Shopping online? 10 tips to avoid ID theft this holiday season

The holidays are approaching and it's time to start shopping for those special gifts. Last year, consumers spent a holiday-season record $32.6 billion online, according to comScore. Unfortunately, with so much personal financial information out there, instances of identity theft are on the rise. According to the Federal Trade Commission, as many as 9 million people have their identities stolen each year.



While some victims of identity theft resolve their problems quickly, others spend thousands of dollars and months repairing the damage done to their credit. Some identity theft victims may even lose out on job opportunities or be denied loans for education, housing or cars because of negative information on their credit reports. In rare cases, they may even be arrested for crimes they did not commit.



"Anyone who shops online is vulnerable to having their identity compromised," says Jamie Haenggi, chief marketing and customer experience officer at Protection 1, the nation's second-largest security company. The company recently partnered with LifeLock to include identity theft protection in its offerings. "The proper precautions, combined with identity theft protection, are the strongest safeguards to protecting your credit and preventing the financial hardships that can be caused when an identity is stolen."



Haenggi offers the following tips to better protect your identity when shopping online this holiday season:



1. Shop trusted names

Stick with sites like Amazon.com, Target.com or other familiar retailers. Beware of misspellings or domain names using ".net" instead of ".com" as that is one of the most common ways scammers trick consumers.



2. Look for the lock

A secure website starts with "https://" instead of "http://." Secure sites will also have a small lock icon in the lower-right corner of the screen. Never give anyone your credit card through email. PayPal, however, is still a good, safe way to make a payment.



3. Don't share too much

No store needs your social security number or your birthday. In the hands of the wrong person, combined with your credit card number, serious damage can be done. Always give up the least amount of personal information possible.



4. Check billing statements

Check statements for credit and debit cards, and monitor checking accounts regularly. If you see any charges you don't recognize, address the matter immediately. Don't pay credit card bills until you know all your charges are accurate. You have 30 days to notify the bank or card issuer of problems. After that, you might be liable for the charges.



5. Use stronger passwords

With so many online accounts - banking, credit cards, email - it's common practice to recycle simple passwords that can be easily recalled. Use uncrackable passwords, especially when banking and shopping. Your password is weak if:

* It uses numbers or letters in the order they appear on the keyboard ("1234" or "qwerty")

* It's the name of your kids, pet, favorite team, or city of birth

* It's your birthday, anniversary, date of graduation, or car license plate number

* It's "letmein," or, especially, "password."



7. Think mobile

The National Retail Federation predicts that 25 percent of adults will do online browsing with their smartphones to find gifts. Buck this trend and download store-specific apps like those for Amazon.com and make your purchase without going to their website.



8. Stay at home

Do all online shopping at home so you know you're using a trusted, secure network.



9. Enroll in an identity theft protection service

Having a service provider you trust is important. Advanced technology and helpful customer service are "musts" for identifying and remedying any fraud issues. Protection 1 is now offering identity theft protection in every new HomeCore Solution home security package at www.Protection1.com.



10. Use insurance

Just in case you do become the victim of identity theft, having insurance is vital to help recoup any lost money. Coverage typically costs from $20 to $100 a year as a rider to a basic homeowner's policy or as a stand-alone purchase.



Follow these simple tips, and you can help to ensure your family - and your property - remain safe year-round.



Courtesy of BPT

Shopping online? 10 tips to avoid ID theft this holiday season

The holidays are approaching and it's time to start shopping for those special gifts. Last year, consumers spent a holiday-season record $32.6 billion online, according to comScore. Unfortunately, with so much personal financial information out there, instances of identity theft are on the rise. According to the Federal Trade Commission, as many as 9 million people have their identities stolen each year.



While some victims of identity theft resolve their problems quickly, others spend thousands of dollars and months repairing the damage done to their credit. Some identity theft victims may even lose out on job opportunities or be denied loans for education, housing or cars because of negative information on their credit reports. In rare cases, they may even be arrested for crimes they did not commit.



"Anyone who shops online is vulnerable to having their identity compromised," says Jamie Haenggi, chief marketing and customer experience officer at Protection 1, the nation's second-largest security company. The company recently partnered with LifeLock to include identity theft protection in its offerings. "The proper precautions, combined with identity theft protection, are the strongest safeguards to protecting your credit and preventing the financial hardships that can be caused when an identity is stolen."



Haenggi offers the following tips to better protect your identity when shopping online this holiday season:



1. Shop trusted names

Stick with sites like Amazon.com, Target.com or other familiar retailers. Beware of misspellings or domain names using ".net" instead of ".com" as that is one of the most common ways scammers trick consumers.



2. Look for the lock

A secure website starts with "https://" instead of "http://." Secure sites will also have a small lock icon in the lower-right corner of the screen. Never give anyone your credit card through email. PayPal, however, is still a good, safe way to make a payment.



3. Don't share too much

No store needs your social security number or your birthday. In the hands of the wrong person, combined with your credit card number, serious damage can be done. Always give up the least amount of personal information possible.



4. Check billing statements

Check statements for credit and debit cards, and monitor checking accounts regularly. If you see any charges you don't recognize, address the matter immediately. Don't pay credit card bills until you know all your charges are accurate. You have 30 days to notify the bank or card issuer of problems. After that, you might be liable for the charges.



5. Use stronger passwords

With so many online accounts - banking, credit cards, email - it's common practice to recycle simple passwords that can be easily recalled. Use uncrackable passwords, especially when banking and shopping. Your password is weak if:

* It uses numbers or letters in the order they appear on the keyboard ("1234" or "qwerty")

* It's the name of your kids, pet, favorite team, or city of birth

* It's your birthday, anniversary, date of graduation, or car license plate number

* It's "letmein," or, especially, "password."



7. Think mobile

The National Retail Federation predicts that 25 percent of adults will do online browsing with their smartphones to find gifts. Buck this trend and download store-specific apps like those for Amazon.com and make your purchase without going to their website.



8. Stay at home

Do all online shopping at home so you know you're using a trusted, secure network.



9. Enroll in an identity theft protection service

Having a service provider you trust is important. Advanced technology and helpful customer service are "musts" for identifying and remedying any fraud issues. Protection 1 is now offering identity theft protection in every new HomeCore Solution home security package at www.Protection1.com.



10. Use insurance

Just in case you do become the victim of identity theft, having insurance is vital to help recoup any lost money. Coverage typically costs from $20 to $100 a year as a rider to a basic homeowner's policy or as a stand-alone purchase.



Follow these simple tips, and you can help to ensure your family - and your property - remain safe year-round.



Courtesy of BPT

Soundproofing floors the easy way

If you've ever had to listen to children, pets or household members making a lot of noise when all you wanted was peace and quiet, you already know the importance of soundproofing floors. If you have an older home, you probably deal with this regularly. In years past, people weren't as concerned with soundproofing as they are now. Lucky for today's homeowners, there are now many different options and methods for soundproofing floors.



Changing the Flooring Itself



It's no secret that carpet is much quieter than tile or hardwood. However, since hardwood floors are the most infamous floors for causing annoying echoes and heavy footsteps, here we'll focus on hardwood floors.



Installing a new hardwood floor is the best time to think about soundproofing floors. Ask your retailer or contractor about the sound ratings of different species of wood and different manufactured wood flooring materials. Soundproofing floors is much easier if you take it into consideration from the very beginning.



Blocking the Noise



Soundproofing floors is not a complicated idea. You just need something between the hard flooring and the rest of the house to absorb noise. There are many different options for materials to place between the floor and the sub-floor to accomplish this.



Cork is very good at absorbing noise, and it's being looked at with new interest lately as a more environmentally friendly form of soundproofing your office and home floors. You'll only need a very thin layer, since cork is a very dense substance. This thin layer will be laid first, and then you will install the sub-floor and finally the hardwood.



If you've ever been in a school, office building or hospital, you're already familiar with acoustic tiles. These panels were designed to dull echoes, and this is why they're popular in large, open spaces. However, they also make an excellent for soundproofing floors! Simply install them as you would cork, making allowances for the differences in thickness.



You may have noticed, in real life or on television, the odd-looking panels which line the walls of professional recording studios. Generally known as sound-deadening panels, these panels do just that...deaden almost all noise. For this reason, they are very adaptable for soundproof flooring. They are generally thicker then acoustic tiles, but if you plan accordingly, you can create an almost entirely soundproofed floor with minimal effort.



When New Floors Aren't an Option



If you rent and can't redo your floors, or if it's just not an option for you financially, there are still steps you can take for soundproofing your floors. If you value quiet over the look of hardwood, consider putting down carpet. Many families have a "no shoes" policy in their homes. Area rugs offer the same sound-deadening benefits of carpet with the added bonus of being moveable.



There are many different options for soundproofing floors, with something for every taste and budget. Do your research, and decide which options is right for you. Once the work is done, you'll get to enjoy a beautiful floor without the constant annoyance of excess noise.

Connect to color through your passions

(BPT) - Whether you love to sit on the beach or collect antiques, drawing from your personal passions can help you find the perfect colors to enhance your space.



"If a hobby or activity lifts your mood, surround yourself with things that remind you of it," says David Bromstad, HGTV star and celebrity designer. "I always look to a homeowner's passions when helping them decorate. And if you start with an established palette of coordinated colors, it's easy to follow your instincts."



Bromstad recommends the HGTV(R) HOME by Sherwin-Williams color collection, offering eight paint palettes that evoke many favorite pastimes, with colors that create room-to-room harmony throughout the home. He offers these tips for using color to express your passions.



Head-for-the-beach colors. If you are inspired by the sea and sand, use maritime blues and dune grass greens to create a fresh, breezy feeling that beckons barefoot comfort. Create an indoor seaside retreat using rattan furniture, Sea Salt (SW 6204) pale aqua walls and a table painted Rapture Blue (SW 6773), both from the Coastal Cool collection. Complete the look with accessories such as seashells and clear vases that evoke sea glass washed ashore.



Pick colors fresh from the garden. Let the colors of your favorite flowers, fruits and vegetables guide your color choices throughout the home. Evoke beautiful pink flower petals with Exuberant Pink (SW 6840) on a bathroom accent wall; paint a desk in a fresh, Frolic (SW 6703) green; or bring out citrus colors in the kitchen with orange Tango (SW 6649). Reference the Color Pizzazz collection for more bold inspiration.



Cook up some color excitement. Make your kitchen the ideal gathering place with deliciously warm and inviting colors. Spice it up with rich, saturated tones of Peppery (SW 6615) orange and Grandeur Plum (SW 6565), found in the Global Spice collection. For room-to-room harmony, use Garden Sage (SW 7736) or Edamame (SW 7729) in an adjoining dining room.



Design around your collectibles. If you are an antiques aficionado, choose colors that celebrate the retro hipness of repurposed objects. Use colors like Bold Brick (SW 6327), or Urbane Bronze from the Urban Organic collection, to add substance to kitchen cabinets. Give a mudroom an eclectic twist with Armagnac walls and a Parakeet (SW 6711) green bench.- -



For additional inspiration and information on HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams, visit sherwin-williams.com/hgtv.



Courtesy of BPT

Ease the stress of grocery shopping during the holidays

Hectic schedules often make meal-related decisions a chore. And planning for a bigger family meal over the holidays just adds to the stress. Affordable and simpler shopping routines could help you start savoring family meal time again.



Regardless of whether you're planning a holiday feast, a birthday celebration, or just day-to-day meals throughout the year, it's easier and more cost effective if you go into grocery shopping prepared.



Consider these tips from national grocery retailer Save-A-Lot before your next shopping trip:



Create a weekly meal planner

Many grocery shoppers make the mistake of only planning for a big special meal when they can cut time and cost by planning for several. Think about what you and your family members typically consume each day. If there is a particular food item or meal idea that your whole family enjoys, make sure to stock up when it is on sale. Ask each family member to pick a meal for dinner.



Decide ahead of time how your family might want to use leftover meat or veggies from the meal, and buy extra ingredients to create new meals. For example, be sure to stock up on bread, mayonnaise, mustard and lettuce in advance if you plan to cook a turkey or ham for a holiday meal or Sunday dinner.



Keep track of ingredients to replenish

You've got everything laid out to make chocolate chip cookies, but you forgot to buy the baking soda - nothing is more frustrating than having to make a return trip to a store.



Keep track of ingredients you frequently use in your cooking. Then, as soon as you use up an item, immediately add it to your ongoing grocery list. By the end of the week, not only will your shopping list be complete, but also you won't be stuck in the store trying to remember what is or is not in your cupboard. You also won't be tempted to buy something you don't need.



When cooking, be sure to use measuring utensils so you don't use more ingredients than necessary - which can be costly to your family's waistline and budget.



Visit grocery store websites for tools and deals

Grocery retailers frequently offer tips and tools for meal planning, as well as exclusive online bargains. Check to see if your store is offering discounts in exchange for signing up for their shopping clubs year round. For example, Save-A-Lot offers a $5 coupon for signing up for its Smart Shopper Club.



Take advantage of store brands

Many grocery stores offer their own exclusive brands of foods and everyday items, and frequently these items are of equivalent quality as more expensive national brand names. By using store brands, you can save a little money on your grocery bill and splurge on something special, such as a celebratory dessert. Store brands are great for helping to keep your weekly grocery costs down.



Simplify shopping trip

A popular strategy for many shoppers is to shop at several retailers throughout the week for bargains. While this approach may add up to a couple of cents saved on a receipt, it is quickly gobbled up in fuel costs as well as time. Instead, save both time and money by limiting shopping trips to one day a week or add a stop to the grocery store on the commute to or from work.



With these few simple tips, you'll not only save money at the grocery store, but you'll have more time to enjoy cooking and celebrating with those you love.



Courtesy of BPT

Tips for making moving day easier

(BPT) - Planning out a big move across town requires a bit of organization. Enlisting the help of friends and family, packing all of the belongings carefully into containers and once moved, finding homes for everything - the to-do list can go on and on.



Using your truck will make the move much easier, as you shuttle belongings - both large and small - from your old home into your new abode. Be sure your truck is equipped to handle the big move by scheduling a tune-up the week before and checking that all accessories like elastic cords are handy for use. Also consider purchasing a truck bed cover to help make your move easier by securing and protecting your belongings while they are in transit to your new home. Made of heavy-duty, double coated vinyl, the ACCESS truck bed cover installs quickly and easily with a clamp-on installation and is designed specifically to fit your truck.



Put the following tips to good use in organizing your move, and be sure to reward your helpers for all the hard work they do when the day is done with a fun dinner out or a gift certificate for a favorite store.



* Secure parking - If your new home is on a busy city street or part of a large condominium complex, you will want to reserve parking for your truck ahead of time. Contact the association or the city and register for a parking permit to block off space in front of your new home for your moving day.



* Divide and conquer - Give your helpers tasks they can do unassisted. Have one helper monitor the loading of your truck with boxes, making sure each is marked with its correlating final room destination. Another helper can be based at the new home, making certain all belongings end up in the proper rooms. If you have additional help, assign them the tasks of unpacking boxes - like kitchen dishes. Put sticky notes on the cupboards where you want dishes to be located to make this task easier. Having your helpers assigned to specific jobs allows you to handle any last-minute packing, or other jobs only you can handle.



* Keep your belongings secure en route - Whether you're stopping overnight and leaving your truck parked in a hotel lot, or pausing for gas, leaving items open to view in the bed is an invitation for theft. A locking truck cover, like the ACCESS truck bed cover, allows you to shield the bed contents from the elements and the eyes of thieves.



* Provide nourishment - Keep plenty of food and water available at both homes to provide fuel and nourishment for all workers. Also encourage short breaks to help keep energy levels going strong throughout the entire day.



* Encourage communications - Provide your helpers with cellphone numbers or two-way radios for a quick way to communicate during the day. Keeping communications open allows for a quicker moving process, and also helps to prevent any confusion on where belongings will go once they arrive at the new house.



* Keep children and pets occupied - Having pets or small children around can distract your helpers, and potentially make it dangerous for everyone involved in the moving process. Consider hiring a babysitter or pet-sitter for the day, or ask a family member to watch over them during the moving process in lieu of helping you out with the move.



Most importantly, keep calm during the chaos of moving day. Your calm demeanor will influence your helpers to stay relaxed, which encourages everyone to move more efficiently and safely. And just know, at the end of the day, while you may still have belongings in boxes, you're in your new home and ready for future adventures to begin.



Courtesy of BPT

Tenant screening: Check those tenants out!

The usual landlord/tenant relationship goes something like this. The tenant rents an apartment, pays the rent, the landlord maintains the property and all is well. The times that the landlord/tenant relationship goes sour can often be traced back to the tenant screening process.



Bad tenants usually do not just develop overnight, they have been bad tenants for a while and they leave a trail. Your job as a landlord is to sniff out this trail before you allow them in your property. You can save yourself many headaches by rigorously screening your prospective tenants. In fact, I might even go so far as to say that tenant screening is the key component to being a successful landlord.



Bad tenants may present themselves very well. They may dress and speak well. They will say all the right things. They may even have cash in hand and be ready to move in. When someone is holding $500 in front of you to move in, it can be very tempting. Do not do it! Screen them! Screen everyone thoroughly. Check every reference and verify everything on their application. Oh, you don't use a written application?!? Well there is your first problem.



Here are some tips when screening tenant applications:



Pull credit and criminal history on everyone. This is your first line of defense against the bad tenant. Compare the data in the reports you receive with what is stated on your application. Does it match? If it does not, dig deeper. Why is the info different? If we discover lies, that is immediate cause for disapproval.



Verify their work history. Do not do this by calling the number they have listed on the application if you can help it. A friend may be waiting for your call on the other end. Instead, call the main office and get transferred into the department where the person says they work. In this way you can avoid the "friend" set up.



The current landlord may want them out and will therefore lie to you. It is best to talk with the previous landlord or to get an accurate view.



People forge documents. It has happened to us. Do not believe the paycheck stubs, letterhead, whatever. Verify everything with the issuer.



The old adage is true; do not judge a book by its cover. We had a well dressed, well spoken man fill out and application, say all the right things and pay the application fee in cash. He must have assumed we would pocket the fee and not check. He had never paid a bill in his life. Even the phone company was after him! There are professional scammers out there, be vigilant. It would have taken us at least 4 months to get him out. I know that time frame could be a year or more in some parts of the country.



Ask their place of employment if there are any planned layoffs. We had a tenant get laid off the day he was approved to move in.



Most people are good, tell the truth and try to do the right thing. Your job is to weed out the bad ones by finding the lies. And they will lie to cover up their past, and get into your property. Evictions are neither fun nor cheap. So save yourself some hassle, set up a rigorous tenant screening process. Also, be sure to treat every applicant in the same manner by using the exact same screening process. Don't set yourself up for a discrimination lawsuit because you treated one perspective tenant differently.



Author: Kevin Perk



Kevin's Website: http://www.smarterlandlording.com