Category: Personal finance
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Woman loses $150,000 in online dating scam
originally published in ConsumerAffairs You already know to be wary whenever you go online, so you don’t fall prey to the various types of scammers, thieves, con artists, hackers, malware-writers and other threats that proliferate on the Internet. And if you’re looking for love in an online dating site you must be extra-careful, because looking…
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The Walmart MoneyCard hacker strikes again: Cardholders from across the U.S. see their hacked cards drained at NYC Target stores
originally published at ConsumerAffairs UPDATE, Oct. 15: Walmart and Green Dot have responded; their statements are at the end of this article. Something criminally strange seems to be going on with Walmart MoneyCards, especially in New York City and its immediate suburbs, though any MoneyCard holder in America is apparently at risk. Ever since September 2013,…
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The richest person in history (plus or minus a few billion)
Originally published in ConsumerAffairs An old proverb says that “The rich man has his ice in the summer, and the poor man gets his in the winter.” Of course, that proverb predates the Industrial Revolution, discovery of electricity and invention of refrigeration, not to mention the other technological and economic reasons why, in early 21st-century…
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The healthcare law is an ass
Originally published in The Guardian Before you contemplate America’s historic new healthcare reform bill, here’s an inspirational Bible verse from the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 22, verses 28 and 29: “If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay…
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Bureaucratic Blunder Gets In Your Pocket
originally published in the New Britain Herald, Middletown Press and Bristol Press With the economy careening toward Great Depression 2.0, socially responsible writers like me produce helpful news-you-can-use articles in the “How to save money for the tough times ahead” genre. So here goes: Clip coupons, brown bag your lunches, turn down the heat and…
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Spending and Saving, Saving and Spending
originally published in the New Britain Herald, Bristol Press and Middletown Press You know those free online e-mail accounts where you’re guaranteed no-cost access from every Internet connection in the world in exchange for being constantly pummeled by annoying flash ads, fluffhead celebrity news links and the occasional virus attack that crashes your entire hard…
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Thy Brother’s Keeper (and thy bank’s, too)
originally published in the Hartford Advocate Thy Brother’s Keeper (And Thy Bank’s, Too) Protecting the assets of wealthy lending institutions is your personal responsibility. Seriously. By Jennifer Abel Here’s how the five stages of grief play out when you learn that your lucky self is at risk of identity theft because you’re one of the…
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Whatever you do, don’t accept that delicious gourmet treat
Originally published on Main Street Still scrambling for a last-minute holiday gift? Perhaps a Secret Santa offering for a colleague you hardly know? Then buy a scented candle, a decorative paperweight, a coffee mug with a stupid cartoon on it — buy anything except a gift box or basket filled with deluxe gourmet luxury versions…
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Rent-to-own is an expensive way to do either
Originally published in ConsumerAffairs.com One of the most common, and costly, financial mistakes people make is this: when buying something on an installment plan (credit card or dealer financing, doesn’t matter), they only look at the size of their weekly or monthly payment, rather than calculate the total cost. And it’s no exaggeration to say…
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Frugal? Yes! Miserly? No.
Originally published on ConsumerAffairs.com It’s time for polite society to reclaim the “F-word” and give it back the historic respectability it so undeservedly lost. I’m speaking, of course, about “frugal.” The word enjoyed a stellar reputation for most of recorded history; when Thomas Jefferson gave his first inaugural address to citizens of the fledgling United…