Personal Finance & Retirement Planning

Are you forgetful like me? Even if you are not, you have probably misplaced your keys or papers or even your wallet. In most cases, you will get your wallet back, but occasionally someone will either deliberately steal your wallet or if it is found by a crook, she or he will simply take the good stuff out (cash, credit cards, etc.) and throw the rest in the trash. Loss of a wallet can put us into a lot of trouble, particularly if it results in identity theft. AP9 Privacy Matters tells you what to do if your wallet is lost:

Calling all cars: If theft happens, first and foremost, don’t panic or get enraged. After all, what will that do? Instead, act fast and file a police report for the stolen item. And be sure to get a copy of the police report, in case the bank, credit card companies or insurance companies need proof of the crime.

Call up and cancel: Cancel all credit and charge cards, and get new account numbers. AP9 PrivacyMatters warns that victims will spend a lot of time on the phone dealing with customer service people right after a theft. So keep those phone skills sharp.

Stay in the fight: Again, no one likes to deal with being ripped off, but don’t wallow in it. Instead, fight back, act fast, and make some more phone calls. Once those stolen account numbers have been canceled through the individual credit companies, call up the major credit reporting agencies and ask them to flag accounts with a “fraud alert.” In case the cards have already been abused, ask those at the reporting agencies to add a “victim’s statement” to build in some more protection.

Check in with the bank: Call the bank ASAP, and tell them what’s happened. Have them cancel checking and savings account numbers and arrange for new ones. Also arrange for stop payments on any blank checks that might have been stolen from a purse or billfold. Cover all the bases. Thieves don’t miss much.

Call the haul: Once you’ve dealt with all the finances, get on the phone with everybody else — utility companies and the phone company. Tell them that someone may well try to get new service, masquerading as you.

Two types of people are easy prey for businesses: parents and vacationers. Businesses know that parents will often stretch themselves when it comes to their children, especially newborns. Similarly, businesses also know that when people go on vacation, they intend to spend money. That is why if you have taken a few trips you will find that you end up spending more than you budgeted.

AP9 Saving Smart, a membership discount program offered by Adaptive Marketing, suggests that asking a few questions before confirming a hotel reservation can help to reduce sticker shock come checkout time. Here are some hidden fees that no one will tell you at the time of booking:

Resort fees: Resorts tend to be more expensive to begin with, since they typically offer a lot of add-ons to the standard hotel room, whether it’s golf courses, fitness spas — even beach towels. What people may not know is that a number of resorts charge their guests a resort fee regardless of whether they use any of the resort offerings. So you may be scared of water and not even own a swimsuit, but don’t be surprised if you pay for the pool use.

Parking fees: Unless you’re taking a shuttle van from the airport to a hotel, there’s a good chance you’ll need to pay for your automobile’s accommodations as well as your own.

Room service: Many hotels now tack on delivery fees for room-service meals, along with 15% gratuities that often go unnoticed — until checkout — when travelers think handing the bellboy a five-dollar bill is more than enough to cover the tip. So unless you are too tired, it is best to just go the restaurant and eat there. Food always tastes better in a restaurant anyway.

Other service fees: From housekeeping services and phone use to Internet access, fax machines and more, hotels can fulfill any number of needs, but these services typically don’t come free. Wily travelers can sometimes get around the Internet access fee by using a dial-up modem and a local ISP number, but even that maneuver can show up on the bill as a charge for a local phone call.

Honor bars: Five-dollar candy bars? Seven dollars for a bottle of water? How much for a beer? The best way to avoid the high cost of honor bars is to pack snacks ahead of time — or to go shopping outside the hotel.

Unless you are super-rich, chances are that your home will be the single largest item of purchase that you will ever make and it will also most likely be the highest value asset that you will own. In other words, you simply can’t afford to make a mistake when buying a home. While the mortgage banks and realtors will sometimes make it appear that buying a home is like a trip to the mall, it isn’t. There are several steps you have to take and then a few more steps after the actual closing. During this process, you also have to deal with about a dozen companies all the way from the bank that will finance it to the guy who will come to inspect your home.

Are you already scared and ready to give up? You don’t have to. Alonso Hurtado has put together an excellent guide “Making your dream a reality - your guide of real estate.” It is a tutorial for every first time home buyer because in this concise handbook, you have all the information in one place to make the dream of owning your home a reality. Below is the link to buy it.

Making Your Dream a Reality - Your Guide of Real Estate (Haciendo Su Sueno Una Realidad - Su Guia De Bienes Raices”)