Posts Tagged With ‘ finances ’

Scams are terrible, especially during the holidays. But scammers are out there every day, searching for their next victim. Scammers will ask you to pay with gift cards. Why? Because they’re like cash: once you use a gift card, the money is gone. A scammer may say they’re from a government agency and you need to pay taxes or a fine immediately. They may pretend to be a family member or friend in a bind who needs money right now. Or, they may say you’re a prize winner. However, there are fees or charges you need to pay. The Federal Trade Commission offers these tips to help you determine... Continue Reading

Identity theft is terrible. It’s ruins your day, week, month, and probably more. The average data breach in 2022 cost a company $9.44 million and took 277 days to contain. To determine where Americans are most susceptible to such crimes, WalletHub, a personal finance website, compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia on 14 key items. The data range from identity-theft complaints per capita to the average loss amount due to fraud. I live in Washington state. It’s numbers are: 38th – Identity-theft complaints per capita. 22nd – Fraud and other complaints per capita. 18th –... Continue Reading

For years, I had credit card debt. As a single woman, the expenses of running and maintaining a household, plus some travel to visit my daughter in Spain, were more than I could manage on my salary. However, when I paid off my house early, I was able to pay off my credit cards quickly. Credit card debt can be stressful. Interest rates can be high, and if you miss or can’t make your full payments, the growing balance can be overwhelming. You might look for help from companies that promised to reduce or eliminate your credit card debt, for a fee. But, are they any good? You need to be really... Continue Reading

Comcast is one of the companies that I dislike the most. I’m using polite language here because it’s the best thing for bloggers to do. I’ve had poor customer service many, many times, and one customer service manager used abusive language, calling me derogatory names. Another thing that irks me about Comcast is mandatory fees, such as $20 a month for sports, for items that I don’t want or need. I wish there were better alternatives in my area for internet service and competitive prices. In an internet service provider study, Consumer Reports collected data from monthly internet bills... Continue Reading

Giving Tuesday is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Founded in 2012, it’s a global generosity movement that inspires people to give back. Every morning I get out of bed and check the news for the latest on what will help people in their financial and consumer lives. Since 2008, I’ve written more than 7,000 blog articles on topics from the best deals to corporate tricks to dangerous products. In addition to my award-winning blog, I also offer a newsletter on 10 top money-saving tips each week. It’s your donations, not advertising or corporate support, that keeps this website and the money... Continue Reading

Before the pandemic, I had several small businesses I liked to shop at downtown. But, like many consumers, I’ve turned to the internet to do a lot of my shopping as covid surged. I need to get back in the habit of giving small businesses some of my economic dollar votes. Today is Small Business Saturday – a day to shop at small businesses to show your support. “This year, we know that small businesses need our support now more than ever as they navigate, retool and pivot from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic,” the Small Business Administration or SBA said in a statement. “Please... Continue Reading

Fortunately, I was able to get a great deal on Black Friday. I need a new Apple iMac because I can no longer get updates for mine. It’s 12 years old. I’ve been watching the prices for the Apple 27” iMac with Retina 5K display for months. Finally, for Black Friday, Apple reduced the price $600. A technician will be coming to my home to set it up and transfer the data in December. As Black Friday sales are beginning to wane, Cyber Monday sales, which, like Black Friday sales are starting earlier, are in full swing. Both days have become intertwined as retailers offer virtual Black Friday... Continue Reading

This year at Thanksgiving, I’m thinking about my mom and dad. They met on a wheat ranch during the Great Depression and had virtually nothing with which to start their married lives. When I was married in the 1960s, my former husband and I also had nothing. However, we did get college degrees. I’m thankful for the careers I’ve had as a result that first college experience and several others including a master’s degree. This year for Thanksgiving, the average person’s spending over the five-day Thanksgiving period is estimated to be $301, with 97 percent of Americans planning to celebrate... Continue Reading

If you’re going to shop for deals on Black Friday – the sales are available earlier, stick around longer, and are increasingly moving online – be sure to keep comparing prices. Sometimes prices are marked way up then marked way down. Several times during my journalism career, I’ve written an article on what are the items are likely to be on sale each month throughout the year. When I was a reporter for Senior Voice newspaper in Alaska, I called store managers throughout the state to see if the calendar of monthly sales I’d seen in a newsletter fit Alaska. I happened to interview a classmate... Continue Reading

If you read my newsletter (sign up here if you haven’t seen it yet), you know I advised consumers to start their Black Friday shopping for several weeks ago. My advice today is to keep comparison shopping and add some of the stores that WalletHub.com recommends as the best, and of course, leave those at the bottom of its list until last. Last year’s Black Friday sales drew 66.5 million Americans to shop in person and 88 million to shop online. With the crush of shoppers, I’ll be shopping online. I’m hoping to get some money off on a new Apple desktop. However, Apple doesn’t often discount... Continue Reading