 | Avoiding Credit Card
Traps - The Dollar Stretcher
by Gary Foreman
We were offered a one-year 2.99% interest rate on an
existing Visa account
that we didn't use very much. We wanted to use the card to
make a very
large purchase with the intent of paying it off within one
year...more
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| Realistic Credit Repair
What is the best way to get our financial life back on
track? Does income count in calculating credit score or in
assigning credit card rates? Is there something we can do
besides paying off as much as we can as quickly as
possible?...more
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| New or Used Car?
by Gary Foreman, The Dollar Stretcher
Planning on purchasing a car? Dollar Stretcher Gary Foreman
looks at the pros and cons of new vs. used...more
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|
How
to Spot a Scam a Mile Off
by Elena Fawkner
There are hundreds of thousands of people
coming online, for the first time, each year. Many of these
people have simply not been exposed to scams like the ones that
are constantly touted on the Internet before. Many of these
people come online to try and find a way to make money with
their computers and/or they're looking for ideas for making
money from home...more
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Why Are So Many Retirees in
Financial Trouble?
It seems like you can’t pick up a
newspaper or magazine without seeing an article about someone
losing their retirement savings in the recent bear market.
Ironically, most of the stories are about people who thought
they were prepared to take the plunge, only to wake up in an
ocean of financial trouble. Why is it that after one of the
greatest runs in stock market history so many people have lost
their grip on a secure retirement?...more
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| Recipe For A Healthy
Family
One of the most important things a parent can do for a child is
to nurture their sense of self worth. When children feel
confident and secure, they’re more likely to succeed in school
and be capable of maintaining personal relationships...more
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| How to
Safely Order Prescription Drugs from Canada
Forget the bus trip. Now that Americans are discovering low
Canadian prescription drug prices, Canadian pharmacies are
responding; there are now a number of companies offering an
online mail order option, so you can get your prescription
filled without crossing the border...more
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Exercise: Add
Years to Your Life, Life to Your Years
The evidence is clear: a healthier and fitter lifestyle -- not to mention a younger attitude -- can delay, prevent or even reverse much of the physical decline normally associated with aging.
Yet, many retirees do no meaningful exercise, and half of American retirees are completely sedentary, according to the latest research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...more
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| Mom's Finances
My 70-year-old mother lives alone a
few miles away from two of her five daughters. She's fiercely
protective of her privacy and independence. However, she cannot
handle her money. She's always been bad with bouncing checks and
having the utilities cut off for non-payment. But now she's much
worse. She gets a retirement pension which is about three times
as much as her normal monthly expenses, but she's always broke
by the 15th of the month. Our plan is to open up a new checking
account for her pension to be automatically deposited in that
she will not have access to. We're going to change the address
on her bills and I will become the bill-payer. We'll give her an
allowance of $500 a month for groceries, gas, and other
expenses, which I think is very ample for a single person.
Whatever doesn't go for her bills will be put aside for an
emergency fund and for future medical bills. My sisters are all
in agreement that something needs to be done. Now we have to get
our mother's cooperation. Is this a good idea?...more
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| Learn to Search the World Wide
Web.
This is a free, self-paced tutorial that contains, in four
lessons, information about the Web, explanations about how
information is collected and organized and tips for how to
find things on the Internet. A Glossary is available for you
to peruse or to use to look up a word you don't
understand...Click
here for the tutorial
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| Are you my phone company?
Life was simpler before the break-up of Ma
Bell. Maybe phone rates were higher, but at least you knew who
your long distance company was. Your
long distance carrier shouldn't be switched without your
knowledge. But sometimes it happens, because of a phenomenon
called "slamming."...more
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| Downsizing and moving for seniors
The first and most important thing to do when you know where you're moving is to make a floor plan showing each room and the placement of each piece of furniture. Try to take actual measurements of the rooms, and include locations of doors, windows, heaters, outlets, etc. Make copies of the floor plan...more
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| Do It Yourself?
We've got water on the basement floor which came from
the gas water heater. We two ladies don't know what to do
and whether we must have a plumber, which we can ill afford.
We're willing to make adjustments or simple repairs and
would surely appreciate some guidance...more
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| Nearly
Retired
Recent Congressional
research showed that only 40% of workers have a plan in place for
retirement. Even among those over age 55, only 47% had retirement
accounts. And the median value of the account was less than
$25,000. So a lot of people need to begin saving for retirement...more
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| How
to connect long distance with grandkids
by
Selma Wassermann, Contributing Columnist
Grandparents are notorious in their
reputations for largesse toward grandchildren. Look at any group of
travelers—at the bus depot, the train station, the airport—and you
will be able to pick out the grandmother at a single glance. She is the
one loaded down with one, two, three shopping bags full of presents, in
addition to all of her other luggage...more
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| Top 10 Ways to
Prepare for Retirement
Retirement is expensive. Experts
estimate that you'll need about 70% of your pre-retirement
income-lower earners, 90% or more - to maintain your standard of
living when you stop working. Understand your financial future...more
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| Seniors Can Find Some
Helpful Services Online
The household computer has become as
standard today as our telephones and televisions. Most families
use their computers to access the Internet and seniors are no
exception. According to a recent Pew Internet survey, 51 percent
of adults between the ages of 50 and 64 are online and 15
percent of the 65-and-older population is as well...more
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Can Gardening
Improve Your Health?
Before you shell out $50 for the "Chub-Buster 5000," get out
your gardening gloves. Better health can be as close as your
backyard...more |
