25 per surveys that you answer. Once your account reaches $75 you can cash out. There are 2 ways that you can cash out. One is by regular check which can be sent to you by regular mail - it will take 4 to 6 weeks or the second payment option is via Paypal. However if you choose the Paypal option you should know that $25 will be deducted from your $75 minimum cash out so you will only get $50. That's one of the things that bothered me but if you're still interested in this the click the bottom below to find out more:

One Person CAN Make A Difference!

A student felt absolutely boggled down with all of the college costs that he had. But then he decided to do something about it - and he did! He managed to get started a new program that provides incentives to students who remain in their state after they finished college. The reasoning behind this is that the students would leave the state after they finished college and the new program that was put in place gives the students the incentive to stay in that state.

Of course getting this law/program passed was not easy and the student said that one of the hardest parts was getting enough signatures to get the initiative passed.

A well noted point in the story was that a lot of people feel that as far as politics is concerned they don't think that they can make a difference. But one student managed to do just that! He made a difference!

Going Into Foreclosure? It Doesn't Necessarily Mean The End!

Is your home going into foreclosure? It doesn't necessarily have to mean the end!

I have written a lot about foreclosures on this blog. First off there are going to be so many more of them this year and also too I think that going through foreclosure is a terrible thing! I know a neighbor in my area whose family lost their home because of the property taxes not being paid.

If your home is in foreclosure there are some things that you can do that can maybe help your situation. I guess the first piece of advice would be for you to avoid the foreclosure process in the first place by paying your mortgage on time but I realize that that isn't always possible. Sometimes an emergency financial crisis will pop up out of nowhere and you have to choose between the lesser of 2 evils.

If you think that you are going to not be able to make your mortgage payment you should call your mortgage company and discuss it with them. Some mortgage companies may re-negotiate your payments to a smaller amount. It is a common-held belief that a lot of the mortgage companies don't want to have to put your property in foreclosure because they lose out so they may be very willing to work with you to help make your payments more manageable.

Secondly you may be able to qualify for some grant programs to help pay for the mortgage payments that you missed. Beside government grant programs you should also look into other grant programs to help you. There are a number of "financial emergency" grant programs that will provide grant money that you don't have to pay back to help you pay your back mortgage payments.

Lastly every state's foreclosure process is different. Sometimes it can take as much as six months for the foreclosure to take place and in that amount of time you may be able to pay the money that is owed.

Children Don't Want Their Parents To Get Fired!

Very eye-opening blog post about the workforce today!

Especially moving is the story of a woman whose son got hit by a car but the son didn't tell her because he didn't want her to miss work and get fired. But after the mother found out that her son was hit by a car she wanted to go home to take him to the hospital. Her boss told her if she left then she was fired. She left, got fired but found out that her son had a broken arm!

It's very hard keeping a job now-a-days simply because you just can't be prepared for every emergency that might come up. Things like a sick child, car accident or any number of other emergencies that can come up can make taking too many sick or personal days off a prelude to losing one's job. When I was a cashier I think we had something like 5 sick/personal days a year!

The Number Of Elderly Who Are Losing Their Homes Has Increased By An Alarming Rate!

I just got finished reading an article about how the number of elderly who are losing their homes is increasing by an alarming rate. I wrote on my LaMott Blog about how I personally knew a neighbor who had lost their home because of the back property taxes that weren't paid. They had lived in their home for a number of years and had accumulated a lot of stuff. But the time came and a notice was put on their door and their house was sold.

Now in my area the property taxes run about $4,000 a year! It comes from 2 different tax bills and one of those is the school tax bill (which is the highest). Some seniors argue that since they don't have any children in the schools that they shouldn't have to pay these taxes. While the issue has been debated there nothing that has been put into law. There is a funding program where seniors can get some money to offset the cost of their property taxes but in my area that amounts to just over 10% of the tax due.

It seems that the counties are going after unpaid property taxes more strongly and I know of at least one area where the due property taxes are sold at auction to the highest bidder. The county gets their money and there is a new holder of the property tax bill that the homeowner has to pay.

By law, the city can seize homes and sell them for back taxes at a treasurer's auction. Homeowners who don't pay the debt within 90 days of the auction will lose their homes.

One person's home was put up for auction because he only owed around $600 in back property taxes.

Food Recall

Looks like there is another major recall going on. This time it for a popular snack food (although I don't use it).

Click on the link in the title to find out more about this latest food recall.

Should Taxpayers Have To Pay For Inmate's Sex Change Surgery?

This was also added to my Grant Basics 101 blog but I think that it should also go here because it has to do with taxpayer dollars.

Should Taxpayers Have To Pay For An Inmate's Sex Change Operation?

