What can I do to protect myself after my wallet has been stolen?

Filed under: Entrepreneurship What happens when you combine one of the world's most ridiculed business personalities with one of the world's most ridiculed business models? The Trump Network , the new Donald Trump-branded multi-level marketing business that is "designed to make people healthier with customized vitamins and nutritional supplements, and to encourage individuals to become entrepreneurs and to take control of their financial well-being." In an e-mail, Trump told The Associated Press that The Trump Network is his "rescue and recovery program" for people who have been hit hard by the recession. Continue reading Donald Trump enters the world of multi-level marketing Donald Trump enters the world of multi-level marketing originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: College , Career A former University of Nebraska employee who claimed she was fired for being a witch has agreed to settle her case for $40,000. According to a letter from the unidentified woman's attorney reviewed by the Lincoln Journal Star , the plaintiff took a job in 2007 directing a youth program. But according to her complaint, an associate dean fired her after learning that she was a witch and that her religion was "Reclaiming Tradition of Witchcraft". She filed a complaint with the Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission, which found reasonable cause to suggest that religious discrimination was a factor. In a letter, the university said that the settlement was made "solely to compromise the claim ... without admitting the validity of plaintiff's contention or any allegations of wrongdoing by the defendants." Continue reading College pays fired witch $40,000 to settle discrimination charge College pays fired witch $40,000 to settle discrimination charge originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Bargain Babe Here's a round up of some of the best free shipping offers. Get free shipping... from Avon with any $5 purchase when you use code GOBBLE. Expires TODAY Nov. 23. from Borders when you ship it to any local store. No expiration date. from Crocs with no minimum purchase using code CHOOSESHIP. Expires Dec. 31. from J.Crew on orders of $150 or more using code HARVEST. Expires TODAY Nov. 23. from Nike with no minimum using code GIFT. Expires Dec. 22. from Snapfish when you spend $50 or more and use code HOLSAVE. Expires Nov. 30. And a few flat shipping deals: get $.99 flat shipping at the eco-home goods store Gaiam with code AF99SHP. Expires Dec. 9. get $3 flat shipping from Bath & Body Works with code 3DOLLARSHIP. Expires Nov. 25. Find more free shipping offers from FreeShipping.org .Some free shipping offers about to expire originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Black Friday The ads are in! While this info is gathered in a lot of places, we thought you might like a handy list of where you can find the actual circulars from your favorite stores. So peruse away!Continue reading Black Friday 2009: The ads are in, and here's where to find them Black Friday 2009: The ads are in, and here's where to find them originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Banks , Fraud , Recession , Recession Diaries , Consumer Ally Beloved One, I have the Courage to Crave Indulgence for this most opportune business venture... Look familiar? A day doesn't go by day that I don't receive an e-mail from people with names like Dr. Fortunate Goodpence or Mrs. Pius Motubo soliciting my aid in recovering millions from banks in Nigeria, if only I just sent a little money to get started. Which means I greet each morning with the same thought: who still falls for this crap? Modern advance-fee scams, commonly called 419 scams after the number of the Nigerian Criminal Code, have been around for over twenty-five years, but exploded with the growth of the internet. So you'd think we'd all be wise to them, yet the latest statistics available show that worldwide losses to these kind of scams topped $4.3 billion in 2007 - and those were just the ones reported. Because, let's face it, losing money due to greed and a sense of colonial superiority to Africans is super embarrassing. Continue reading Scam busters turn the tables on those running the Nigerian scam Scam busters turn the tables on those running the Nigerian scam originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Bargain Babe How's this for a pre-Black Friday deal? Get $3 to buy MP3 downloads from Amazon -- which means you could get three or more free songs . Rad! Expires Monday, Nov. 30 at 11:59 PM PST. You can use the free $3 credit toward one album or multiple songs, as long as you use it before Nov. 30. Top-selling singles are $1.29, others cost less. Amazon has more than 500 albums for just $5, including Kelly Clarkson's "All I Ever Wanted," Johnny Cash's "The Best of the Sun Years," and the Beastie Boy's "Paul's Boutique." With the discount, that means an entire album is just $2! Caveats: one per customer. Good for U.S. customers only. You must have an Amazon account to get the deal.