A short time before Christmas last year, my husband signed up for a free trial promotion of Amazon Prime. We wanted to make sure that the Christmas gifts we ordered arrived on time, and Amazon Prime offers free two-day shipping. I had resisted Prime for quite a while, due to the $79.99 annual fee, but I figured that, once we finished the trial, and Christmas was safely delivered, we could cancel and avoid the fee.
Fast forward a few months, and we haven’t canceled because I’ve decided that I quite like Amazon Prime.
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Are your mobile banking apps putting your pocketbook in danger?
If you are like some Americans, you might be missing money and not even know it.
This last weekend, ABCnews.com reported foul-ups from mobile banking apps slapping iPad users with a duplicate charge when they paid their bills or transferred funds. The extra charges began when Citibank went live with their iPad app last July, yet no one discovered the issue until December.
A mobile app invisibly syphoning money in the background is a giant problem, an app doing it for months undiscovered is even bigger – exactly the sort of snafu that can erode trust between consumers and their mobile banking products.
This is just one recent example of mobile banking problems. There is actually another larger threat looming in the mobile banking world that consumers have been dodging for decades: theft. Even if banks take every measure to secure their data, they aren’t perfect. Recently, the FDIC acknowledged that banks in the US have had data stolen during mobile banking transactions.
Still, most experts agree that mobile banking isn’t just for the future, as it’s just as safe as any other type of banking currently being offered. As long as you take the proper precautions, you can capitalize on the convenience of mobile apps to get your banking done, wherever you are.
So what should you be doing to make sure your money stays safe when mobile banking?
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Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and even those of us who rarely go on a date will be venturing out to celebrate love (or support Hallmark Holidays so we don’t feel like losers). If you’re in the same boat, you may have a regularly scheduled “date night” with your spouse, significant other, or best friend coming up as well. Here are some tips for taking the budget bite out of date night.
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Tax season is upon us. If you haven’t yet received your tax forms, you will be getting them soon. Getting a refund is exciting, but many treat it as though they won some sort of prize. Some decide to go and spend their refund on a big vacation or on a new entertainment system, but are those really their best options? Tax refunds are somewhat unplanned amounts of cash coming back into your bank account. Turning them into investments for the future or paying down debt are great ways to better your financial future.
My fiancé and I recently received our W2 forms from our employers and filled out our information online. We found out we were both going to receive a nice refund. Our taxes are filed separately as we are not married yet, but our finances are already combined. How we spend our refunds individually will affect the both of us. So we asked ourselves, what is the most beneficial way to spend our refunds?
My Refund
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One of the big issues debated recently is whether or not a four-year degree is worth the cost. The cost of education continues to rise at a pace that outstrips inflation — and definitely outstrips wage growth.
But why is education so expensive? There are various explanations for the rising cost of a higher education, and two that I think are likely contributors are:
- The idea that everyone needs to go to college
- The ease of obtaining student loans
Does Everyone Need a College Education?
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I live in a metro area where many people wouldn’t dream of sending their children to public schools. It’s simply not an option that they would consider despite the high price of private schools (between $6,000-20,000 in my area). After all, the schools in my area are notorious for low test scores and discipline problems, so private schools are the only option, right?
From my perspective, and that of many dedicated public school parents, the answer is a clear no. Private schools can offer many things that public schools cannot (religious instruction, the ability to be more selective about which students they choose) but they aren’t always the best choice.
How to Make the Decision Between Public and Private
I don’t know many parents who don’t want to give their children the best possible start in life. That doesn’t always mean making the most expensive or exclusive choice, however. It also doesn’t mean going with the “common wisdom”, either. For example, there are more people than I can count who loudly declare that sending your child to one of my city’s public schools is foolhardy, despite having never set a foot in any school in the city!
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