In a twist to the usual ATM skimmer scam, there’s a new report from Krebs on Security about crooks who put the skimmer inside the bank door-lock. When you swipe your card to get inside, they grab your digits. A camera hidden behind a mirror above the ATM and pointed down at the keypad records your PIN code when you punch it in. [More]
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Assange Tells 60 Minutes He Likes Watching Banks Squirm As They Prep For His Next Leak
By 1.31.11
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange played coy in his 60 Minutes interview last night as reporter Steve Kroft tried to press him about the identity of the big bank he supposedly has a 5GB hard drive of secrets on. [More]
Deduct The Costs Of Your Job Search
By 1.31.11
It’s hard to get a break when you’re out of work, but there are a few tax breaks you do qualify for. Did you know that you can deduct travel expenses for job interviews? The fees you pay to an outplacement firm? And the cost of printing your resume on ostrich ebony paper? A survey of 1,000 adults found that only 1% of them did. While you’re trying to snag a job, might as well catch a few tax breaks along the way. [More]
This Is Why You Need To Double Check Your Statements After Prepaying Your Mortgage
By 1.28.11
For those who try to prepay their mortgages, here’s a cautionary tale from reader RM. Basically every single time that he’s prepaid his mortgage, there’s been a big problem. The bank keeps applying it to the future interest instead of the existing principal. The future interest is calculated based on the current principal, so that means they’re having him paying extra interest that would have never accrued if they had subtracted his payment correctly! [More]
Track Your Tax Return Status With IRS2Go App
By 1.28.11
The IRS has an official app called “IRS2Go” for iOS and Android that lets you keep track of your tax return’s status after you’ve filed it. [More]
Chase Chokes Off Enrollment In Debit Rewards
By 1.28.11
After February 8th, Chase isn’t letting any more people into the debit rewards program. Citing shrinking margins due to recent legislation, Chase is closing off all new enrollment. [More]
Pretty Circles Tell You Whether To Rent Or Buy
By 1.27.11
For those who don’t like math but do like colored circles, here’s a graphic visualizing which cities it’s cheaper to buy in and which it’s cheaper to rent in. The redder the circler, the better it is to rent. The greener, the better it is to buy. [More]
Avoid The Dread Eye Of The IRS Auditor
By 1.27.11
After The Reaper, second in the line of “those to fear” is the IRS tax auditor. What with his scales and poison fangs and all. But you can dodge his fell gaze if you know the red flags he’s looking for. [More]
Build Your Own Home Gym For Cheap With Craigslist
By 1.25.11
Getting in shape this year needn’t require a gym membership. A reader over at the New York Times Bucks Blog sent in info and pictures about the home gym he built almost entirely from equipment scavenged off Craigslist. [More]
Personal Finance Roundup
By 1.25.11
ETFs you do (and don’t) want to own [CNN Money] “With over 1,000 to choose from, investing in ETFs can be tricky. Experts break it down with their recommendations.”
Cook More, Eat Out Less: 7 Highly Effective Habits [Money Watch] “The habits that have helped me stay committed [to saving on eating out] thus far.”
Frugal Lessons from People Who Survived the Great Depression [Frugal Confessions] “The Great Depression left a great impression on their thoughts, their styles, and their habits.”
Five Best New Cheap Cars (Under $20K) To Consider [Wallet Pop] “An iffy economy and high unemployment rate make a flock of new vehicles priced below $20,000 well timed for their 2011 debuts.”
35 Things NOT to do When Ordering Delivery [Budgets are Sexy] “The following is a list of things to consider the next time you decide to order delivery from a local restaurant.”
Buy A Stolen Debit Card For $80
By 1.21.11
Security firm Pandalabs investigated the online underworld’s menu of services and has surveyed the going rates for various kinds of fraud. Stolen credit card numbers can be had for as little as $2, but these are like buying a mystery bag. Crooks don’t know the cardholder’s info and there’s no assurance that it will actually work. So for $80 thieves will sell a debit card with a guaranteed (small) balance. To get access to a big balance of $82,000, that will run ya $700. [More]
Guy Makes Comedy Videos Asking For $1 Million… And Gets It
By 1.20.11
Comedian Craig Rowin made a series of videos asking for random rich strangers online to give him $1 million. He made no attempt to justify his need or worthiness for this bequest. He simply and emphatically outlined the rules for giving him the money and went through the various options of individuals and companies who might possibly give him the money. And now, by some insane kinky power of the internet, a millionaire has stepped up and will give him the cash. By all accounts, this is not a joke. It is actually happening. [More]
Reasons It's Not So Great To Rent
By 1.20.11
Two weeks ago we told you about a couple of reasons it’s not necessarily super-awesome to own your own house. Well, now here’s the flip side of the coin. Renting has plenty of financial drawbacks too. [More]
You Can Now Open A Chinese Bank Account, Invest Directly In Yuan
By 1.19.11
This week, for the first time ever, the Bank of China in the US is letting American customers open up accounts and invest directly in Chinese currency. Last year the “closed” currency yuan gained 3.3% against the dollar while the highest American “high interest” accounts were delivering around 1.7%. WSJ gives 5 reasons for getting in on the hot renminbi action: [More]
8 Ways Your 1040 Is Different This Year
By 1.19.11
Once January hits it’s a good time to start getting ready for your taxes. To help you prepare, here’s 8 ways your 1040 is going to be different this year: [More]
Chase Overcharged Over 4,000 Military Families On Mortgages, Improperly Foreclosed On 14
By 1.19.11
Chase has admitted that it overcharged over 4,000 military families on their home mortgages, as well as wrongly foreclosed on 14 of them. Some of these are families of troops that are fighting in Afghanistan. [More]
Citigroup Still Selling Mortgages That Violate Quality Standards
By 1.18.11
15% of the mortgages Citigroup sold to government-owned Freddie Mac from the second half of 2009 and the first part of 2010 were riddled with flaws, according to an internal report obtained by Bloomberg. The error rate should be about 5%. The mistakes included missing insurance docs, missing appraisals and income miscalculations. [More]
Personal Finance Roundup
By 1.18.11
6 Ways to Save Money on iPads, iPhones, and Macs [Wise Bread] “Here are six ways you can ‘go Apple’ and save some money while you’re at it.”
How Not to Land a Job: 18 Interview No-Nos [Money Talks News] “Avoid these mistakes – some common and others just weird – at your next interview.”
Keep Your Ride Rolling: Tips For a Longer Lasting Car [Mint Life Blog] “Some good advice for my fellow car owners.”
The Importance of Salary Negotiation [Get Rich Slowly] “No matter how much money an employer offers you, it’s never Enough. Ask for more.”
5 Bad Financial Decisions and How to Recover [Yahoo Finance] “Some frequent missteps consumers make as they navigate their finances.”
