Main | Next page »
 

Entry bubble Jobs in Public Service

By: Colleen | July 01, 2009 | Category: Money

Do you know a recent graduate who is looking for a job? Or anyone else looking for work in this tough economy? Encourage them to helpwantedconsider public service!

On July 16, if you can make it to Washington, DC, checkout the annual Public Service Career and Internship Fair. Lasting from 3-7 p.m. at the National Building Museum, scope out our career and internship opportunities from 67 federal agencies. Participants can pre-register online to get full details about the event including directions and tips for putting your best foot forward.

Can't get to DC? USAjobs.gov is always available to search for job openings in the government.

| Post a Comment | View Comments [0] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags:

 

Entry bubble Cash for Your Used Car

By: Joanne | June 30, 2009 | Category: Money

Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) logoLast week President Obama signed the Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act of 2009 into law. The new Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) program offers cash to people who own old, fuel inefficient cars to help them buy new, fuel efficient cars.

Sounds interesting? You bet. Who doesn’t want to spend less money on gas, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce our dependency on oil and increase energy sustainability AND get a shiny new car in the deal?

How does it work? Now that it’s a law, program details are available. Here are some quick facts – visit cars.gov for more details.

  • The amount of the credit is $3,500 or $4,500 depending on what you trade in and what you buy
  • Your car must be less than 25 years old
  • You must buy or lease a new car
  • Generally, your trade-in must get 18 or less miles per gallon (some very large pick-up trucks and cargo vans have different requirements)
  • Your trade-in must be registered and insured continuously for the full year before the trade-in
  • You don't need a voucher, dealers will apply a credit at purchase
  • Program runs through Nov 1, 2009 or when the funds are exhausted, whichever comes first.
  • The vehicle that you are trading in is required to be destroyed. Therefore, the value you negotiate with the dealer for your trade in is not likely to exceed its scrap value. The law requires the dealer to disclose to you an estimate of the scrap value of your trade-in vehicle.

Watch out, I’ve already heard reports that fraudulent websites have popped up, pretending to offer information about the CARS program but they’re really phishing for your personal information. Stick with the official CARS website for official program information.

p.s. Don't forget to submit your Independence Day photos on the USA.gov and GobiernoUSA.gov Flickr Group

| Post a Comment | View Comments [2] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: car   cars   cash   clunkers   efficient   for   fuel   in   joanne   new   trade   used  

 

Entry bubble Your Turn: Reduce and Reuse to Save Money

By: Tonya Beres | June 29, 2009 | Category: Money

Water Bottle Picture Our Monday blogger, Jake, has work duties that will take him away from Gov Gab until September. In his absence, we’re alternating between “Your Turn” weeks, where we’ll ask a question to spotlight your knowledge about government resources, and posts from guest bloggers across the government.

Today's Question:  With tight budgets and tough economic times, what little changes have you made to save money?  My family is refilling bike water bottles instead of buying bottled water.  It saves money and the environment. 

| Post a Comment | View Comments [4] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: editor   environment   money   reduce   reuse  

 

Entry bubble Facing Foreclosure? Find Help Now!

By: Editor | June 22, 2009 | Category: Money

Wendy Wagner is the staff editor and speechwriter for the Federal Housing Finance Agency. She has more than 20 years’ experience as a professional writer and editor. 

A few days ago, a neighbor mentioned that another neighbor was trying to avoid losing his home. His wife had been laid off from her job in March, and the couple was afraid they would end up in foreclosure.

I was glad to be able to tell my neighbor how to access programs to help them avoid foreclosure. And it occurred to me that lots of people are probably in the same boat. If you are facing foreclosure or worry that soon you might be, take these steps immediately to try to prevent losing your home:

First, call the company that services your loan—the place where you send your monthly mortgage payment. Check your mortgage payment book or monthly statement to verify which bank or mortgage company it is. Call and talk to someone about your situation and find out what options you have. Believe it or not, the servicers usually want to help rather than have someone lose their home. Sometimes they can offer immediate solutions or give you a referral to find help. The sooner you begin working with the servicer, the more likely you are to avoid foreclosure in the long run.

Next, find out if you are eligible for the new Making Home Affordable programs—you have to live in the mortgaged home, and the mortgage must be owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, although several major loan servicing companies have signed up to participate in the program for nonFannie/Freddie loans. To find out if you are eligible, visit www.makinghomeaffordable.gov. The site is simple and set up to help you quickly find answers to your questions.

Another source of information and assistance is the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD offers foreclosure avoidance counseling and has a complete list of approved counseling centers across the country. HUD also has a comprehensive information page with numerous resources and suggestions.

If you have even a slight worry that you could lose your home, there are programs out there that can help you head off the trouble early. Don’t wait to seek them out and get started.

| Post a Comment | View Comments [5] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: editor   foreclosure   house   hud   mortgage  

 

Entry bubble Reporting online scams

By: Jess | June 18, 2009 | Category: Money

Caution picture

Last week I got a rather panicky call from a friend of mine.

"I think I just got scammed on Craigslist," she said. "How can I report it?"

I asked her to give me some more details so I could tell her the best place to report.

Here's the gist of the story.

My friend and her roommate are moving at the end of next month so they have been searching Craigslist for apartment listings. They'd responded to several ads and found one apartment that sounded extremely promising -- good location, reasonable price, utilities included. When they contacted the poster, he sent them back an application form to fill out.

One part of the form required them to supply their credit score. That sounded a little odd. When I moved, my landlord ran the credit check himself, but I figured maybe this guy wanted a ballpark figure and then he would run it himself too. My friend went to Annualcreditreport.com to find her report.

Both girls filled out their forms and were getting ready to turn them in when they noticed something in the email said it was mandatory that they use a Web site he provided to find their credit score because supposedly the guy had been scammed too many times by other sites. They both thought that was very strange.

Turns out the whole thing was a giant phishing scam. The link for his "safe" site looks like the apartment complex's real site, but instead it steals personal information, like names and social security numbers. Thank goodness my friend and her roommate hadn't noticed that link until later or that guy would have gotten all of their personal information.

I directed my friend to scam resources on the Federal Citizen Information Center Web site and told her to check out the links for the Internet Crime Complaint Center and the Federal Trade Commission. USA.gov also provides information on Internet fraud.

Do you know of any other resources for reporting online scams?

| Post a Comment | View Comments [1] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: consumer_protection   fraud   internt   jess   phishing   scams  

Main | Next page »