How do you get insurance on certain personal items ...

Filed under: Entrepreneurship , Home I have heard about the kidnapping of dogs. A recent dognapping case ended up with a $10,000 ransom being paid. I have heard about a lobster being held for ransom. That was a case of using the release of an unusually large lobster to solicit donations for a food pantry. But I have never, until now, heard about someone in Lincoln, Nebraska holding a Mr. Coffee machine for ransom. It's a wonderfully novel idea. It's also quite seriously strange. Apparently, they have always taken great pride in doing things a little bit differently in Nebraska. It's the home of the prairie wind wagon , the world's largest stamp ball , and Andy the footless goose . He also was kidnapped, but unfortunately he never made it home alive.Continue reading Give me $48 or you'll never see your Mr. Coffee maker again Give me $48 or you'll never see your Mr. Coffee maker again originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Credit , Debt , Consumer Complaints When President Obama signed the credit card bill in May, there was one stipulation included for the benefit of the credit card companies: The changes go into effect in the middle of 2010. That means, as Suze Orman has pointed out, that the credit card companies have an entire year to have their way with you. And nobody will hear you scream. And look, here they are now, approaching consumers with a long to-do list of wrong that would make former Pastor Ted Haggard blush. The USA Today reports that "Most issuers have raised rates or fees for certain borrowers. In the latest round, Bank of America and Chase have increased, or are increasing, their maximum balance-transfer fees, from 3% to 4% and 5%, respectively. Chase is also expanding the definition of who could get hit with a penalty interest rate. Meanwhile, InfiBank is establishing a higher minimum APR -- the greater of 15.99% or 11.99% plus the prime rate -- on many cards. And Capital One and Citigroup continue to raise card rates for certain borrowers." So fasten your seatbelts, folks. It's gonna be a bumpy ride for a while more yet. But I'm with Suze on this one. You can't totally blame the credit card companies. They're just doing their job, which happens to be screwing you. Blame your elected officials -- and yourselves -- however, for letting it happen. Credit card companies have until 2010 to stop ripping you off originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Budgets , College , Travel Amusement parks, museums, and other tourist attractions often cut senior citizens and students a break on admission fees, but you don't necessarily need to be a cash-conserving retiree or a scrappy college undergraduate to take advantage of those deals. That's because the elderly threshold is edging downward, and anyone can become a student again. While age 65 is widely accepted as the gateway to one's golden years, some places consider senior citizens to be anyone age 62 or older, 60 or older, and sometimes even age 55 or older. So be sure to ask if there's a discount for senior citizens and what the criteria is. If you're on the age borderline, don't be bashful about nicely telling the cashier which other places gladly consider you to be a senior citizen. A little bit of perceived commercial peer pressure could save you 10% to 25% of the entry fee. Continue reading How to save on tourist attractions' admission tickets How to save on tourist attractions' admission tickets originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Ripoffs and Scams , Transportation , Consumer Complaints California filed a $222 million lawsuit against the owner of 22 Midas Muffler shops after uncover agents discovered a "massive" scheme in which consumers were charged for unneeded repairs, California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced. "These Midas shops were running a massive bait-and-switch scam, in which customers were lured in with the promise of cheap brake specials and then charged hundreds more for unnecessary repairs," Brown said in a statement. "This investigation revealed a shady and deceptive operation that violated the trust of its customers." Continue reading California accuses 22 Midas shops in 'massive' bait and switch scheme California accuses 22 Midas shops in 'massive' bait and switch scheme originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Extracurriculars , Recession I'm glad I didn't think of this when layoffs were in the air at my former company a year ago: A man in Spain was arrested for hiring a contract killer to murder his boss so that he wouldn't be laid off. And he got the job done, too. That's right -- he had his boss whacked so he wouldn't lose his job. The desperate act to avoid being laid off was done by the head of audiovisual services at the Barcelona International Convention Center, according to a Reuters story . The director contracted a Colombian man who shot and killed the director of the convention center on Feb. 9, according to police. The director had planned to lay off the arrested man during a restructuring project at the convention center. Audiovisual gigs must be particularly hard to come by in Barcelona. Through his sister, the suspect contracted a team of six Colombians who planned and carried out the killing, police said. All have been detained, including the sister. Again, the sister was dumb enough to help her brother out in this situation. Why? The recession is horrible and losing a job, home or business is devastating. But worth a life? And not to state the obvious or anything, but he still lost his job, didn't he? Maybe the audiovisual worker can retrain in prison, where he no doubt will be spending his remaining years. Man has boss killed to avoid layoff ... loses job anyway originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Career The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) that "With unemployment at 9.4% and rising, it's a buyer's market for employers that are hiring. But many employers are bypassing the jobless to target those still working, reasoning that these survivors are the top performers." Some recruiting