The Benefits of Contactless Payment Technology

Contactless payments are a relatively new development in the world of credit cards that are starting to become more and more popular. This article looks at exactly what contactless payments are, as well as some of the most important benefits associated with them.

What is it?

Contactless payment technology is something that can be made use of with all types of credit card, from balance transfer credit cards to interest free cards. The cards use a special chip that allows them to make the payments. This is an extension of the current, very popular Chip and PIN technology, that allows credit card users to make payments using a Personal Identification Number rather than signing for purchases as used to be the norm.

If you want to make contactless payments, you need a card with the special chip in it and you also need to be in a retailer that uses the technology. Read more…

Grandparent Scam Strikes Again

Put yourself in the shoes of a caring Grandmother. Lets say one day you receive a call from your grandson telling you theyve been in an accident and are being held in jail in the Dominican Republic. They want you to keep their little debacle a secret but they need you to wire money to them ASAP to get them out of jail.

What would you do?

Claudia Beach of Jacksonville, Florida recently faced this exact scenario recently and in a worried, emotional state, sent the money straight away to her needy grandson. Her grandson first called asking for $3,400 for bail out of the Dominican Republic jail he was stuck in.

My emotions went wild. I couldnt think. All I could think was he was in jail in a foreign country.

She rushed to her nearest Publix and wired the money immediately via Western Union.

Keeping her grandsons secret she apparently didnt discus this matter with the boys parents. The very next day she received another call from him.

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On The Mend, Part 3: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

I’m currently recovering from unexpected surgery – I spent the Labor Day weekend (and a few days after) in the hospital having my gall bladder removed. I’m trying to use this as an opportunity to rest and relax, but I’m always drawn to entertainments that feature inheritance, Wills, trusts, and the like.

I was pretty suspicious of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks — it seems like a “book club book,” which I do NOT mean as a compliment. However, I was very pleasantly surprised. This is a fascinating story, told very skillfully.

If you haven’t heard the background, here goes: Henrietta Lacks died in 1951 of cervical cancer. Prior to her death, her doctor at Johns Hopkins removed part of her tumor. For whatever reason, Mrs. Lacks’s cells multiply like crazy, and wind up being used for important scientific research in any number of areas over the next 60 years.

The book is part science, and part sociology/family history. Mrs.

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Bankruptcy means test: Watch out for January 2012!

Your bankruptcy means test may be too high if you file your bankruptcy case in January 2012.

People with bi-weekly paychecks get 26 paychecks a year.  Usually you will have 13 paychecks in the six months look-back period of the bankruptcy means test.    But some people will have 14 paychecks instead of 13 for the six months of July December 2011.  If your first September paycheck was dated September 9, you will be one of those people.  (Its no problem if you got paid on September 2.)

Bankruptcy lawyer Robert Weed: If you got paid September 9, 2011, filing bankruptcy January 2012 could be a mistake.

Most people on bi-weekly pay look forward to those months with three checks.  They usually come every six months.  But this year, if you got paid September 9, both July and December will be three check months.  (Your next three check month will be June 2012.)  But in bankruptcy, good is bad.  That 14th

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5 Tax Myths to Avoid

Students are exempt from filing taxes, right? Wrong. That is a common myth and a trap that many people fall into. Students, regardless of whether they are in college or high school full or part time, do need to file taxes if they have earned income. The student will need to file a tax return and report all of the income theyve earned during the course of the year. Also, when it comes to students filing taxes, keep in mind that even if they file their own return you can still claim them as a dependent on your tax return. The myth that you cannot claim your student if he or she files his or her own return is just that, a myth. As long as you provided more than 50% of that students support, you are still allowed to claim them on your taxes as a dependent.

Remember, too, the myth that if youre 55-years-old or older that you cant claim an exemption of up to $125,000 of gains reaped on the sale of a home. No longer can you sell your primary residence and reap the benefits of that sale tax free.

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