August 3, 2010
Vacationers on a budget might want to consider an economical getaway next weekend: On Aug. 14th and 15th all national parks will be open to the public at no charge.
According to the National Park Service (NPS), 146 of the nation’s 391 facilities normally charge entrance fees ranging from $3 to $25; the remaining 245 sites do not charge admission. That means avoiding a pedestrian fee of $5 or a vehicle fee of $10 at Everglades National Park; $3 or $15 at Cape Cod National Seashore; $10 or $20 at Yosemite; and $12 or $25 at the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone/Grand Teton.
The NPS has also announced a series of free events for next weekend, including no charge for equipment and instruction for snorkeling at Cape Cod; kayaking at the DeSoto National Memorial in Florida; or canoeing in Congaree in South Carolina or Big Cypress in Florida. Read more…
August 2, 2010
As part of the health care reform bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama in March, new high risk health insurance pools will be created by several states. The pools are designed to last 40 months and bridge the gap until applicants with preexisting conditions must be underwritten for permanent coverage.
The Department of Health and Human Services is working closely with individual states in order to provide program regulations and specifications.
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August 2, 2010
There are a lot of online personal finance tools out there that will help make your personal finance life a little more efficient. You have, of course, the headliner in Mint.com, now owned by Intuit, to help track all of your spending. You have a litany of budgeting tools, like You Need a Budget, and they’ve all been popular because the idea of online privacy has been flipped on its head with the popularity of Facebook.
I have been asked, on occasion, which tools I use. I don’t use any of them.
I trust all the services to do the right thing and to protect my information and privacy, but I know that sometimes mistakes are made and things can happen. May
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August 1, 2010
Bloomberg Markets magazine published an investigative article this week accusing life insurers of duping beneficiaries by sending them a checkbook to access their insurance proceeds rather than just sending a check for the full amount of the life policy.
The magazine breathlessly reported that insurers are “secretly” investing the proceeds and making millions off the widows, orphans and fallen soldiers.
The news media have gone into a feeding frenzy, and the New York AG has launched an investigation. The
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July 28, 2010
One of the things that is often neglected in the family budget is back to school shopping. These kinds of neglected costs often wind up costing more than we anticipate because we did not plan for them. When you go shopping without a plan and a budget you are more likely to buy on impulse, buy things that are too expensive, and buy things that you really do not need. This can all be avoided with a bit of planning and research on the part of you and your children. Before you buy even one pencil or go to one single store follow these simple steps and the experience will be easier on both your nerves and your wallet.
Back To School Shopping Tips:
Gather the troops - Back to school shopping is not something you can do by yourself.
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