| Volume 6 Number 8 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Do not open email attachments you do not expect or do not recognize. If you receive a notice about your account, or your order, or your bill, and you think it is an error or you may have a problem, go directly to the company's website or call them. If you get an email without a company name, ignore it.
Guard Your Portfolio Against Inflation
Inflation is like a rodent nibbling away at your future purchasing power. Sometimes the critter takes big bites, sometimes little bitty ones. But whether inflation is raging as it did in the 1980s or fairly calm as it is now, it's almost always with us, nibbling away. That's why a portion of your portfolio should be reserved for investments that help compensate for inflation Click here for more.
The Cost of a Halloween Costume
A single word comes to mind regarding what's hot in Halloween costumes this year: arrr! While that might not pass for a word, the store managers, costume buyers and owners of famous costume shops we spoke with did utter a single word to describe this year's hottest costume; pirates, pirates, and more pirates." Click here for more.
Don't Take Your Passwords to the Grave
Your survivors will have enough on their minds when you die, so take steps now to ensure it won't be a major trauma to access the financial accounts you keep online. Click here for more.
Your Money
What fund share price achieves my target rate of return? Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
The United States Supreme Court agrees to decide what proof is required to show that a violation of the federal truth-in-lending law was willful. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, a finding of a willful violation entitles a consumer either to actual damages or statutory damages of $100 to $1,000 per violation, plus punitive damages. A mere negligent violation, by contrast, results only in actual damages. The issue before the Court is whether a violation is willful if it resulted from reckless disregard of consumer rights under the Act, or whether there must be proof the credit entity actually knew it was acting illegally Click here for more.