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Entry bubble Online Banking

By: Ginger | January 29, 2010 | Category: Money

Woman paying bills onlineRecently my friend mentioned that she and her husband were opening a bank account. I assumed she meant they had decided to switch banks. I asked her where had they banked before and why had they switched. She informed me that they weren't switching banks and that they haven't had a bank account for years. She told me this was their first bank account since they were a young married couple.

I've had a bank account since I started earning a paycheck, so this was a completely foreign concept to me, and being someone who occasionally blurts out the first thing that comes into my mind, I said, “Holy cannolis (OK, I didn't really say cannoli. I'm just keeping it clean for all of those kids out there who are interested in online banking)! You have got to be kidding! How have you managed to not have a bank account all of these years?”

She then went on to explain that when she and her husband were just starting out, they had an account with a bank and ordered checks. They never got the checks, because someone had stolen them. The person stole their identities and quickly made use of the checks. By the time they realized what had happened, a lot of damage had been done. Their money was gone and bad checks kept rolling in. She said it was a huge ordeal for them to try to straighten out the situation.

The experience left them so traumatized that they agreed to never again have a bank account. Since then, it was strictly cash transactions for them. They would pay a fee to cash their payday checks at stores. They would go get in lines (sometimes long lines) and pay bills directly. It was a lot of running around for them, but they felt safer doing it that way. It wasn't until they came into a substantial amount of money that caused them to open a bank account again.

She asked me about my experience with online banking. I told her that I love the convenience of paying bills online. I can schedule them to be paid on certain days. I can even set up automatic payments or transfer money to different accounts when I need to without having to go stand in line at my bank. I also mentioned that I like to be able to check all of my accounts online whenever I want, not just during banking hours.

She asked, “Aren't you worried someone will get access to your money?” I told her that I take precautions. I am careful to safeguard my personal information and financial transactions. I can actually keep a better eye on my assets online, because I can see daily activity on my accounts. Could bad stuff happen? Possibly, but bad stuff can happen regardless of whether you are doing your business online or not. Her story is an example of that.

I told her if she is worried about protecting her assets, there are resources that can help her to keep her money safe. I hope you find them useful, as well:

| Post a Comment | View Comments [4] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: banking   electronic_banking   ginger   online_banking  

 

Entry bubble Free Tax Filing

By: Jess | January 28, 2010 | Category: Money

taxesI got my W2 in the mail the other day, which meant only one thing: A quick phone call to my mom the accountant to ask her to help me with my taxes.

But mom, being the smart person that she is, decided I should probably try to do my taxes myself, so she told me about www.irs.gov/freefile, a website that helps people file their taxes for free if they meet certain income requirements.

There's a little quiz that asks you some questions such as age, estimated gross annual income, whether or not you're married, and then it suggests a list of possible free software tools that will help you fill out your federal taxes forms.

For someone like me, fairly new to the work world and a complete newbie at filing taxes, an option like this is really helpful.

For more information about filing your taxes, including information on the new rules that will let you claim Haiti donations on your 2009 returns, you can check the IRS website.

How do you prepare your taxes? Do you use a software program, an accountant, or file by hand?

| Post a Comment | View Comments [4] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: jess   money   taxes  

 

Entry bubble Thank You Notes

By: Colleen | January 27, 2010 | Category: General

If I've said it once, I'll say it again. I can't adequately express how grateful I am to be the youngest child in my family. Some of the benefits of the position include.

  • Always knowing the scoop about all my teachers before starting class
  • Being "too young to know better" until I was about 12
  • Having a double wardrobe until my sister went to college

But even better was just having to sign my name to the thank you note written by my sister until I was out of elementary school. My mom is the Queen of etiquette. I was probably the only six-year-old who knew the difference between a salad, dinner, and dessert fork. And my napkin? Always on my lap. Mom also stressed the importance of showing proper appreciation. Therefore, thank-you notes were made a part of my routine from an early age. As a kid (and well, an adult) my handwriting bordered on being hieroglyphics, so my sister always listened to my dictation and wrote the note, and afterwards I'd provide my John Hancock.