Making Teaching Respectable Again

Interesting article from the Wall Street Journal online. The teaching profession has always been known for its low pay. Add to that the problem of safety concerns and it becomes an even bigger issue.

The bulk of this article talks about how poorly paid teachers are and how that fact stops a lot of students from going into teaching.

There's also some great information about a program that they are offering that I should definitely put in my grants blog. They have a program in place that provides a monthly stipend of $1,500 for those who want to teach.

"Ask Oprah And Ye Shall Receive"

Found this very interesting article about Oprah and the people that ask here for money. Actually she has this kind of video contest thing where you ask her for what you need. If you win you get it!

1/13/11 -

Update!

Please be advised that there may be various ways for one to get financial help including government grants and free money.

You should also see if you are due some unclaimed money money as well! Please visit my blog The Unclaimed Money Blog to find out more about unclaimed money.

Asking For Free Dental Care

Although there are a few options for getting free or low cost dental care, there aren't a lot of those options.

People need dental work that can cost as much as $2,000 and that money has to come from somewhere. Some dentists allow you to pay your dental bill on a payment plan. But not all dentists do this so you will have to check around to see which ones do.

"Can I Have $50K To Buy A New Car?"

Cyber-begging is alive and well! In case you don't know what cyber-begging is it is people using the internet to beg for money. If you click the link above you will see a blog entry from someone who is making good money using Adsense. He got an email from a 16 year old kid who is asking for money to buy a car.

Personally I won't comment on this but I will say that I like the replies that say "give a man a fish and he can eat for a day but teach a man to fish and he will be able to eat forever" - meaning that the kid should learn how to make money himself. I was also surprised by a few of the comments that suggested the kid be given the money simply because he had the balls to ask for it.

I'll let you decide!

Banks!

Of course any business that wants to stay in business has to make money. I was reminded of this when I saw a posting about banks. Banks make money in a variety of ways. They provide loans to people and businesses (and get paid for providing these loans), they also get money from atm and other service-related fees - as we the customer well know!

With all of this there are still banks around that don't have a minimum account fee and if and when you find these kind of banks please be sure to open an account. Having a bank account makes things a lot more easier and convenient.

I know that there are some people who don't and can't have a bank account because they have had some problems in the past but if you can please try to take care of them.

It has been pointed out that banks are seeking more and more customers and that they are trying various means (and enticements) to get them.

What To Do When You Lose Your Job

Here is an article that has very good advice about what it is you should do if you lose your job. More and more this is becoming something that is happening more and more often - people are losing their jobs that they have had for years!

Hopefully this article will help you.

Student Loans - The Dark Side of....

So there is a "dark" side to the student loan process!

It seems that some schools were getting a "kickback" or some other kind of brible in recommending some student loan programs. It seems that colleges had the right to act as "middlemen" for some student loan resources and those "acts" were quite lucrative. Now Congress wants to introduce bills to get rid of this.

Did you know that some lenders are protected even if a student defaults on their school loan?

Did you know that some "for-profit" schools have been accused of accepting students who don't stand a good chance of graduating just so that student will apply for (and the school itself will get the) student loans(s)

excerpt from the Ann Arbor News

Adsense?

For those of you that have never heard of Adsense it is a very great way to make money using one's blog or website. It places ads on your site and you get paid when visitors to your website click on the ads! The above link is to a blog that shows a list of how much some people have made using the Adsense program.

One of the reasons why I mention Adsense is because #1 it is a great way to make money and #2 its a great legitimate way to make money!

Basically how it works it that ads are placed on your site according to the content of your site. As you can see on this blog the ads are related to the subjects of this blog.

Now if you are reading this and have a blog or website you should definitely look into adding Adsense to your site. People have made a LOT of money using Adsense and if anything it a great resource for bringing in some extra money.

Getting Behind On Your Bills?

I know of someone who told me that they were a couple of months behind on their phone bill but they were afraid to call the company. My advice is for you to call and see if you can set up a payment arrangement. Time and time again I have seen representatives from these companies talk about how its important to keep in contact with them as opposed to not sending in any payment. In fact its better if you can send in what you can to at least show that you are making the effort.

I talk about a lot of programs that are out there to help people who fall behind on their utility bills and you should see if you are eligible for any of these programs.

Unclaimed Money?

Have you ever heard the term "unclaimed money"? That is exactly what this is. Unclaimed money includes bank accounts that have been forgotten, insurance policy proceeds that are waiting to be paid and on and on and on. If the account holder of these unclaimed accounts are deceased then the money goes to their next of kin.

In my own area (Philadelphia) there is a listing that appears in the newspaper and its about 4 - 6 pages long! Nothing but names and how much money is under that name! I have seen amounts as high as $50,000! (By the way I checked our family name and it wasn't on there )-:

The department that is in charge of all of this unclaimed money seems to frown upon those who charge others for this kind of information. This has always kind of bugged me. If the department can't do a good job of letting people know that they may have unclaimed money that may be theirs then what is wrong with someone (or some company) helping people with this for a fee. I'm not talking about those that do this kind of thing dishonestly but a legitimate professional individual person or company.

Do You Want To Buy Property Cheaply?

I have always had mixed feelings about about buying foreclosures and buying property "on the cheap". The problem I have with it are the people that don't want to lose their homes and they are forced to lose their homes - sometimes at a price less than the equity that they already have in their homes.

With that being said there seems to be a lot of talk about real estate investing and opportunities for people to buy their first home or for investors to buy property. Unfortunately there will be a record number of foreclosures this year and a lot of people and investors are taking advantage of it. I even posted earlier about how one county sells delinquent property tax bills to the highest bidder. The county gets their money and the highest bidder now has a valuable lien note.

There are different types of property sales all over the United States and when you figure in how many different counties there are in different states then the number of opportunities increases. I have seen properties sold for less than 1/10th of their appraised value! And that is where the money is being made as far as investing in real estate is concerned.

However if you're not a real estate investor and are just looking for property that you can live in you should definitely check out some of these opportunities. You may be able to get a good piece of property very cheaply!

Dollar Store Buyers Beware!

Interesting article about the toothpaste that is being sold in various "Dollar" stores.

Home Loans - Oh The Trouble We Get In!

There are going to be a record number of foreclosures nationwide! This is sad news for homeowners but good news for real estate investors.

I know that investing in real estate is a popular (and lots of people say) profitable business to go into but my thoughts are on the people that are losing their homes. It is not a very good feeling and it is not a pretty sight!

If you are a homeowner and you still have a mortgage on your property - in my honest opinion - I think that you should make paying your mortgage a priority! While you make your regular mortgage payments set aside what extra money you have and put it towards a "mortgage" fund. In fact try to make it a point of having extra money that you can put aside and put into your mortgage fund!

What about mortgage insurance? Personally I would rather set up my own mortgage insurance using the advice that I gave above. Insurance companies take your money and invest it and earn interest and dividends on it. Hopefully you should be able to do that very same thing on your own.

Having Your Own Bank Account

While having your own bank account is a good thing I realize that there are a lot of people that don't have one. There could be a number of reasons for this like they don't have enough money to put in a bank account or they are not able to open a bank account because they have had a previous bank account that hasn't been settled. For instance here in Philadelphia you can't open a new bank account if you have a debt to be paid from your old bank account.

I even remember talking to one bank cashier who told me that she didn't even have a bank account - although she hereself worked in a bank!

Also a lot of banks have a lot of different fees - fees that keep people away from having a bank account. So there are a lot of different reasons why some people don't have a bank account.

But if you can manage it please do try to have one. Hopefully you will be able to find a bank that doesn't charge excessive fees and/or don't require a minimum balance in order to keep it. I realize that you may have to do a bit of searching around to find such a bank but there are some of them out there.

Executor of An Estate?

If you are asked to be the executor of someone's estate you should consider this very carefully before you accept. As executor of an estate you agree to take personal responsibilty for the handling of someone's estate. It will involve going through the probate process, paying fees and a LOT of paperwork. You will be responsible for noting both the assests and debts of the person.

If the estate is small then you may not have too much difficulty handling the role of executor. But if the estate is large then you should consider getting an attorney who specifically deals with probate cases.

If you decide to handle the estate yourself it will involve filing with the decedent's area courthouse, paying some fees and like I said above a LOT of paperwork. You will need a copy of the decedent's will. And just in case you're wondering what happens if the person didn't leave a will well then it will go to the courts to decide.

"No Insurance" conversation

...................but I have to pay off my hospital bill, $12k for 6 days stay in ICU. That is with a cash in 30 days discount (no insurance) with out that it would be $42K. Man, they really rake these insurance companies and people wonder why the premiums are so high! The system is so messed up I never seen a bigger bunch of crooks, no wonder all those people are smiling!

Property Tax Bill(s) Tidbit!

Here is an interesting little thing that I found out

It seems that there is at least one county that sells the unpaid property tax bills of its residents. Whoever buys these property tax bill(s) will pay the bill but will then become the person or company that you still owe the bill to.

In other words while you won't be liable to your county you are liable to whoever owns that property tax bill note.

Personally I think that this is just horrible - instead of finding a better way to work with the persons that owe the property tax bill they are sold off to the highest bidder.

So I guess that my piece of advice here is to just be able to pay your property tax bill because you might end up with a more worse creditor than your county tax office!

Those Nigerian Email Scams

Do you get those Nigerian email scams in your email box? I caught the tail end of a show on MSNBC about it. Now I didn't think that a lot of people actually sent in their money but I was wrong! Apparently this kind of scam has raked in millions of dollars! If you're not familiar with this kind of scam it goes like this:

You get an email from someone from another country saying that they have access to millions of dollars but they need your help in getting it. In return they promise to pay you a lot of money - somewhere in the 5 - 6 figure range (sometimes even higher!) Either you're supposed to send some "good faith" money or you are asked to send personal information like your bank account information. Even though just this much sounds suspicious many people have done it! Sometimes if you don't answer the email you'll get another one down the line saying that the money is ready for you but the representative hasn't been paid (by you). This payment that you're asked to make is supposedly suppose to be the representative's commission.

If you get this type of email - do you know what the experts say to do?

DELETE IT!

The Water Bill

Out of all my monthly bills, one of the smallest is my water bill. Paying this bill gives me a good feeling - enough so that I can tackle the higher bills for the month!

Don't Forget That Stamps Go Up 2 Cents Monday!

The price of mailing a first class letter will go up 2 cents on Monday. That means if you mail a letter this weekend then it would behoove you to add the new rate. While the post office says that they will give some lee-way as far as this is concerned - why take chances?

There is supposed to be a new stamp on sale called the "Forever" stamp. It's cost is 41 cents - which corresponds to the newly updated price of a stamp but this stamp is special because you will still be able to use it even if the stamp rate goes up.

PayDay Loans

Payday Loans? I really can't agree with these things! I know that there are circumstances that come up where people may need quick cash fast but I would advise that you stay as far away from these things as possible. First of all the money that you have to pay back will be considerably higher than the money you get. Secondly you will be charged very high interest rates!

If you can manage it at all start an "emergency" account. You can start off with any amount of money that you have. Keep adding to it even if its just a penny! Soon you should have enough to put it in some kind of bank account - hopefully a bank account that pays interest. Keeping adding to your emergency fund and watch it grow. Don't spend any of it unless it is a real emergency and then replace it as soon as possible.

Health Insurance

What can you say about health insurance? It's expensive and they don't cover every thing and you get loads and loads of ads about purchasing it!

Its not like it was in the "old" days - the days before HMO's. If you're lucky your job provides you with health insurance. But even that is becoming more of a problem because more and more news stories are about workers striking and one of the major issues has to do with the employee having to take a cut out of their paycheck to put towards health insurance coverage.

But that still leaves a lot of people without health insurance. Since I do a lot of grant research I know that there are some government programs where you can apply for health insurance benefits but you have to make sure that you're eligible.

Unfortunately even with the government programs that still leaves a lot of people without health insurance (and you may be one of them)

The only real advice that I can give you is that you shop around for the best rates. Just like with everything else you should do some investigating, research and comparison shopping when you are looking for a health insurance plan. Maybe you can get some feedback from friends and neighbors. You can also go online and search around for some forums and message boards where other people discuss about their health insurance coverage. There's no better "word of mouth" than the people that have the coverage themselves.

Barack Obama Has A Website

I know that most of the politicians have a website but it just struck me as something interesting. Here is a link to his website:

Barack Obama's Website

There is also a blog but its written by his staff. You can post comments and find out what is going on currently in his campaign bid for President.

Owning Your Own Home

One of the best pieces of financial advice is to own your own home. I realize that not all people are "homeowner" people. Some people are "apartment" people. One of the reasons why owning your own home is advised is because paying a mortgage is quite different than paying rent. It has been said that when you pay your rent every month that you are essentially throwing it away. When you are paying a mortgage you get one step closer to owning your own home completely. You are building equity in your property and your home becomes more of an assest.

If you're an "apartment-type" person and you like things just the way they are then that is fine for you because that's the way that you want it to be.

If you ever thought about owning your own home, there may be many options available to you. I do know that there are some grant programs to help first time home buyers. (And I'm going to put more information about it in my Grant Basics 101 Blog that I just started. Realtors seem to be very helpful and useful to those that want to buy a home (they get a commission of course) so you may find that using a realtor to help you will be helpful. There are also things like sheriff sales and tax sales that go on and you should check to see if there are any going on in your area.

If you want to become a homeowner or are seriously considering it then you should investigate further about being able to own your own home. I do want to issue a word of warning though because many people are having problems keeping up with their mortgage payments and there is a big increase in foreclosures. A lot of people have gotten home loans, such as adjustable reate mortgages, where they can't meet the payments. The best kind of mortgage to get on one's home is a 30-year fixed mortgage.

Even if you feel that you won't be able to afford buying a house I urge you to look more into it. You may be surprised as to what options that you will have available to you!

Beware of Grant Scams!

Here is a link to a story about one of the grant scams that are going on out there in the world:

Beware!

Now there are a couple of points in the article that I don't agree with and they mainly have to do with "there are no grants for.......". As one of the people that do this kind of thing for a living I have to say that those are points of the article that I don't agree with. You would be amazed at the type of (and number of)grants that are out there! Did you know that a witch got a grant to start her own business? Do you know that there is a grant program that awards $100,000 to help people fulfill their own dreams? This money goes directly to the individual!

The parts that I DO agree with have to do with the fact that the IRS will not call you up and say that you are eligible for a grant. That is not their job. So if you get a call like that the best thing to do is to ask for more information and tell the caller that you will contact the IRS and that you would like them to leave you their name and number - that should result in a quick "hang up" from them!

For more information about Grant Programs and Grants in general be sure to visit my "Working From Home" blog.

Foreclosures - Losing Your Home

I was listening to the news and they reported that the number of foreclosed homes was expected to increase to 20%. I personally know someone that lost their home because the back taxes weren't paid. What makes it all the more worse is that the house will probably be sold for less its value and I don't even know what will happen to the equity (if the previous owners had any) that was in the house. Do the previous owners get that or do they not get anything?

I know that its the "in" thing to be investing in real estate which includes foreclosures but what about the people who are being foreclosed on? I'm sure they are not feeling like they are being part of the "in" thing. The news story goes on to say that there are some options for people who are behind in their mortgage payments. I think a lot of those options involve refinancing their mortgage. A lot of people have gotten those adjustable rate mortgages which are bad because the mortgage payments can go up. But I do understand why people get them. Besides questionable tactics by the companies that handle this, people just go through the procedure so that they can be able to buy the property. I know that this may not seem like a good excuse to some but there are just those instances where your logic takes a back seat and you can't think of anything but the matter at hand.

What's the solution? It's hard to say because everyone has their own different set of circumstances. In a nutshell, if you want to be able to keep your house but you are behind on your payments you should seek some help. If you have exhausted everything that you can do yourself then find someone to help you. First you should seek help from those that don't charge a fee (if you can help it). There should be resources in your own community that you can call and find out how you can address this issue. If the first place you call hasn't helped then call another and keep calling until you can find some help.

Now this may not be a popular subject but I am going to say it anyway and that is that you should start a budget! You can call it your "keeping your house" budget and in that budget you save! Any piece of extra money you put into that budget. You never spend it you just keep adding to it even if it is a few pennies at the start! You save enough to be able to put in a bank account and then you save enough so that you can put it in a bank account that will bring you some interest. Remember that this is your "keep your house" account and remembering that hopefully will rid you of the temptation to spend the money.

IRS goes after eBay, wants info on seller earnings

. In short, the US government wants to treat eBay as a "broker" who would then be required to file notices with the government about how much money its traders have made. The US proposal calls for this reporting to take place only when people sell more than several thousand dollars worth of merchandise in a year.



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A Science Teacher

Science Teacher From New Jersy

Here is an interesting blog from a science teacher. He's quite a fan of nature and it shows in his enthusiasm!

It's always interesting to see what others are doing all around the world.

It also shows the power of what having a blog can do. So if you ever thought about having your own blog but wanted to know how other's look you can click on the link above, read some of the entries and post a comment or two.

The reason why I included this blog is because he's a teacher and the fact that he's sharing his life is inspiring.

Congress.org

Here is a very good link that you should keep in your list of resources/references.

I know that a lot of people don't think that it would do any good to know the addresses of their Congress people but fortunately not all people feel this way. This link will take you to a page where you can find out what the addresses (including email addresses) of your Congress people are. Not only that but this site has a lot of information relating to Congress in general. You can find the Congress people for your area, get on the mailing list to see how your area politicians are voting on certain issues and a whole lot more. There are also examples of letter campaigns that have been done - and you can see examples of those.

I know that a lot of people don't think that it will do any good knowing this kind of information but I think that they are wrong. It's becoming increasingly hard enough not to be involved in politics because it affects so many areas of our lives.

I'm working on adding a direct link to this side on the side of my blog but I seem to be having trouble adding it but I will keep working on it.

Got Bad Credit? - There's A Loophole!

Debtors with poor credit scores can take advantage of a loophole to rent credit lines from people with better credit history. Because spending money in order to borrow more money is exactly what most debtors need to do

You can read more about this in more detail by clicking here

Auto Insurance - A Necessary Evil!

Of course I got another spam email and this time it was about auto insurance. Having auto insurance is a necessary evil but I don't think that I would go online to get it. I feel much comfortable being face to face with the insurance agent. I'm sure that not everybody feels this way because I'm sure that there are people who have bought their auto insurance online.

Maybe the procedure is not the same in every state but in my state you can't choose your initial auto insurance carrier. You can only choose them if you already have a policy in place.

