Happy New Year!! Regular readers probably know about my fondness for making New Year resolutions and the marginal success that I generally manage to achieve as regards keeping those New Year resolutions. This year as well, there are resolutions being made and which specific reference to my financial situation.
So here are my financial New Year resolutions for the year 2012: [Read more →]
The convenience of shopping online, with access to greater inventory, discounts, and shopping from the comfort of your own home is undeniable. But there is also the fact that online shopping leaves you, your privacy and your sensitive information somewhat vulnerable. This can be problematic and may also deter people from shopping online and getting some of the best deals available.
So here are some tips and things to keep in mind that will help to keep you safe when shopping online:
It’s been a while since my last post. There has been a lot of construction activity going on near our home, and the increase in decibel levels have sent us all over at friends’ houses. I have been visiting a lot of less often seen acquaintances to avoid too much inconvenience due to the construction work. Though I must say, in a few weeks, the entire area will have a whole new plush look, something we are all looking forward to.
With construction work and infrastructure projects on the rise, heavy equipment sales have gone through the roof. Heavy equipments can be procured by purchasing or renting. One could avail new or previously used hardware. The skill sets needed to use the equipments efficiently and effectively is another matter altogether. But the good news is our country has no dearth of skilled labor. And more infrastructure projects means better quality of life for all of us.
While the advantages of online banking, e banking or net banking are many, and for many of us it has become a way of life, there are things that one must keep in mind about this. There are some concerns relating to online banking and some precautions that one must take –
>> Security is of course the biggest concern. Though banks use secure servers (look for https instead of http in the website address) for their customers for online banking, phishing frauds, fraudulent websites, and so on are things to beware of. Also remember to make your online transactions more secure by following security guidelines and using the virtual keyboard for typing the PIN, password and so on.
In the same vein as my recent post about online payment solutions and options in this post as well, I thought I would talk about online banking solutions. We have long become used to getting money at the ATM rather than going to the bank during working hours to withdraw money. This had revolutionized banking to a very great extent. Similarly online or internet banking or e-banking as it is also called, has further simplified and streamlined banking for us, in many different ways such as –
Online banking has many of the same advantages as online shopping – You can do it from the convenience of your home, saving time, effort and money in not having to physically go to the bank. You can do it at your own time, not having to curtail your banking to within banking hours which can be inconvenient and even impossible for working people.
With growing competition, it is essential for one and all to keep on their toes and keep improving their skillsets, maybe also get higher education in their fields and get more degrees to follow their names. With online education and eLearning, this has become far simpler with drawbacks like commute, time, distance and giving up your job being done away with. Terms such as CBT (Computer Based Training), IBT (Internet Based Training) or WBT (Web Based Training) are also commonly used in place of eLearning or taking online courses.
E-learning includes all forms of electronically supported learning and teaching. You can find information on various online courses and degree programs in almost all subjects and vocations. You can find online degree programs in music and aviation too apart form the regular subjects. Research suggests that today more than 40 per cent of post-secondary students in the USA were taking some or all of their courses online. Such is the power and convenience of eLearning.
For the students who need help with their education fees, they can apply for aid here: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. Get help to pay for your college fees and then one can more than repay with the increase in income after one has completed their course.
To ensure smooth movement of funds across the world, a wide range of payment solutions are avialable worldwide that make international commercial transactions a breeze. There are many payment options so one can decide which is most suitable as per the situation.
Apart from Bank Transfers across the world, a whole set of online solutions have cropped up. The chief among these is Paypal. It is owned by eBay since 2002. Google Checkout is another similar payment gateway though not as popular and as widely used as Paypal. Checkout by Amazon is the new kid on the block offering stiff competition to the existing stalwarts. Credit cards are another very popular payment mechanism for online trades. Make sure you don’t fall trap to any phishing scams though.
Many other private companies also offer funds transfer facilities. One must look into the background and take some time out to research them online and offline before entrusting them with hard earned money. Transferring funds across the globe is big business today with companies charging as high as upto 4% in transfer fees. Do your research and make sure you pick the one most suitable to your particular needs and one that charges reasonably for sending and receiving payments.
This blog is all about shopping and in particular shopping online so I really know what I’m talking about when I say there are a lot of benefits to shopping online. Here are just 10 of the reasons why shopping online is a great idea:
Fraudsters keep coming up with newer, more ingenious ways of parting us from our cash and one very vulnerable portion of the population is that of senior citizens. In recent times there are many frauds particularly aimed at seniors who should be aware of these:
Medicare Scam: This is something like a mobile lab scam – where the fraudsters target the elderly pretending to conduct fake checkups and then charging their Medicare account. Then another modus operandi is offering ‘free’ products door to door and then charging their Medicare account. Then there are those to steal someone’s identification number and use it to conduct tests; such as the woman who was charged for semen analysis and prostate exams!
I always say, What you save, you earn! And by protecting yourself against fraud and scams you prevent others from taking advantage of you and your earnings. So really safeguarding your earnings and assets against fraudsters is also a kind of saving! Read on to know what you can do to protect yourself against credit card fraud:
Never give anyone your card: This is stating the obvious but bears repeating. Even if an honest looking well dressed young exec type tells you his company is offering you a new credit card with a higher limit, don’t be tempted. He may even make you fill out a form but do not hand over your current credit card to this personable stranger. Also keep your credit card safe and in a secure place.
