Do NOT call!

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE NATIONAL DO NOT CALL REGISTRY

The National Do Not Call Registry gives you a choice about whether to receive telemarketing calls at home. Most telemarketers should not call your number once it has been on the registry for 31 days. If they do, you can file a complaint at this Website. You can register your home or mobile phone for free. Your registration will be effective for five years. Register on the National Do Not Call Website.

10 Years Before Retirement?

Here’s some information for those of you who are about 10 years from retirement: Taking the Mystery out of Retirement Planning from the Federal Citizen Information Center.

Translator

Traveling or working abroad? Going on a Mission Trip abroad?  You’ll want to check out the Translator, a resource that could be very helpful to those of you who need to communicate with people who speak another language. It’s an online translator. Currently, it works with English to Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portugese, and Spanish.Here is Psalm 100:5 in Spanish and Japanese:

Salmo 100: 5. Para el SEÑOR es bueno y su amor aguanta por siempre;
su fidelidad continúa a través de todas las generaciones.

賛美歌100: 5。 主のためによくがあり、彼の愛は永久に耐える;
彼の誠実はすべての生成を通って続く。

Credit Freeze – Protect from Identify Theft

From the Clark Howard show: Use “credit freeze” to protect yourself from identity theft. “What is a credit freeze and why is it so important? Criminals have access to your ID so many ways. Freezes allow you to lock up your records and select a secret code that only you know and can use to temporarily thaw your credit. So criminals won’t be able to get credit in your name because they don’t have your code.”

In Oklahoma this service is free to victims of identity theft and to senior citizens (65 and over) and only costs $10 for others. (“A charge of $10 will be applied for each placing, removing or temporary lifting of a security freeze.”)

Here is info on Oklahoma’s Freeze Act. (pdf file will download to your computer).

You can have this “freeze” stopped at any time: “The consumer reporting agency shall send a written confirmation of the placement of the security freeze to the consumer within ten (10) business days. Upon placing the security freeze on the consumer report of the consumer, the consumer reporting agency shall provide the consumer with a unique personal identification number or password to be used by the consumer when providing authorization for the release of his or her consumer report for a specific period of time. “

Here are the instructions for using the Security Freeze. (pdf file will download to your computer).

Finally, this will not prevent all those credit card offers showing up at your door. Here’s how to opt out of credit card offers: “You can stop the pre-approved credit offers by calling 888-5OPTOUT (888-567-8688). Or
you can do this online at www.optoutprescreen.com. This will stop most of the offers, the ones that go through the credit bureaus. It’s good for five years or you can make it permanent.”

Computer Security

The Federal Citizen Information Center offers some free or very low cost ($1) information on how to keep your computer and online information secure as well as information on ways to save money, keep healthy, find out about social security, protect your home, and make a will or trust. Here is the complete list of info available. A good site to bookmark.

Living Trust Information

Living Trust Offers: How to Make Sure They’re Trust-worthy.

“Some unscrupulous businesses are advertising seminars on living trusts or sending postcards inviting consumers to call for in-home appointments to learn whether a living trust is right for them. In these cases, it’s not uncommon for the salesperson to exaggerate the benefits or the appropriateness of the living trust and claim — falsely — that locally-licensed lawyers will prepare the documents.

Other businesses are advertising living trust ‘kits’: consumers send money for these do-it-yourself products, but receive nothing in return. Still other businesses are using estate planning services to gain access to consumers’ financial information and to sell them other financial products, such as insurance annuities.

What’s a consumer to do? It’s true that for some people, a living trust can be a useful and practical tool. But for others, it can be a waste of money and time. What is a living trust, anyway, and how does it differ from a will? Who should you trust when it comes to estate planning? And how can you tell which tools and strategies will work best for your particular circumstances?” (above from FCIC website)

Log on to the FCIC website above for more information.

Caring for Your Adult Parents?

AARP has a great list of resources that may help. Check them out here.

Tax Tips for 2008!

Lots of tips here for filing your 2008 IRS tax returns!

Coloring Fun with Grandchildren!

Have some fun with your grandchildren and plants seeds of the gospel at the same time! Calvary Chapel offers a wonderful resource of 325, free coloring/activity books based on the Bible. Topics cover both the Old and New Testament. Each booklet is in pdf format (easy to download and print in a hurry) and includes color pages, lesson plans, and word puzzles. Check it out at: Calvary Chapel Curriculum

Money Maker for Retired Boomers

I’ve had more people ask me if they knew anyone who would “babysit” their pet while they went on vacation. If you’re looking for some retirement income, why not try this one.

All you need to do is go to the person’s home when the owner’s away, feed the pet, give it some attention, exercise it if needed, and check on it’s sleeping quarters. You could even offer to pick up mail and packages at the same time. It may be a once a day, twice a day, or even once every couple of days job, depending on the pet.

To get started, print some business cards and give them out to everyone you know. Ask your local vet and pet shop owners if you could put your card on their bulletin boards. You can take the jobs you want; and then, when you’re ready to go on your own holiday, simple take the time off!