| Volume 14 Number 8 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
If some one makes you an offer to pay you a percentage to cash checks for them, say "no thanks." These are all rip-offs and scams and you will be left owing the bank a lot of money.
Can You 'Piggyback' on a Credit Score?
Authorized users once were able to piggyback on a parent's or spouse's great credit. But now that the credit-repair companies abuse the privilege, the rest of us will lose it, too. Click here for more.
How to Protect Your Home Against Lock Bumping
Imagine a method of defeating the vast majority of American locks that can be learned in under an hour, uses tools that can be acquired on the Internet for less than $50 and, if done right, can be performed in less than a minute, leaving little or no trace of a break-in. If you watch local news or spend time on the Internet, you may have heard alarming stories about a new way of lock-picking called "lock bumping" or "key bumping." Security experts in Europe and, more recently, the United States have declared lock bumping a clear and present danger to anyone who secures their valuables using pin-tumbler locks, which happens to include the vast majority of American houses. Click here for more.
Food Costs Take Bigger Bite of Budgets
Food and beverage costs rose 3.9% in May from a year earlier, outpacing the overall inflation rate by more than a full percentage point and is the biggest increase in three years, the Labor Department said Friday. Costs for a variety of goods, including meat, milk, soft drinks and fresh fruit all rose from April. Higher prices are being seen not only at grocery stores, but also at restaurants. The cost of dining out has risen 3.3% in the last year. Click here for more.
Long Weekends Sub for Long Vacations
The two-week vacation is fast disappearing. Instead, employees are using their vacation days to extend weekends and take shorter breaks from the office. The shift is being blamed partly on rising gas prices as well as mounting pressure for workers to be available to clients around the clock. And more dual-income couples are finding it difficult to coordinate vacation schedules due to work demands. Click here for more.
Your Money
Should I convert my IRA into a Roth IRA? Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Motion to compel arbitration denied. The Court of Appeals held that Green Tree's actions had "prejudiced" Ms. Lewallen by "sen[ding] her down the road of trial preparation" when it really intended to force her into arbitration, and further held that Green Tree had "hindered the [court's] administration of Ms. Lewallen's bankruptcy estate." Click here for more.