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Going Green for Life (and Beyond!)
By Amy | August 21, 2008
There is a growing trend among the environmentally conscious, and it also happens to be more financially friendly: green burial services! According to an article by The Associated Press, these burial services do not include embalming services, can use caskets made of easily degradable materials such as cardboard, and are often set in areas resembling nature preserves.
According to The Green Burial Council, a non-profit organization started in 2005 to “make burial sustainable for the planet, meaningful for the families, and economically viable for the provider”, green burials are a return to burial traditions common throughout much of humanity up until the late 1800s.
Additionally, while modern funerals can cost in excess of $10,000, green burials can be performed for under $2,000 which is much less of a financial burden.
For more information on the subject you can also read a related article in the Indy Star.
Decisions about burial are private, extremely personal and ultimately individual, but whatever your or your family’s decisions may be, investigating a funeral home before doing business with them is a good idea, and you can easily check out companies at www.bbb.org.
Topics: News, FYI | No Comments »
BBB’s Wise Giving Alliance Increases Effort to Foster Donor Confidence
By Beth | August 20, 2008
Last week the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance announced it is pairing up with Muslim Advocates, a “national legal advocacy and education organization dedicated to promoting and protecting freedom, justice and equality for all, regardless of faith, using the tools of legal advocacy, policy engagement and education, and by serving as a legal resource to promote the full participation of Muslims in American civic life.” The BBB Wise Giving Alliance states the purpose of this partnership is to “assist American-Muslim charitable organizations and nonprofits in meeting the highest standards of legal compliance, financial accountability and good governance”.
Caroline Preston of the Chronicle of Philanthropy wrote in an August 13th article that following the September 11 terrorist attacks, “the government turned a microscope on American Muslim organizations and sowed confusion and fear among donors and volunteers,” she said. “The Muslim Charities Accreditation Program is a smart, practical solution.”
The BBB’s Standards for Charity Accountability will be applied to Muslim charities, utilizing proven guidelines in order to ensure charity transparency. Muslim Advocates will also review the charity’s financial and legal records, offering “educational seminars, technical training, free expert assistance, and professional evaluation of legal and financial records.”
Farhana Khera, executive director of Muslim Advocates, said she hoped the program would reassure donors that the charities are not engaged in funneling money to terrorists. Art Taylor, president of the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, asserts that since charities “don’t typically volunteer for accreditation by his organization”, Muslim charities participating in the program send a strong message about their commitment to transparency. BBB’s Wise Giving Alliance notes that seven nonprofit groups have already signed up. Muslim Advocates will be holding meetings in eight cities this fall to educate charity leaders about the program.
BBB business and charity reports reflect the results of an evaluation of informational materials provided voluntarily by the organization. The report is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. BBB reports are not to be used for promotional purposes.
Topics: News, Announcement | No Comments »
Reduce… Reuse… Resell!!
By Amy | August 19, 2008
In this age of more environmentally conscious yet financially stretched consumers, people are always looking for more ways to lessen their impact on the environment. If it’s possible to reduce waste and make a bit of money at the same time, who wouldn’t want to do it?? It is because of this that more and more people are turning to garage sales and consignment stores for both their selling and purchasing needs. It is more or less understood that what you see is what you get at a garage sale, and typically there is no one selling your merchandise for you, so it’s a little more straightforward. With selling things on consignment, you are actually having someone else do the selling for you, so there are a few things you should know before diving in. Your BBB offers the following advice:
Tips for Selling Through Consignment
If you have unwanted possessions and simply don’t have the time or know-how to sell or auction them on your own, a reputable consignment business might be just what you need. The consignment operation will handle the marketing and sale of your merchandise, and hopefully you will make some money in the process.
Before starting the process, the Better Business Bureau recommends the following tips to ensure your consignment transactions are successful:
–Start your search for a trustworthy consignment partner by reviewing BBB business reliability reports at www.bbb.org.
–Select several consignment businesses and comparison-shop by contacting the stores and asking a few basic questions, such as, how long the store has been in operation, what are their terms for selling via consignment, and what types of items they may specialize in selling.
–Visit the store to observe its physical appearance and talk to the staff. If the store is dependent on walk-in traffic, is it in a convenient location? What sort of advertising does it do? Is the staff market savvy? What would they consider to be a reasonable price for your item? Be aware that some stores will not accept items that are not in season or those that they expect to sell for less than a specific amount.
–If you are researching online auction drop-off stores, find one that has knowledgeable staff who can advise you if your item is likely to draw any bids and can assign a fair value to your merchandise. Auction drop-off stores will take a digital photo of your item, write the sales description and pitch, post the auction, and handle shipping to the winning bidder. Ask if you can view the ad before it’s finalized. Some auction drop-off stores will provide an e-mail link to permit you to track the progress of the bidding.