$3 in free MP3's from Amazon originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Food Need to stretch that dollar to the max when feeding your family? Elise Cooke , author of "Strategic Eating, the Econovore's Essential Guide," says cooking for four for less than $5 is a snap if you think crepes. Practically by definition, crepes are made with leftovers, because the food in them only heats up long enough to melt cheese. Dig around in the refrigerator, and pull out what you've got. For savory crepes, some kind of pre-cooked meat, chopped small, with sauteed onions and added cheese taste wonderful. Most vegetables and grated or crumbled cheese do well in this dish as well. Crepes can also go in a sweet direction: chocolate, nutella, cinnamon-sugar, and sweetened thinly sliced fruits all make terrific desserts. Continue reading The wonderful crepe: Dinner for less than $5 The wonderful crepe: Dinner for less than $5 originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: College , Health Inside Higher Ed reports that "More than two dozen seniors at Lincoln University, in Oxford, Pa., are in danger of not being able to graduate this spring -- not because they're under disciplinary probation or haven't fulfilled the requirements of their majors, but because they were obese as freshmen." That's right: the historically Black College has a new requirement for graduation. Students must either have a BMI below 30 (a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese) or complete a one-semester "Fitness For Life" class. Some 19% of 2006's freshman class had BMIs over 30, but most of those students either lost some weight or took the class. However there are still about 25 students left -- out of a class of 484 -- who have neither lost weight nor taken the class.Continue reading Students may not be allowed to graduate because they're obese Students may not be allowed to graduate because they're obese originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Shopping , Black Friday , Economizer Black Friday deals are already appealing, with plenty of Black Friday laptop deals and clothing deals and plenty more. But what would you say if you could get an extra; 5%, 10%, 20%, or even 35% off of your purchase in the form of cash back just by starting your holiday shopping on Bing.com ? For a limited time on Black Friday, November 27th, Bing will offer bigger cash-back rewards as part of their Bing Goldrush promotion. This will include cash-back amounts from 5 to 35 percent from retailers such as Macy's, Sears, The Gap, AT&T, Walmart, eBay, HP and many more. Continue reading Black Friday: Bing Cashback offers up to additional 35% off Black Friday: Bing Cashback offers up to additional 35% off originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Debt , Recession Sounds like it might be time to pass the hat again. Many churches are having trouble paying their debts. This article from Bloomberg profiles the Evangelical Christian Credit Union, which has written $3 billion worth of church mortgages over the past ten years. Unfortunately, the combination of payments that rise when rates adjust and less money to make those payments is hitting churches hard, and many of them are defaulting. Roughly 145 churches have had to declare bankruptcy because they couldn't make their mortgage payments. Evangelical Christian's percentage of delinquencies has doubled since 2007. The company steered its clients into commercial mortgages that were similar to the deals many Americans struck on their home loans, with lower initial payments that would balloon after a period of years. Many of the institutions in question refinanced in order to expand or renovate their facilities. At the time, this arrangement was a cheaper way for churches to make money than holding bond sales; in addition, churches were often approved to borrow more money than they could have raised via more traditional -- and perhaps less risky -- methods. Continue reading Let us now pray: Church mortgage delinquencies on the rise Let us now pray: Church mortgage delinquencies on the rise originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Extracurriculars , Wealth , Celebs & Money The Queen of daytime talk shows has announced she is calling it quits after 2010 . Oprah says, "ending the show feels right in my bones." She goes on to further explain how next season, the 25th, will be bigger and better than ever as she says goodbye to her fans. What Oprah has "right to the bone" is an entrepreneurial talent to know how to maximize the bucks. She is able to get tons of publicity and interest by announcing the end of the show, thus guaranteeing good ratings and exposure for the Oprah brand. Oprah has amassed a large fortune with her company Harpo Productions, (Oprah spelled backwards), and is one of the richest people in the world, with a rating of 234 on Forbes Billionaire List. Oprah took a fledgling local show and launched The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1986. Her show is now seen in 144 countries and brings in 44 million US viewers each week. Her production company, Harpo produces Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray, and is adding a show hosted by frequent guest Dr. Oz. She partnered the Oprah Winfrey Network with Discovery with a launch set for late 2009 or early 2010. And Harpo Films just inked a cable deal with HBO after 15 years at ABC. Continue reading Oprah retiring? Not likely Oprah retiring? Not likely originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Saving Money , Technology T-Mobile is restarting its Sidekick sales again after last month's data loss that permanently left its customers without photos, contacts or information. The only trouble was that a day after T-Mobile began selling its beleaguered product at a reduced price, it was reported that its UK staff was selling off customer information to the highest outside bidder. Severe data loss vs. security breach by employees ... which is worse? At this point, does it matter? T-Mobile, which is using Microsoft's Danger for Sidekick technology and data services, can't shift the blame on Microsoft for this recent security breach. Instead, it was solely the work of T-Mobile employees destroying customer trust. So even if T-Mobile is offering the Sidekick 2008 for $49 and the Sidekick LX 2009 for $149 (down $50 and $30 respectively from last month) with a two-year contract, it may not be worth it to consumers who have lost confidence in the company and can't trust their data won't be lost or stolen. Can you trust T-Mobile's Sidekick? originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments