| Volume 3 Number 11 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Do you know the billing date on your credit card? You should. Bills are sent out on the billing date and must be paid with in 20 to 25 days. Shopping the day after your billing date gives you an extra month before payment is due.
Bridgestone Firestone to Notify Owners of Recalled Tires
Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, seeking to finish the massive tire recalls it began six years ago, said Friday it will notify owners to bring in 200,000 recalled tires that may still be on vehicles or used as spares. The subsidiary of Japan's Bridgestone said about 95% of the 6.5 million tires recalled in the 2000-01 tire recall had been replaced. Click here for more.
How Credit Scores are Calculated
OK, so you know what your credit score is. But do you know how it was calculated? While many lenders keep their scoring formulas under more secrecy than the recipes for Coca-Cola and Kentucky Fried Chicken combined, the basic principles are the same -- no matter who is doing the scoring. Click here for more.
Ten Ways to Decorate Without Debt
Homeowners spend an average of about $9,000 to furnish and decorate their new homes in the first year after they move in, according to the National Association of Home Builders. After coughing up cash for a down payment and closing costs, many owners don't have those extra thousands in savings, so they're tempted to decorate with the help of credit cards. But financing furniture is like adding a penalty to your new mortgage. With planning and patience, you can decorate your home without adding debt. Click here for more.
Consumers May Be a Drag on Bank Earnings
The nation's bankers are starting to worry about the financial health of the American consumer. Consumers have been highly profitable customers in recent years as they bought and refinanced homes, opened new savings accounts and built up hefty credit card balances. But there were signs in second-quarter bank earnings reports last week that consumers are beginning to suffer from higher interest rates. Click here for more.
Craigslist Users Hit by Robbers
Beware of robbers using Craigslist. Several of the popular Web site's users have been held up at gunpoint by individuals posing as buyers and sellers, according to a number of police departments. Click here for more.
Researcher Dispels Myth of Dioxins and Plastic Water Bottles
The Internet has been flooded with email warnings to avoid freezing water in plastic bottles so as not to get exposed to carcinogenic dioxins. One hoax email has been erroneously attributed to Johns Hopkins University since the spring of 2004. Click here for more.
Merchants of Debt
Buffalo collection firms are part of an industry that too often uses threats and lies to collect millions in unpaid bills Click here for more.
Your Money
What is the value of higher education? Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Parents of golfer struck by lightning can sue golf course. The Kansas Supreme Court has held that a golf course that sounded a horn when there was a dangerous weather condition could be liable if it did not reasonably sound the alarm. Click here for more.