firms say that their clients are expressing a preference for workers who are "passively" looking for jobs -- fully employed but open to new opportunities. It's tempting to dismiss this elitist hiring policy as a remnant of the Puritan idea that poverty was a reflection of some kind of moral shortcoming, but in a way it makes perfect sense: If someone has a job in this economy, they must be good. The real issue here is that it's a buyer's market for employers, with positions that are normally mundane and unattractive attracting a flood of applications and resumes. With so much interest in so few jobs, employers can be far, far pickier than they'd be in a normal job market. They have to be in order to sort through all those resumes and make hiring decisions. A friend with a degree from an elite university recently found himself unable to snag a part-time gig at Banana Republic. The employer's reasoning? He was overqualified and would leave quickly once he found a better opportunity in his field of interest. That's right: Having a college degree is a good enough reason to reject someone applying for a minimum wage gig.Need a job? You'll need to have a job first originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Recalls , Consumer Ally Bridgestone is recalling 127,000 Firestone tires sold in 2007 and 2008 -- nearly doubling an earlier recall of tires from the same line, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced . All the tires involved are FR380 P235/75R15. Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC, formerly known as Bridgestone Firestone North America, said the tread base of the tires was not made correctly and could cause tread separation and loss of control of a vehicle after extended use. No incidents have been reported, the company told NHTSA . In the fall, the company recalled more than 162,000 tires made in 2006 and 2007 for the same reason. All the tires being recalled were made at the company's plant in Costa Rica. Bridgestone told NHTSA the problem was remedied at the plant in July 2008. For anyone with the affected tires, Firestone is supposed to notify owners that they will be replaced for free -- including mounting and balancing. The replacement tires can be obtained at authorized Firestone dealers or company owned stores, including Firestone Complete Auto Care and TiresPlus. Tire owners can also call Bridgestone at 800-465-1904 or visit the company web site . Firestone also told the government it will reimburse customers who incurred costs related to the recalled tires.Firestone nearly doubles previous tire recall originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Technology , Consumer Complaints Many of us -- this blogger included -- like the idea of whizzing past commercials to get back to our favorite programs sooner, but put up with having our viewing interrupted by Madison Avenue because we're resistant to the idea of shelling out a couple hundred bucks for a digital video recorder. Soon, though, those days of being forced to sit through talking animals and how-did-that-get-stuck-in-my-head jingles might be over, thanks to the Supreme Court . Yes, that Supreme Court. While the nation's highest justices don't normally insert themselves into our TV habits (thankfully -- I'd hate to be judged for my addictions to Hell's Kitchen or Law & Order: SVU), in this case, it's a welcome involvement. Let's cue up a Fred Savage-era voiceover and go back to when this all began. In 2006, New York cable operator Cablevision developed what it called "network" DVR. This would let viewers store programs for later viewing on the cable company's servers rather than in a DVR box on their set top. Think of it as the equivalent of using a Web-based e-mail program; all of your information is housed in some distant server, not in your computer itself. The implications are obvious: With this technology, any TV could record and play back shows, provided you were paying Cablevision for digital cable service. No pricey box, no installation fees or headaches. Now, take one guess who was not a fan of this new development. That's right: the people who currently make money forcing you to watch those commercials.Continue reading High court says, skip those commercials! High court says, skip those commercials! originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Real Estate The New York Times reports that people working on mortgage modifications are entering a dizzying world of missing documents, bureaucratic call centers, overwhelmed and poorly-trained employees, and the ultimate in customer service frustration: rude, nasty and incompetent people. And therein lies the ultimate problem with this mortgage modification program: If every single person in the United States worked full-time in loan modifications, there still probably wouldn't be enough manpower to handle the volume and complexity of pay-option arms, piggyback mortgages, NINJA loans and stated-income loans. Does it even make sense to offer government help to people who lied -- that is, committed felony mortgage fraud, a federal crime -- to buy their homes? Here's an idea: Before modifying any stated income loans, make sure that the numbers the borrowers claimed to be making represented their actual earnings. Back in March, I wrote that "Given that bureaucracy and bungling have so far made federal efforts to modify loan ineffective, is there really much hope for the much, much broader initiatives that are now being plotted? Are there enough accountants and ethical mortgage brokers in this galaxy to oversee a restructuring of a system where 7.88% of mortgage holders are beyond on their payments?" The Obama Administration will probably have to come up with another plan because so far, the number of mortgage modifications has fallen far, far short of the original estimates.Paper jams make loan modifications impossible originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Consumer Complaints Stevie Wonder is grieving Michael Jackson. This was very clear at the Summerfest Concert on Sunday night, when he opened the gig with a rambling speech about MJ and honoring him for his gifts to music. OK, I