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Do You Forget to Pay Your Bills?

Do you have trouble remembering to pay your bills on time? It may be that you have the money, but you just don’t have a system set up to handle the bills. It could be that you are struggling to make ends meet, and the late fees are really beginning to hurt you. Here are five simple suggestions that can help you to meet your monthly obligations. 1) Set up a system of where you place your bills each month. Then schedule a time each week or each month where you sit down and pay the bills. If this hasn’t … Continue reading →

A Warning For People Who Pay Bills Online

Did you know that Americans pay one in four bills online? Paying your bills online is convenient. But consumer advocates say that convenience comes with a risk, especially if you have ditched all of your paper bills for cyber statements. According to the Anti-phishing Working Group, there is a new scam out there preying on people who are familiar with the online bill paying process. The scam works like this: an email similar to statements you receive from a company you owe money to is sent in a format that looks exactly like the bill you’re used to getting. Con … Continue reading →

The Blame Game

I recently read this crazy article about a guy who is suing the makers of an online virtual game called “Lineage II.” The premise for his lawsuit is that the game didn’t contain a warning that he would become so addicted to it that it would make him unable to function normally on a daily basis. Apparently this game prevented him from getting up in the morning, getting dressed, bathing or even being able to communicate with family and friends. Are you serious? It reminds me of the lawsuits that have been filed against McDonalds, citing it was the fast … Continue reading →

Scammer Alert

As the nation grows older and the baby boomers hit their prime, a whole new age of scam artists have surfaced. These individuals are smart and savvy, so much so it can be hard to spot them. As the baby boomer generation has grown, so has their income and assets. They are seen as a target group by all kinds of money makers, from the legitimate business owner to the illegal scammer. Most likely you have read about someone falling prey in your own local newspaper. You may wonder how this could happen. Unfortunately some of these scam artists are … Continue reading →

Check that Bill

Are you checking that bill and checking it twice? Whether it is your phone bill or credit card statement, it is critical you spend a little time verifying each debit and credit. Understanding how you are billed and what exactly is on your statements cannot only help you find errors; it can help you prevent scams and identity theft as well. It surprises some to think that scams can even occur on everyday expenses such as your home phone bill. Unfortunately they do happen and many consumers pay these expenses completely unknowingly. Really, before you ever pay any bill or … Continue reading →

Netiquette: Part I – Using Proper Email Etiquette

These days, everyone is wired. Unfortunately, just because Great Aunt Mary learned how to send email and surf the web, doesn’t mean she picked up the basics of netiquette along the way. What’s netiquette, you ask? Netiquette is the unofficial rules defining proper behavior on the internet–whether sending mail, posting in online communities and message boards, or chatting. For the purpose of this blog, we’ll tackle the basics of email etiquette. We’ll cover more tomorrow. TYPING IN ALL CAPS IS CONSIDERED SHOUTING Most people don’t appreciate being shouted at. Always use lower case unless you’re trying to show emphasis. Forwards … Continue reading →

E.T. Phone Home—For Free!

As you can imagine living 5,000 miles away from my parents can translate into some HUGE phone bills. This is especially true since their first grandchild (my 2-year-old daughter) is more than willing to chat endlessly to grandma and grandpa about her daily accomplishments. Consequently, I have researched various phone plans, 3-in-1 plans, cell phone offers, pre-paid phone card options… the list goes on and on. Some deals were better than others (I found one that offered calls to Hawaii for 2 cents a minute), but none compared to what any homeowner would consider hitting the jackpot: FREE phone service. … Continue reading →

BEWARE—The Holiday Gift Card Scam

I don’t know where you live, but if you reside anywhere around the Midwest portion of the United States then you may have heard about a new scam involving gift cards. Thousands of victims have flooded area Better Business Bureaus with their tragic stories of being ripped off. Here’s how the scam works: Scammers go to a store where gift cards are hanging on a rack. They then copy numbers and merchant names from these gift cards. They wait a week or so and then call the 800 number that was on the back of the card to find out … Continue reading →