–Once you have selected a consignment business, get a written contract. The contract should clearly spell out how the proceeds from a sale will be divided – i.e., will you be paid a flat fee or a percentage (generally from 30-60%)? It should also specify how long your item will remain “on the shelf”; and detail how and when the business will pay you your share of any sale.
–The business should willingly provide a bill of sale or other record after the sale. If your item doesn’t sell, know what you need to do and by what date in order to regain possession of your goods.
So what do you do when you entered into a transaction and the shop suddenly goes out of business? Read our past post called A Company Owes Me Money, But They are Out of Business! for tips on what you can do to try to remedy this difficult scenario.
Topics: Tips, FYI | No Comments »
FTC Warning: Voter Registration Scam
By Beth | August 18, 2008
The Federal Trade Commission warns consumers to be cautious of unsolicited emails and phone calls from “someone who claims to represent your local election board or civic group and asks for your Social Security or credit card number to confirm your eligibility or registration to vote.” This is a quick way these individuals can capture important personal information, leaving consumers vulnerable to identify theft. Click here for the full press release.
The FTC notes that actual voter registration drives will contact you in person or send voter registration forms. It is important to know that they will never ask you to provide your financial information.
The FTC asks those who have been contacted by someone claiming to need your information to register you to vote to report it to the FTC either online or by calling calling 1-877-FTC-HELP. “If you already have shared your personal information with someone you don’t know, you may be the victim of a scam. File your complaint with the FTC, and then visit FTC’s Identity Theft site.
If you would like to register to vote:
(Note: Many states have specific voter register rules. Check with your state’s office to find out what may be required.)
Topics: Identity Theft, Scams, FYI | No Comments »
Product Safety: A Major Win for Consumers
By Beth | August 15, 2008
This month Congress passed the Consumer Product Safety Commission Improvement Act of 2008. MSNBC’s Herb Weisbaum wrote about this important step, calling it “the strongest consumer protection legislation in decades”.
“Consumer advocates spent years pressing Congress to strengthen product safety laws and give the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) the authority and resources it needed to prevent dangerous products from coming to market. But until now, nothing happened.”
Last year millions of toys were recalled, mostly due to violation of lead paint standards and lethal magnets. This law improves the safety of children’s products. (According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, lead paint remains the number one environmental threat to children’s health.) The Consumer Product Safety Commission Improvement Act of 2008 improves the safety of children’s products. The new law also increases CPSC funding to $136 million by the year 2014, allowing the agency to build a new testing lab, add more than 100 staff positions including full-time inspectors. Weisbaum writes that it will also “have the power to impose much larger civil penalties on companies that break the rules.”
What the new law will do:
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Virtually eliminate lead from all toys and children’s products. (The lead allowed in paint will drop to minute levels. Items made from significant amounts of lead, such as children’s jewelry, will now be banned.)
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Ban toxic chemicals called phthalates from toys and children’s products. (These chemicals are believed by environmental scientists to interfere with growth and development, also causing problems later in life with reproduction.)
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Prevent problem imports from entering the United States.
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Ensure toys and kids’ products are certified safe and meet rigorous standards before we buy them. (In the first four months of 2008 alone, CPSC has initiated 121 recalls of unsafe products, totaling nearly ten million products.
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Give shoppers better information about dangerous products more quickly. A public website will have information from consumers, hospitals and public safety agencies about injuries, illnesses and deaths related to products.
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Provide whistle-blower protections to employees who report consumer product hazards.
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Prohibit CPSC staff from accepting industry-sponsored travel and expenses.
What consumers can do with this information:
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The commission will create a public database where we can report product safety hazards, search this information and get details about specific products, empowering consumers to learn about potential hazards and should result in fewer injuries and deaths. Check back with the CPSC for this service.
- It will take some time for new rules to be implemented. And this new law will not affect toys and products in the stores this year. So consumers should be aware of potential hazards and look out for consumer alerts regarding recalls, especially during the holiday shopping season. Watch for consumer alerts in the news and from the following online sources:
-U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Also read our previous posts on this subject: Choosing Safe Toys, Safe Sleeping for Traveling Tots
Topics: News, Websites, Announcement, Tips | No Comments »
Buying Refurbished Computers
By Amy | August 14, 2008
Electronic equipment isn’t cheap, so when you’re looking to buy a computer it makes sense to shop around. Now what happens if you’re looking for a lot of computer, but don’t necessarily have the money for it? Buying a refurbished computer is always an option, as it can save you anywhere from 10-25% off the retail price, but it’s something that should be done wisely. SmartMoney.com has put together an article with some helpful advice on the subject, which is summed up below.
1. Whenever possible, buy from the manufacturer. Under many circumstances, the refurbished computers sold by manufacturers have simply been returned and can’t be sold as new. Ask about the history of the computer so you can be aware of any major repairs that have been made and try to go with a company that has some sort of approval process in place regarding their refurbished merchandise. Also, be sure to get the details of any warranties or return procedures that are in place. Many manufacturers will sell refurbished equipment with warranties that are the same or similar to those on new machines. Whatever the case may be, make sure you know the details before you buy.
2. Proceed with caution when purchasing from a third party. Remember the old saying, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is! If buying from an auction site online, check out the seller ratings and check with your BBB to see if any complaints have been filed against any companies you consider buying from.
It’s also best to stay away from “as-is” deals, or situations where you can’t return a product if it is defective. Be sure that the seller includes all original software and license keys. According to Marc Itzkowitz, director of product management at Support.com, “Without the install disks you won’t be able to reinstall the programs should something go wrong and ‘you could find yourself with a dead PC,’ he says.”
And finally, require that the seller remove any and all traces of the previous owner from the computer by “deleting files, spyware, browser history, cookies and other programs.”
3. Know what you need in a new computer. There are some basics regarding memory, processor speed, and hard drive size that you should stick with so that your machine isn’t instantly obsolete:
Before shopping around, make sure you know just how much memory and processing speed you’re going to need.
Settle for a system that isn’t advanced enough, and “you could be locking yourself into outdated power,” says Support.com’s Itzkowitz. Computer software and web content is prolific and constantly evolving, resulting in larger, more complex files for your computer to process. Older machines just can’t handle the load very well. As a rule, don’t buy a computer that’s more than two years old, says Ackerman.
As far as memory and processing power go, if you’re just looking to do some word processing and basic web surfing then shoot for a computer that, at a bare minimum, includes 1.5 gigahertz (GHz) processor, 1 gigabyte (GB) of memory and 80 GB of hard disk space. Those who plan on doing more data-heavy applications, such as photo and video editing or downloading MP3s, should look for a computer with at least a 1.8 GHz dual-core processor, 2 GB of memory and a 120GB hard drive, says Itzkowitz.
Topics: Tips, FYI | No Comments »
The Issue of Web Transparency
By Alanna | August 13, 2008
In an update to last week’s post, the Nonprofit Consultant Blog posted recently “Nonprofit Website Mistakes: Lack of Transparency.”
In the article, Ken Goldstein defines transparency as “communicating with your community (clients, members, potential donors, neighbors, elected officials, etc.) as openly, honestly, and fully about your operations as is practical and legal to do so…Because that is what a nonprofit is: A public trust. [Nonprofits] have been granted [their] 501(c)3 (and [their] special tax status) to produce something of benefit to the public, and the public is, in many very real ways, the ultimate shareholders of [their] corporation - even more so than [their] board members, clients, or staff.”
The following are suggestions for making a charity website more transparent:
See blog post for full details on the above list.
In order to meet the BBB’s 20 Standards for Charity Accountability, the annual report, IRS Form 990, contact information and a privacy policy would need to be posted online.
For more information on BBB Charity Review, click here.
Topics: Charity Info | No Comments »
Smishing: Coming to a Cell Phone Near You!
By Amy | August 12, 2008
The latest *ishing method has been born. Please meet the newest addition, smishing:
Smishing hits the Tri-State
Evansville, IN—First there was phishing, pharming, vishing, and now smishing is the latest threat to identity security.
Smishing is spam that is received on mobile devices and attempts to trick unwary consumers into revealing personal information. “These are text messages that you receive on your cell phone requesting you to sign up for an online dating service, then they will try to stealthily place a virus on your mobile device,” said Tom Bozikis, Vice President of the Tri-State BBB. Some of these worms are so insidious that they can record your phone conversations, extract data from your data files, and your contact list.
“Some messages warn that you will be charged unless you cancel your supposed order by going to a web site that then extracts such things as credit card numbers and other private data,” Bozikis said.
The Tri-State BBB warns consumers not to respond to these unsolicited text messages. “If you don’t know who’s sending you the message, ignore it,” Bozikis Said. If you’ve been victimized by smishing, contact the Federal Trade Commission at (877) 382-4357. For more information regarding phishing, vishing, pharming, smishing, or identity theft, contact your BBB or the Federal Trade Commission.
For related information, please read the following:
Anti-Phishing Phil: Phun and Educational!