I know its tempting to just go without having the insurance but if you get caught you will have to pay much more than the cost of insurance. I know some people get away with it but once when my auto insurance lapsed I got a notice from the DMV - how did they know? Well anyway if you get that notice from the DMV then you will be in trouble. If you have proof of current insurance coverage then it is alright and you shouldn't have to worry.

Like I said I know it can be tempting to go without it but I do know of a person who got his car towed away. He didn't have insurance, license and all that and when he went to claim the car it cost so much to get it that he ended up leaving it there.

I know its another added expense to your list of expenses but like I said it is a necessary evil so you don't want to get caught without having it.

Losing Your Home To Back Property Taxes

Here are some basic things that I know about this process....

If your property taxes are not paid (in some cases by the end of the year) then their is a lien put on the property. In that case if you sell the property then the amount of the back property taxed owed has to be paid before you get any money. If the property taxes aren't paid then the property is sold and the back taxes are paid from the amount that the property sold for.

I have heard different views on what a person can do in situations like this one. I have even heard the term "property tax consultant".

It is never a very pleasant thing when someone is losing their property especially when that property is their home.

Contests?

I was going to post about a photo contest that was offering a very huge money prize to the winner(s) but I wanted to check them out first. It is a very good thing that I did because I found out some very interesting stuff and it raised a few red flags in my mind!

There are many, many contests out there - everywhere from baking contests to writing contests and almost everything in between. But you have to be careful! Before entering any contest make sure that you read all of their rules and requirements. I know that this may seem to be a hassle but you don't want to get taken for a ride! This one particular contest that I mentioned above requires a person to send in $1000 to travel to the place where they will be given the award. Plus there was some added information about trying to sell you other things as well. In particular you should be very diligent in finding out the rules as far as writing contests are concerned. You have to find out whether or not you will retain the rights to your writing. In some cases in regards to certain writing contests you may be writing a specific piece for just that contest so you may not feel too bad about giving them total copyright but if copyright terms will be important to you then you should read the rules before you enter any contest!

Contests are a very good resource for getting extra money. Just be sure that the contests that you are considering entering are legitmate!

What is a FHA loan?

Many people hear the term "FHA loan," and incorrectly assume the
Federal Housing Administration is a mortgage lender. That is not the
case. Established in 1934, the FHA helps lower-income, first-time home
buyers get approved for a home loan by providing private lenders with
mortgage insurance. This gives the lender the security of knowing the
loan will be honored if the buyer defaults on the loan and allows
buyers who might not otherwise qualify for a conventional loan get
approved. FHA loans are available to individuals with less than
perfect credit and often require a smaller down payment (usually at
least 3%) than conventional loans. FHA loan limits vary throughout the
country depending on the guidelines that apply to the particular
market. The FHA and lender will require a real estate appraisal as a
routine part of the mortgage application process. For more information
on FHA loan insurance, visit the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban
Development's Website.

excerpt from Home Mortgage Blog

Winning The Lottery

I was just watching an interesting TV show about people who have won big lottery money. Some of the stories were very sad. Like for instance one man ended up committing suicide at his ex-wife's house. One man had to file for bankruptcy and a few years later he died from poor health. One of the winners went through their winnings so fast that he needed cash right away and sold his yearly payments of up to $10 Million dollars to get a cash payment of $2 Million dollars.

I have never won a lottery but I do buy the tickets from time to time. But some of these stories are so sad that it almost makes you want to not win the lottery.

I said "almost".

In Canada if you win you are required to reveal you're name and where you are from and agree to be photographed before you can claim your lottery winnings.

You can find out more about what other lottery winners have done and the advice they give to other potential lottery winners by going to the website below:

http://www.lotterybuddy.com/jackpot.htm

The Government Wants Its Grant Money Back!

It seems as though a LOT more people received federal grant money aid than they were supposed to and the government wants that money back! So far over 400 people have already been investigated for fraud and its not stopping there! I thought this story would interest those who don't think that there is any grant money out there - there is!



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Another Paypal Email Scam?

Dear member,This email confirms that you have paid orders@dell.com $699.99 USD using PayPal. This credit card transaction will appear on your bill as "PAYPAL *DELL INC".

Payment Details

Purchased From: Dell.Inc

Item #

Item Title

Quantity: 1

$669.95 USD

Shipping & Handling via USPS First Class Mail to 154XX(includes any seller handling fees)
$19.16 USD

Shipping Insurance (optional):

Sales Tax (6.000% inPA) : $10.88 USD

Total: $699.99 USD

Note:Thank you!

Shipping Information

Shipping Info: W~, 16 elm st., B~, PA 1xxxx, United States

Address Status: Confirmed

If you have questions about the shipping and tracking of your purchased item or service, please contact the seller ~@dell.com.

Do you confirm this transaction?