I'm actually surprised about how few people provide thank you notes now. I've been in or been to countless weddings and showers in the past five years and I'd say only a handful have sent a note thanking me for the gift.

Besides just gifts it's important to let people know you appreciate their time. For example, after an interview for a job, you should always send a handwritten thank you note to the interviewer. It shows you think their time is valuable and it also leaves a good impression.

It's not even time consuming to send a note now. Use this website to send a note to our troops for their efforts.

Do you write thank you notes regularly? What situations do you think require them?

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Entry bubble Compost Bin

By: Joanne | January 26, 2010 | Category: Home and Family

Close-up mid section of woman holding soilI’ve been composting yard waste and food scraps for nearly a decade. My method, and I think using the term method is even a little too fancy, is the heap method. In essence, we have an out of view place near the garden where we dump food scraps and yard trimmings and then never think of it again. See how easy backyard composting can be?

There are, of course, more efficient methods of composting if you’re willing to put even just a little effort into it. These more efficient methods will yield better quality soil and it’ll be ready for you to use in a shorter period of time. I’m in no rush because the previous owner of my house had a few horses, so I’ve got a mountain of nice aged horse manure to fertilize my garden for many years to come.

The heap method of composting has worked well for many years, but we hit a snag: the puppy. From what I can tell, there are few things in life more enticing to a puppy than a big pile of decomposing food scraps. Not only is she eating my good compost material, I worry that there might be some people food in there that’s not so good for a dog.

So begins my quest for a new puppy-proof composting method. While I’ve been looking through the garden catalogs I’ve seen many lovely bins that you can buy and are shipped ready to assemble in your yard. But when I see a $100 price tag I wonder if this is something I can do myself and save some money. The answer is yes! There are a number of different types of compost bins you can build yourself, and they’re made from materials that are pretty easy to get. I think I’m going to keep it simple and build a wire mesh bin or maybe just a simple pallet bin. What works for you?

| Post a Comment | View Comments [4] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: compost   garden   joanne   scraps   waste  

 

Entry bubble Vehicle Recalls

By: Jake | January 25, 2010 | Category: General

Update: The company that produced my car, Toyota, released a full list of recalled cars. They also have suspended sales of these vehicles. If you own one of these cars and experience problems with your acceleration pedal, here's what Toyota suggests you do:

• If you need to stop immediately, the vehicle can be controlled by stepping on the brake pedal with both feet using firm and steady pressure. Do not pump the brake pedal as it will deplete the vacuum utilized for the power brake assist.
• Shift the transmission gear selector to the Neutral (N) position and use the brakes to make a controlled stop at the side of the road and turn off the engine.
• If unable to put the vehicle in Neutral, turn the engine OFF. This will not cause loss of steering or braking control, but the power assist to these systems will be lost.
• If the vehicle is equipped with an Engine Start/Stop button, firmly and steadily push the button for at least three seconds to turn off the engine. Do NOT tap the Engine Start/Stop button. 
• If the vehicle is equipped with a conventional key-ignition, turn the ignition key to the ACC position to turn off the engine. Do NOT remove the key from the ignition as this will lock the steering wheel. 

I was watching the news Thursday night and the anchor announced my car had been recalled due to a sticky acceleration pedal. The recall was voluntary and my automobile manufacturer is working on a resolution.

Product recalls happen every day and Recalls.gov is your primary government resource to find out about them. If you have an automobile, you have more specialized options to look for recalls. The Federal Citizen Information Center's automobile recall page will tell you about recent automobiles and related recalls.

Safercar.gov is your best resource. The web page is maintained by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and part of its mission is to test cars for safety defects and issue recalls. It relies mostly on the public to notify it of potential safety issues in cars, car seats and other automobile related products. You can file these complaints online.

Have you ever had to file a safety complaint for a car?



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