Phishing in Our Inbox
Email Scams, New and Old
Phishing Email Alert for EPPICard Users
Topics: Identity Theft, Cell Phones, Announcement, Scams, FYI | No Comments »
FDIC: Questions About Risk Are Answered
By Beth | August 11, 2008
- Is my bank at risk? The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has created an undisclosed list of troubled banks that are at risk of failure. The list was built with some reliance on the “Texas Ratio,” a formula that compares a bank’s assets and reserves to its non-performing loans. Banks with a ratio over 100 percent are considered the most at risk for failure. Considering there are more than 8,500 banks in the U.S., and only about one percent have made the troubled list, the FDIC is advising consumers to not worry about the security of their bank.
- How much of my money is insured by the FDIC? The FDIC covers savings, checking, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit (CDs). For single accounts, a depositor’s money is insured for up to $100,000. If, however, the single account holder also has a joint account at the bank, that account is insured for up to $200,000. Some retirement accounts, such as traditional or Roth IRAs are insured for up to $250,000.
- What isn’t insured by the FDIC? The FDIC does not insure investments such as stocks, bonds, or mutual funds, nor does it cover U.S. Treasury bills, bonds or notes. Insurance and annuities are also not covered.
- What if I have more money in my bank than what is insured? Several thousand IndyMac Bank customers found out the hard way that they had more money deposited in the bank than was insured. Luckily, in the case of IndyMac, the FDIC has agreed to pay customers 50 percent of the value of their uninsured deposits.
- What will happen if more banks fail? Experts estimate that the failure of IndyMac will cost the FDIC from $4 to $8 billion. The Treasury Secretary, Henry Paulson, has stated that other bank failures will likely follow, but added that the FDIC is prepared and has more than $53 billion in reserves to cover insured deposits.
Topics: News | No Comments »
How to Avoid Spending a Fortune on Textbooks
By Beth | August 8, 2008
We have posted numerous alerts and tips aimed at helping consumers save money when possible. It is clear that this is much-sought after and highly-anticipated information, as various organizations, agencies, and news sources publish much similar information. We have written before that summer spending woes have influenced how one approaches general day-to-day buying. A few posts have looked specifically at financial challenges faced by college students. Below we’ve included additional help topics, directed this time at textbook purchasing.
Students and teachers alike have been speaking out against rising textbook costs. This week Smart Money published an online article noting that, on average, “college students shelled out $900 a semester for textbooks, according to a 2005 General Accounting Office report. The article quotes Nicole Allen, textbooks program director for the Student Public Interest Research Groups (a consumer advocate) as saying that “it’s just as bad today. Students can pay $200 or more for a single science book.”
But there is relief in sight: on July 31 the House passed the Higher Education Opportunity Act (H.R. 4137) by a vote of 380-49:
A college education continues to be the best path to the middle class. But more and more, high college prices and other obstacles are putting a college degree further out of reach for America’s students. In addition to rising tuition, students and their families face an overly complex federal student aid application process and a student loan industry mired in conflicts of interest and corrupt lending practices. The Higher Education Opportunity Act will continue this Congress’ effort to make college more affordable and accessible. This bill would reform our higher education system so that it operates in the best interests of students and families, while boosting our competitiveness and strengthening our future.
The bill includes noteworthy information about college textbooks:
- Provides students with advance information on textbook pricing to help them plan for expenses before each semester.
- Ensures that colleges and faculty have full textbook pricing information when making purchasing decisions.
- Requires publishers to provide pricing information on “unbundled” versions of every “bundled” textbook they sell.
But for those students preparing to go back to school this fall, here are some other tips from Smart Money that can be applied immediately:
Go Electronic: Edgar Dworsky, founder of Consumer World (another consumer advocate) says you can save as much as %50 by “ditching the heavy hardcover for an electronic book.
-Students can visit www.CourseSmart.com, a service launched by six textbook publishers whose mission is to “improve teaching and learning by providing instructors and students better exposure and access to digital course materials.”
-Check with individual publishers who may have their own e-textbook sites.
-Ask the college bookstore if they offer electronic books.
(Downsides: electronic texts can’t be returned, access may be limited to a semester or two, copyrights may prevent printing more than a few pages.)
Shop Online: Compare prices from online textbook purchasing sites. Don’t assume all texts have to be purchased at college bookstores. (Downside: you should do your homework first, ensuring you are purchasing from a trustworthy source. Make sure you understand terms of sale before buying.)
Download Free Textbooks: Some services like Freeload Press offer eTextbooks for free (subsidized by selling ad space on its web site, and on the pages of the books.)
(Downside: limited selection.)
Topics: News, Students, Tips | 1 Comment »