If this transaction was not made by you please immediately take the following steps:

Login to your account by clicking on the link below

Provide requested information to ensure you are the owner of the account

Find this transaction in HISTORY and click 'Cancel Transaction'

Thank you for using PayPal!

The PayPal Team

Please do not reply to this email. This mailbox is not monitored and you will not receive a response. For assistance, log in to your PayPal account and choose the Help link located in the top right corner of any PayPal page.

PayPal Email ID XXXX

---

Yet another email that was in my email box. There are a lot of "red" flags that went off when I got this email. One of them was the link that was provided that didn't even go to the Paypal website. Another red flag was the fact that this email mentioned to "provide requested information".

If you have a Paypal account and are unsure of any email that you get from someone or someplace that says they are Paypal do not click on the links in the email. Go to Paypal's Official Website!

Here is a link to more information about the Paypal Email Scams

5 New Jobs of the Web 2.0 Generation

Entrepreneurship is a craft. But given the risky nature of starting one’s own business are there opportunities to practice the skills involved? Absolutely. Below I’ve taken five online opportunities that would be a natural extension of a web worker’s daily routine. Each does require certain skills and, in some cases, a small amount of capital.



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IRS goes after eBay, wants info on seller earnings

. In short, the US government wants to treat eBay as a "broker" who would then be required to file notices with the government about how much money its traders have made. The US proposal calls for this reporting to take place only when people sell more than several thousand dollars worth of merchandise in a year.



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Another Email Scam.....

This time the email message isn't even a message it is simply a link that is included. The email usually has some kind of attention-grabbing subject line but when you open the email the only thing that is there is a link that you're supposed to click on to find out more about it.

You can usually tell what the url address is by hovering your cursor over the link provided. Mind you I said "hovering" your mouse and NOT clicking on the link.

Once you discover what the link is and where it goes to then you can decide whether or not you want to click on that link - but be careful!

How To Pick A Repair Shop

How To Pick A Repair Shop

1. 
   Call your local Better Business Bureau and check the firm's reputation for reliability and service.

2. Check with your friends or with persons you know who have done
   business with the company and see what their experience has been.
   

3. Does the company promise too much in its advertising? For instance, does the company offer a low price "inspection" without qualification as to the make of the *transmission. Does it offer to "adjust" your *transmission for a low price?
   Some modern *transmissions cannot be "adjusted" at all, other than through ordinary maintenance. If a problem arises, they must be repaired
   

4. Most major *transmission damage cannot be properly diagnosed unless the *transmission is disassembled and inspected. Be sure that the firm will reassemble the transmission to its original condition at a price clearly stated if you choose to
   refuse the offered service

Paypal Scam (Again!)

I guess the reason why there are so many Paypal schemes and scams going around is because it has to do with money! Just think about it. And the same thing applies to those phony emails purporting to be from your bank saying that there is a problem or they need to verify your account information. I have gotten a lot of those too - and some of them are from banks that I don't even have an account at?

If you have a Paypal account you have to be very careful when you get these kinds of email. Never click on the link that is provided in the email! Instead go to the website itself (or better yet - CALL THEM ON THE PHONE!

Tax Software For Free?

I received this email offer for free tax software that can be downloaded right off the internet. Now there's nothing wrong with trying out new software BUT when it comes to something as important as your taxes I think that the best way to go is to go along the way you have been going regardless of whether you do your taxes yourself or you hire someone to do it.

You can try out the software fine but just don't use it as the only way to do your taxes - at least not initially. You can try out the software (and since it's free software there shouldn't be a cost involved) and if you like it (and hopefully can trust it) then you will feel more comfortable using it for preparing your taxes.

Viagra?

Got another junk mail and this one has to do with viagra! Don't know how they got my email address but then again I don't know how any of them get my email address?

Suffice it to say that if you are in the market for viagra please try not to buy it online. I just heard on the news where someone was selling "suicide" pills online and of course someone ordered it and they died!

Buying drugs online may be cheaper but it definitely isn't healthier!

Another Paypal Email Scam?

Here's an excerpt from an email I got saying that it was from PayPal:

"Dear PayPal Member,

PayPal is committed to maintaining a safe environment for its community of buyers and sellers. To protect the security of your account, PayPal employs some of the most advanced security systems in the world and our anti-fraud teams regularly screen the PayPal system for unusual activity. Recently, our Account Review Team identified some unusual activity in your account. In accordance with PayPal's User Agreement and to ensure that your account has not been compromised, access to it was flagged. Youwill remain flagged until this issue has been resolved. This is a fraud prevention measure meant to ensure that your account is not compromised. In order to secure your account and quickly restore full access, we may require some specific information from you for the following reason: Our system requires further account verification. Case ID Number: xx-xxx-xxx-xxx. We encou! rage you to log in and restore full access as soon as possible. Should your account remain flagged for an extended period of time, it may result in further limitations on the use of your account or may result in eventual account closure.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Please click on the link below to log in and restore full access to your account. (the link provided has paypal.com in it but if you put your cursor over the link you see that the link goes somewhere else)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Please understand that this is a security measure meant to help protect you and your account. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Sincerely, PayPal Account Review Department
PayPal Email ID xxxxxxx

Now I went to Paypal's site just to find out more information about these so-called emails that are sent out. Here is an excerpt of Paypal's official website:

How can I protect myself from PayPal fraud or scams?


PayPal is dedicated to fighting fraud and scams. You can help protect your account against PayPal scams by being cautious in giving out your own personal information such as first name, last name, business name, email address, password, financial information (credit card, bank account number, PIN), social security number, and driver's license number.

Tips to stay safe from PayPal fraud or scams:


Log in safely: To log in to your PayPal account or access the PayPal website, open a new web browser (e.g., Internet Explorer or Netscape) and type in the following: https://www.paypal.com/

Check the email greeting: Emails from PayPal will always address you by your first and last name or the business name associated with your PayPal account. A PayPal scam email may include the salutation "Dear PayPal User" or "Dear PayPal Member"


Look out for attachments: PayPal emails will never ask you to download an attachment or a software program. An attachment found in a PayPal scam email will often contain a virus that can harm your computer or compromise your PayPal account


Never give out personal information: If we require information from you, we will notify you in an email and request that you enter the information only after you have safely and securely logged in to your PayPal account. Often, PayPal scams will request details such as your full name, account password, credit card number, bank account, PIN number, Social Security Number, or mother's maiden name. "

To find more safety tips from Paypal's own website just go to:

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/gen/fraud-prevention-outside

Getting Fast Cash?

Income tax season is upon us now and a lot of the tax preparation businesses are offering "get cash now" services. Basically what it involves is you being able to get your tax refund now instead of waiting for it to come from the IRS. However you should be aware that you will pay a high price for doing this. In order to provide you with the cash right away the business charges fees and these are high fees. It has been reported that people take this "payday"- type loans and when they can't pay it back they take out another loan and so the cycle continues. Not everything is black and white and in some instances there may be the necessity to take out these kinds of loans but you should try to avoid doing this as much as you can.

It is a sad thing to say since I used to work for one of these big income tax preparation businesses (but this was well before the onslaught of being able to get your income tax refund before the IRS mailed it to you) but the fact of the matter is that they can charge you a big fee in return for providing you with "fast" cash.

You should check and see if you can get some free or low-cost tax preparation help. I know that the IRS itself provides help because I have used it in the past (heck I even used to work for them!). They have a phone number and a web site and you can find that out by looking in your local phonebook. You should also see if your area provides some income tax preparation help as well. Many communities offer these kinds of services at a low or free cost. If you make under a certain amount of money you can get help with your taxes free! The same thing applies to seniors who need help with their income tax preparation.

So although you may want to get your tax refund back as soon as possible try to find a low or free cost way to do it.

10 tricks for reducing your heating bill

Here is a helpful article from msnbc's website

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16176373/

It shows you some good tips that you can try to help reduce your heating bill.

Is It REALLY QVC?

Be careful when you get email from QVC. Make sure that it is coming from QVC! How do you do that? Just move your curser over the blue link (BUT DO NOT CLICK ON IT!). You will then be able to see where this blue link will go. Even though the letters "QVC" may be in the link that doesn't mean that the link will take you to QVC's official website. The best thing to do would be for you to go directly to QVC's official site and find out any information you can about the email. If you still have your doubts you can either call or email QVC - they even have a message board where you can post.

Paypal Scam

Here is a copy of a bogus email that I got:

Dear PayPal Member,This email confirms that you have paid xxx $x.00 USD using PayPal. This credit card transaction will appear on your bill as "PAYPAL xxx*".

PayPal Shopping Cart Contents

Item Name: Nokia 8800 Brand New

Quantity:1

Total: $X.00 USD

Cart Subtotal: $X.00 USD

Shipping Charge: $30.00 USD

Cart Total: $x.00 USD

Shipping Information
Shipping Info: ~
Address Status: Unconfirmed

If you haven't authorized this charge, click the link below to cancel the payment and get a full refund. (Of course this link doesn't directly go to Paypal!)

Thank you for using PayPal!The PayPal Team

Please do not reply to this e-mail. Mail sent to this address cannot be answered. For assistance, log in to your PayPal account and choose the "Help" link in the footer of any page.

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You have to be careful when you get email like this! DON'T CLICK ON THE BLUE LINK!

It is an email scam and if you click on that blue link you will be very sorry that you did!