have no problem with that. I loved Michael, especially his dance moves. He was probably the best dancer to ever grace a stage. But the concert seemed slow in getting going. Then Stevie piped in a Michael Jackson song and began to cry on stage. His tears turned to sobs and then his head collapsed in his arms over his piano. Neither I or the audience had a clue what was happening. Did he faint? Have a stroke? His daughter walked over and said a few words in his ear while she comforted him. He slowly regained composure and went on to the next song. I understand that Stevie and MJ were close friends. I get it. But I paid a lot of money for that ticket, $69, and it wasn't to do therapy for Stevie. He said later in the concert that "I'm not afraid to show my heart." Fine, but does it have to be on my dime? Continue reading Stevie Wonder grieves Michael Jackson -- on my dime Stevie Wonder grieves Michael Jackson -- on my dime originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Extracurriculars , Food , Kids and Money , Celebs & Money In an effort to increase its flow of late-night customers, 24-hour restaurant chain Denny's is using an interesting new marketing technique: corporate branding with famous rock stars . This move makes a lot of sense. After all, Denny's has always had something of a Dr. Jekyll/Mister Hyde personality: during the day, it's the go-to place for old folks to hang out, and the perfect spot for a family to fill up after church. In the sunlight, it's all that is wholesome and decent. After the sun goes down, however, Denny's transforms. Somewhere around midnight, it becomes the haunt of night-crawling vampires, looking for sustenance. Along with competitors like Waffle House and the occasional IHOP, it is the perfect place for all-night-studying, all-night-partying people in their late teens and '20s to catch a decent, consistently-prepared meal.Continue reading Denny's keeps slammin' it ... all night long Denny's keeps slammin' it ... all night long originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Shopping , Simplification , Transportation In a thought-provoking column in Jeffrey Tierney's blog, Geoffrey Miller , author of a new book on consumer behavior, asked readers to make two lists; one of the 10 most expensive items they'd ever paid for (including services, experiences, taxes, divorce settlements, etc.) and one of the 10 things they'd paid for and had made them most happy. In a follow-up column, Miller and Tierney analyze the 207 comments . Unfortunately, due to the great number of times those lists overlapped, the two decide that money does buy happiness (or, money buys cognitive dissonance, which is more likely in my opinion). More interesting, I thought, were the items that appeared most often on one list, but not the other. Two that appeared on the "most expensive" list frequently, but not so much on the "happiness" list: cars (including insurance, gas and maintenance) and wedding ceremonies. On the other end of the spectrum, appearing far more often on the "happiness" list and not on the "most expensive" list were bicycles (of all kinds, from commuter bikes to mountain bikes) and meals shared with friends, from dinner parties to potlucks. Continue reading Cars, weddings expensive; bikes, potlucks make us happy Cars, weddings expensive; bikes, potlucks make us happy originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Real Estate In a piece on selling your home in a hurry, Money Magazine staff reporter Beth Braverman offers some good tips -- but then there's this clunker: "And set your home at the lowest end of its price range; a $299,000 home will seem expensive to a buyer in the $250,000 to $300,000 range, but a $301,000 home is a deal to someone looking between $300,000 and $350,000." I asked Alison Rogers, author of Diary of a Real Estate Rookie, about that bit of advice and her response was candid: "Well that's a bunch of crap. Everyone wants to live as well as possible, so buyers tend toward the very top of their range because that way they get the nicest home. Also, if you're taking a fixed-rate mortgage, your agent will encourage you to stretch because the assumption is that the majority of your housing costs are fixed while your income should hopefully rise over the period of the mortgage." The other problem is this: When people look for homes online -- which is how most people look for homes -- they often will put in parameters for how much they're willing to spend. If you list your home at $301,000, you will lose all the buyers looking to spend under $300,000 -- even though you'd probably be able to sell the home for $295,000. "The properties that we have been taking to contract this spring have been properties where we lowered the price just under an internet search break point," added Rogers, a New York City real estate agent.When selling your house, list at $299k instead of $301k originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Debt , Home , Kids and Money , Relationships Family breakdowns including divorce, unwed mothers, and absentee fathers are costing millions to society according to a new study. A senior family division judge for England and Wales, Justice Paul Coleridge, accused mothers and fathers who fail to commit to each other of engaging in a game of "pass the partner" that has left millions of children "scarred for life." Seem dramatic? Maybe so, but it is true. According to the US Census Bureau , 29.1% of women who had a birth in 2004 were not married and that half of such unmarried mothers were living below the poverty level. This compared with 12% of married women at the poverty level. Too often, the failure to commit leaves children without a father, without stability, and without money. And who picks up the tab? You and me. The societal cost of unwed mothers and divorced families is estimated to cost taxpayers at least $112 billion per year. A 1% reduction in family fragmentation would save taxpayers an estimated $1.1 billion per year. Continue reading Family breakdowns costs society millions Family breakdowns costs society millions originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments