Always read the fine print. Low-interest rates may not be as low as advertised when the ad says “as low as”. The consumer may be charged the higher rate. Cards labeled as gold or platinum are designed to make the consumer believe they have more value. That is not always true- don’t choose a card  … Read More

The government has begun mailing to participants new Medicare cards with individual identifying numbers and without Social Security numbers. These cards are free. Beware of scammers posing as Medicare representatives who have been calling and emailing seniors to try to get them to pay a processing fee for the cards. Other scammers are saying beneficiaries  … Read More

A credit freeze blocks credit bureaus from sharing your credit reports with lenders, and lenders won’t open new accounts when they cannot access these reports. Starting September 21, 2018 it will be free to freeze or unfreeze your credit reports under a new federal rule. Previously, each of the three major credit bureaus-Equifax, Experian and  … Read More

There is a transaction fee charged for each cash advance. This fee is usually 2% to 5% of the amount of the transaction. If you do not use designated machines, you may be charged ATM fees on top of that. Also, interest rates on cash advances will be higher than on regular purchases. It is  … Read More

Finding love again after a divorce is a wonderful thing. A blended family may bring additional challenges to estate planning. A few tips for dealing with the financial concerns associated with bringing two families together are: (1) consider a pre-nuptial agreement; (2) define what accounts or assets belongs to each person; (3) update medical documents  … Read More