Airlines are said to be considering using some seats that face backwards, alternating with forward-facing seats. The proposal aims to both fit in more fare-paying booties, and provide more leg room.
BLOGS
Repo Man Takes Wrong Car, Now It Won't Start
By 4.16.07
At 3:45 on the morning of April 9th, Allyn awoke to find his Audi getting towed by a repo man. Thing is, Allyn didn’t owe anyone any money. Rather, his 1999 Audi A4 had the misfortune of being the same color as a 2001 Saab the tow truck driver was looking for. When he got his car back, it wouldn’t start and the bumper was loose. Thus began his series of misadventures in trying to get the towing company to pay for the damage ($5-$8k by dragging an all-wheel-drive car in park for 5 miles) they incurred.
Become A Google Finance Power User
By 4.16.07
Ask The Advisor has 13 tips to maximize your experience with Google Finance, a free online stock and company information tool. Number 11 tells you how to get multiple quotes at the same time:
Tax Season: Last Minute Tax Tips
By 4.16.07
Flatter Your Favorite Brands For Coupons
By 4.15.07
Faye over at “The Dollar Stretcher” doesn’t wait for desirable coupons to appear in the weekly circular. She writes directly to her favorite brands asking for coupons. The results are surprising.
Since September, I have been sending emails and making toll-free phone calls to manufacturers who make the products we like. The email I send is nearly the same for each company. First, I let them know how much our family likes their product. Then I mention that I am a stay-at-home mom who needs to stick to a budget. Next, I politely ask if they have any coupons available. Finally, I thank them again for such a great product. Here are the results of my little coupon request experiment:
Estimate Your FICO Score For Free
By 4.15.07
To creditors, you are a walking, talking, three digit number. Creditors use that number, your FICO score, to judge your credit worthiness. A good FICO score can lead to favorable terms, but unless you pay a fee or sign up for a free trial, your score is cloaked in a shroud of secrecy. Until now.
Correction: Negative Items Are Supposed To Fall Off Credit Reports After 7 Years, No Matter What
By 4.13.07
Yesterday we erroneously reported that while chargeoffs are supposed to disappear from your report after seven years, you can get that clock reset by making payments or otherwise communicating with the creditor.
Bank of America's "Perfect" Security System Actually Vulnerable To Phishing
By 4.13.07
Bank of America has an online security measure called SiteKey and says, “[W]hen you see your SiteKey, you can be certain you’re at the valid Online Banking website at Bank of America, and not a fraudulent look-alike site.”
United Ad: Some Of Our Best Businessmen, Are Women!
By 4.12.07
American Airlines getting “female marketing” totally buck wrong isn’t anything new. This United videos shows airlines have been wacky about women since at least 1968. At least. Here’s the transcript:
Negative Items Fall Off Credit Report After Seven Year Itch, As Long As You Don't Scratch 'Em Creditors Don't Fraudulently "Reage" Them
By 4.12.07
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), bad items fall off your credit report after seven years, but did you know that if you contact the creditor in any way during that time you they can use that to illegally reset the clock?
CPA Answers Blog Readers' Tax Questions
By 4.12.07
I Will Teach You To Be Rich took over 100 reader tax questions and posted answers to the best ones from from David Bergstein, CPA.
Phone Number For JetBlue's Main Baggage Office
By 4.11.07
If JetBlue lost your luggage, here’s the number for their main baggage office: 866-538-5438
Products Are Designed To Break So You Will Buy Another One
By 4.10.07
Stay Free! has an interview with Giles Slade, author of Made to Break: Technology and Obsolescence in America.
How Banks Flag Ordinary Customers As Terrorists
By 4.10.07
The Washington Post has an article, “Ordinary Customers Flagged as Terrorists,” describing how the Office of Foreign Asset Control maintains a list of potential terrorist suspects, and how everyday citizens can wind up on it.
Rent A Car Under 25 Without Massive Surcharges?
By 4.10.07
Upgrade: Travel Better says most car rental places will charge drivers under 25 an additional $25 per day, but there are a couple of things you can do to reduce the ding.
Car Rental Grace Periods Died Graceless Death
By 4.9.07
You may have missed it, but a number of national car-rental places amended or ended their car-rental grace periods this year. These were rules that said if you returned your car an hour or two late, they wouldn’t charge you for the overtime.
Pay What You Want For Independent Music With Songslide
By 4.9.07
Songslide may be a glimpse into the future of online music, where consumers choose how much to pay artists for high quality DRM-free downloads. Songslide was founded by John Brewer and Devin Heard, two musicians who found that fans paid more for music when given the freedom to choose the price.
We started SongSlide because we believe there is a huge well of untapped generosity out there in the world of independent music. We believe that when fans are given the choice to support their favorite artists by paying more for their music, they will pay more. Why? Because it feels great to support the musicians you love. And because fans know it will make a difference to the artists.
The minimum price is $0.59 per track. The more you pay, the more the artist receives. Since Songslide’s launch, the average price per track has been $2.08.
Got A Late Fee? Ask For A Credit
By 4.8.07
Next time a late fee mars your bill, ask to have it waived. It helps to have a history of timely payments made in full, as Five Cent Nickel discovered when his Citi Mastercard was hit with a $39 late fee plus finance charges.
I was, of course, really bummed. After all, we’ve never paid a late fee or an interest charge to a credit card company. Was the streak about to end? Not if I had anything to say about it!
