Consumer Articles

1. Honey, I Shrunk The Mortgage Interest Deduction – Plan 1

By Dan Lewis The political landscape this year has been nothing but ugly. It promises to come to full boil with the proposed tax reform eliminating or reducing the mortgage interest deduction. Tax Reform or Raising Taxes There is an old saying about the two political parties. Democrats raise taxes while Republicans reform taxes. In both instances, we end up paying more money. In a very brave move, a bip... read more

2. Consumers, Beware the New “Wave” of Credit Cards

By James H. Dimmitt Consumers, Beware the New “Wave” of Credit Cards Copyright 2005, http://www.yourfreecreditreportnow.com Author: James H. Dimmitt J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., the nation’s #2 bank and leading issuer of credit cards, has announced it will issue new “contactless credit cards” to its account holders beginning June 1. The new cards can be “waved” in front of a special reader instead of being swiped t... read more

3. Dish Network deals consumer guide

By Teddy First, what's Dish Network? Dish Network, owned by company Echostar, is the United States second biggest Satellite TV provider. Dish Network provides up to 256 TV channels of 100% digital picture. Satellite broadcast licensed in 1987, Dish Network currently dish up about 10 million satellite TV customers with their free Dish Network offer in United States. With up to 256 TV channels served i... read more

4. Commercial Real Estate Definitions - From O to Z

By Dan Lewis Commercial real estate is distinctly different from residential real estate. The terminology is very different and here is a list of new terms from O to Z. Commercial Terms Operating Expenses: Just as it sounds, operating expenses are those costs associated with operating a commercial property. Contract and state law typically govern the exact nature of the operating expenses. Partition... read more

5. A Budget Doesn’t Limit You, It Gives You Freedom

By James H. Dimmitt A Budget Doesn’t Limit You, It Gives You Freedom Copyright 2005, http://www.yourfreecreditreportnow.com Author: James H. Dimmitt Mention the “b” word, as in BUDGET, to a friend and they’ll look at you like you have a third eye growing from the middle of your forehead. For most people the word budget too often carries negative meanings such as limits, restrictions, living on an allowance, giv... read more

6. Do Not Call Registry Is Just The 1st Step

By James H. Dimmitt Article: Do Not Call Registry Is Just The 1st Step Author: James H. Dimmitt Author e-mail: jimdim815@aol.com word count: 449 characters per line: 60 Permission to reprint this article for your e-zine or on your web site, as long as byline and resource box at end of article remains intact. Please keep links active on web sites or in e-mail. Courtesy copy of your reprint to: jimdim815@... read more

7. Credit Repair Scams

By James H. Dimmitt Article: Credit Repair Scams word count: 401 characters per line: 60 per line Permission to reprint this article for your e-zine or on your web site, as long as byline and resource box at end of article remains intact. Courtesy copy of your reprint to: articles@yourfreecreditreportnow.com is appreciated. ************************************************************ Credit Repair Scams b... read more

8. How and Why to Avoid the SEO Mania

By Gary E. Cain Introduction Yes, just like you, I have read numerous articles about the benefits and necessity of search engine optimization (SEO). Search engine optimization is a technique of selecting specific keywords that position your website to be found easily and quickly by web surfers. And anyone who has a website with a product or service to sell wants to attract more web surfers, i.e., traffic. ... read more

9. The Benefits of Laddering Your CD Investments

By James H. Dimmitt If you’ve decided to stock some money away in a certificate of deposit, why not reap the highest benefit over time by laddering your CD investments? What’s a CD latter? I’m glad you asked. A CD ladder is made up by purchasing several CD’s at one time with different maturity dates. One example of a CD ladder is to have maturity dates of one year, two year, three year, four year, and a five ye... read more

10. Home Buyers Need the Right Information When Buying a Home

By Don Berthiaume Use Google right now and do a search on, "Home Buying Guide". Take a few minutes to click some of the links to see what's out there and then come right back. Now, try "Home Buyer Guide" and do the same thing. Overwhelming, isn’t it? And that’s exactly the problem facing today’s prospective home buyers; not knowing how to sort through all of the information that is offered to them wh... read more

11. 4 Steps To Creating Good Credit

By James H. Dimmitt As a consumer you’ve learned the importance of establishing a good credit rating with your lenders. Whether you are shopping for a new home or auto, or searching for the best deals on insurance, your credit worthiness will be judged by your credit rating or credit score. A bad credit history or bad credit habits will place “black marks” on your credit profile. These include things such as la... read more

12. Seven Tips to Maximize Savings on Prescriptions

By Dwain Berlin 1. When you travel, bring a copy of your prescriptions with you. - In Mexico, only a few meds require a written prescription because most of them are over the counter there. Take your prescription with you though, just in case your medication is the one that requires a written prescription. - In Canada, a copy of your written prescription is mandatory. You will need to see a Canadian ... read more

13. How To Hire A Disc Jockey For Your Wedding

By Matt Campbell Hiring music entertainment can arguably be the most important booking made for your wedding. Guests remember whether or not they had fun at your wedding. What you pay for is what you get is a good rule of thumb. However, I would like to educate the consumer, future brides and grooms, of how to hire a DJ and facts to consider. The following are 9 important factors to consider when hiring a disc... read more

14. How to Place Home Theater Speakers

By Jon Martin You have your television and home theater receiver; you just bought your new speakers and subwoofer and are ready to test things out. It's time to break out the measuring tape because precision is vital to achieving the full potential of your home theater system. For this article, we are going to focus on a 5.1 surround sound system. The term "5.1" refers to the number of speakers and subwoofer... read more

15. Programs To Help You Fund Your American Dream

By James H. Dimmitt The American Dream of home ownership is on the rise across the United States. According to the latest figures available, the US homeownership rate reached a record 69.2 percent in the second quarter of 2004, up from 68.3 percent in 2003. And for the first time, the majority of minority Americans own their own homes. Owning a home provides tremendous benefits for families and for the communitie... read more

16. Seeking Grant Proposals for your Fundraiser

By Michelle Pearson An essential part of fundraising is writing grant proposals and grant applications. An effectively written grant application can result in large sums of money for your fundraising group. Grant applications can be a long and tiresome journey, but in the end it will be worth it for your group! In the following article, we are going to help you understand grants and what they entail. Grant Appl... read more

17. Dreaming of a Corporate Christmas?

By Thomas Jenkins Dreaming of a Corporate Christmas? What does Christmas mean for your company? For most it means sending out a whole load of Christmas cards to their clients, wishing them a 'Merry Christmas' and a 'Happy New Year'. How nice! However, unless Rudolph-the-Red- Nosed-Reindeer is your logo; the cards you send are unlikely to have a lasting impact. That’s a whole lot of envelope licking for very lit... read more

18. Home Safety for Your Children

By Jack Nelson Providing a safe environment for your child is one of the most important factors in how they will grow up. Ensuring your children are safe at all times can be a very difficult task but it is important to do your best to ensure they live in an environment where they feel secure. There are many safety devices and techniques you can use in your home which will help to ensure that nothing bad will hap... read more

19. Avoiding Credit Card Traps

By James H. Dimmitt Avoiding Credit Card Traps Copyright 2005, http://www.yourfreecreditreportnow.com Author: James H. Dimmitt The next time you open your credit card statement, take a closer look at the small insert titled “changes to your credit card agreement”. You know the one I’m speaking about. It’s that small, folded paper written in legalese that you promise to read some other time (but of course that ... read more

20. Convenience Can Be Costly: Understanding Cash Advances

By James H. Dimmitt Article: Convenience Can Be Costly: Understanding Cash Advances Author: James H. Dimmitt Author e-mail: jimdim815@aol.com word count: 413 characters per line: 60 Permission to reprint this article for your e-zine or on your web site, as long as byline and resource box at end of article remains intact. