A customer service rep (CSR) for U.S. Bank’s 24-hour banking hotline has stepped forward from the shadows to reveal 12 tips that can save customers money and time. Insider tips on how to get fees refunded, how “available balance” is a lie, and why you should demand the Portland call center when you have a fraud problem, inside…
personal finance
Did Adele Services Charge Your Credit Card? The Company Does Not Exist
By 1.13.09
The Boston Globe says that credit card users are noticing a mysterious charge for about 25 cents from Adele Services in Melville, NY. The trouble is, “There is no business by that name listed in Melville, or registered to any business anywhere in New York, for that matter.” No one knows yet whether these small charges are tests for larger unauthorized debits, or if this is the entire scam. Either way, check your statement and be sure to file a dispute—and request a new card—if you come across it.
Deprogram Bad "Money Scripts"
By 1.12.09
How you relate to money money could have a lot to do with emotional connections you made to money at a young age, and these so-called “money scripts” can be a blindspot that’s causing you financial pain, reports WSJ.
Your Credit Card Costs Consumers ~$50,000,000,000 Per Year
By 1.8.09
Not all money is created equal. It costs retailers extra in fees when you use a credit card, a costs that gets passed right back to you in the form of higher prices, and how much that is depends on which credit card you use. To see how much more expensive your credit card is making life, enter the first 6 digits of your credit card over at truecostofcredit.com, a mashup developed by reader Sean Harper and his friend. This is the bank identification number and cannot be used to steal your credit card, so don’t worry. If you rather not do that, you can also see the results for an AMEX, a debit card, Mastercard rewards card, or a Visa rewards card. Of the project, Sean writes:
9 Ways The IRS Can Help You Save On Taxes This Year
By 1.8.09
Taxes aren’t that far off, and the IRS is here to help you give them less money, or take longer in giving it to them! Here’s 9 ways they can make your tax life easier.
Oprah & Orman Give Out Free Book: "2009 Action Plan"
By 1.8.09
“Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan” is free to download from Oprah.com for the next week. Unlike last year’s “Women & Money,” this book is intended for pretty much everyone. We haven’t read it, so here’s a line from the Amazon editorial review: “There are safeguards to put in place, actions to take, costly mistakes to avoid, and even opportunities to be had, so that you are protected during the bad times and prepared to prosper when things take a turn for the better.”
Reach Sprint's Retention Department
By 1.8.09
Retentions, the place where you threaten to cancel because service sucks and they throw goodies and freebies and discounts at you to get you stick around, the place where dreams come true. Here’s two numbers to directly reach Sprint’s Retentions Department: 800-235-1185, 888-211-4727. (Photo: SlapAyoda)
Personal Finance Roundup
By 1.8.09
8 Bad Work Habits (And How to Break Them) [Yahoo Hotjobs] “Experts offer this list of common bad habits at work — and how to break them.”
Mathematicians Have The Best Job In America
By 1.8.09
The Wall Street Journal covers a new study that determines the best and worst jobs in America using five criteria: environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands and stress. When all was said and done, all the data weighed and all the experts consulted, one occupation stood head and shoulders above the rest: mathematician. Yep, you read that correctly. Here’s why it took the top spot:
Get One Free Tax Answer
By 1.8.09
Got a Federal tax question you can’t figure out? Input your question at FreeTaxQuestion.com now through Jan 31st and they will call you back within 24 hours with an answer or guidance. Limit one question per person.
Get An Employer Discount With Any Cellphone Company
By 1.7.09
Save money on your cellphone bill by checking out to see if you can get an employer discount! Here’s the necessary info for every major cellphone provider:
AARP-Endorsed Insurance May Not Be So Cheap After All
By 1.6.09
A Bloomberg investigation found that some insurance policies with the AARP stamp of approval actually cost senior citizens more, and part of that money is getting kicked back to AARP in the form of “royalties” and “fees.” Essentially, the AARP is taking a cut of your premium before passing it on to the insurer. These payments have gone from 11% of AARP’s revenue in 1999, to 43% in 2007. One man found he was paying twice the average for his car insurance. When walked into the the group’s brass and marbled headquarters, flashing his 20-year AARP card, to find out where his money was going, he was told the AARP doesn’t give tours.
Despite Having A S*%!load Of Our Money, Banks Still Aren't Lending
By 1.5.09
Gripped by “catatonic fear,” banks still aren’t thawing credit markets, “leaving taxpayers propping up an industry that won’t lend to them.” [Bloomberg] (Photo: The Joy of the Mundane)
What's The Difference Between Money Market Accounts And Money Market Funds?
By 1.3.09
This year, many investors learned the hard way the difference between a money market account and a money market fund. Do you know the difference?
Play Anti-Phishing Phil And Learn How To Spot Phishing Attacks
By 1.2.09
Phishing attacks are pretty cleverly designed, because they skip most virus checkpoints altogether and go for the true weak spot in human-computer interaction, the human. Lorrie Faith Cranor, a computer security researcher at Carnegie Mellon University, has been studying phishing attacks to identify new ways to fight them.
Money Resolutions Everywhere!
By 1.2.09
The web is full of financial resolutions for 2009, telling us all what we should and shouldn’t do for the next year. And whether or not you’re the resolution type, it’s probably worthwhile to review what some of the leading financial publications are recommending. After all, aren’t we all interested in ideas for improving our financial lives?
How Universities And Credit Card Companies Make Money Off Of Students
By 1.2.09
How can an educational institute act in its students’ best interest if it stands to make money off of increasing their debt load? The symbiotic relationship between universities and credit card companies is being questioned more than ever by student groups and politicians, writes the New York Times.
Now Is The Time To Lock In Interest Rates With CDs
By 12.29.08
If you’re a saver, the Fed flipped you the bird this week. They dropped interest rates and introduced “quantitative easing,” two things that will make interest rates plummet. Here’s how you can protect yourself.
