| Volume 53 Number 7 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Voluntarily returning a car you can't pay for may not get you off the hook. In most cases, the car will be sold and you will owe the difference between your debt and what the car sells for. If you think the car is being accepted in exchange for release for your debt, get that agreement in writing. Click here for more.
Recall: BMW, Nissan, & Mazda
Do you own a 2008-2011 BMW 1-Series, a 2007-2009 Mazda3 or Mazda5, or a 2010 Nissan Armada or Frontier? If so, your vehicle is subject to recall. To read the latest vehicle recall information, Click here for more.
Timing Social Security Payouts
When should you start collecting your social security benefits? If you were born in 1948 and decide to collect benefits at 62, you will receive 20% less per month than if you wait until you are 66, and nearly 40% less per month than if you wait until you are 70. The Social Security Administration defines "full retirement age" for people born after 1943 to be between 66 and 67 years old. Although you can put off collecting until you are 70 years old and receive a greater payout, you may want to start collecting sooner. Health, likely lifespan, financial situation, and marital status are all important factors to consider before collecting. What if you collect early and start investing on your own? What if you pass away before you start collecting? For more information about Social Security and benefit information, Click here for more.
GM Recalls 240,000 Sports Utility Vehicles
General Motors is recalling more than 240,000 vehicles for problems with the seatbelt buckles. The GM recall includes the Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave and Saturn Outlook. According to the recall, the seatbelt can be damaged when the second row seat is returned to primary position after folded down. Do you drive a Traverse, Acadia, Enclave, or Outlook? Click here for more.
JetBlue Offers Unlimited Travel
JetBlue has brought back the "all-you-can-fly" deal. Travelers who subscribe to the plan can fly wherever they want, whenever they want, for the entire month. There is a $699 package that includes weekends and a $499 package that does not. Is this deal right for you? Click here for more.
Your Money
Which is right for you - a 15 or 30 year mortgage? Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
FACTA's credit card information requirements do not apply to e-mailed receipts. The Seventh Circuit held that an emailed payment confirmations for online purchases are not "electronically printed" for purposes of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act. FACTA, enacted in 2003, prohibits the printing of more than "the last 5 digits of the credit card number or the expiration date upon any [electronically printed] receipt provided to the cardholder at the point of the sale or transaction." The court noted that what FACTA covers are printed receipts." The word "print" brings to mind a tangible document, the court concluded, remarking that the extension of the statute to on-screen "printing" was a logical, but an unwarranted leap. "[T]hese usages of the term, while more frequent in recent years, do not yet represent the ordinary or natural meaning of 'print.'" Click here for more.