Are you spooked? For investors spooked by recent financial scams and scandals, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) offers tools to monitor stockbrokers and identify and avoid fraud.
At Finra.org/BrokerCheck, you can check the professional background of current and former Finra-registered securities firms and brokers, as well as find any regulatory complaints or customer disputes.Read the rest...

Take a few minutes and read the attached article from Mel Lindauer.
 
Mel's secrets are not really secrets at all. They are just common sense. I'll bet that there are very few of these ideas that you have not heard of. This is just a location that they have been placed.
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Go ahead, choose your poison. Here are nine creations that are sure to add inches to your waist line and take years away from your hopes for a long life. The item below is my favorite of the 9 dishes listed. How about yours?
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/WellnessNews/Story?id=7739766&page=1Read the rest...

````Irony For Dummies
Same author no less.

Gas prices are back on the rise rise, and more people are looking for ways to ease the pain at the pump. There are many different ways to save on gas, with some more feasible than others, but there are some steps that most people can take that should yield some savings at the pump. Remember, even saving just a few miles per gallon can mean hundreds of dollars in savings over the course of a year. What follows might able to help save a few dollars on your next fill-up.Read the rest...

We're less than a week away from the U.S. Department of State's implementation of the last phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. As of June 1, 2009, travelers returning to the U.S. from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or the Caribbean region by land or sea will need to show a passport or passport card. Certain groups of travelers, such as Native Americans, will be allowed to show other approved documents.Read the rest...

Any frugal millionaires out there?
OK, any folks out there that want to become frugal millionaires?
Here are a few simple guidelines to get you started in the right direction. It may take a lifetime to accomplish, but what else do you have to do in the meantime that's more important? I believe that many (most?) folks that post here @ Billeater are probably headed that way anyway.
 Read the rest...

Millions Face Reduced Social Security Checks in 2010Read the rest...

Credit card companies refer to customers that pay off their balance each and every month as "deadbeats" because these customers do not incur any finance charges and the bank only can pick up 2% or so from the merchant. The new CC law will give the CC company an opportunity to drive these deadbeats out of the fold and let them concentrate on those that do not mind paying more for the same item.
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I found the linked Forbers map a very interesting way to compare how much of a tax burden each state places on the shoulders of it's average citizen. How does your state compare to NY/NJ and Alaska? 
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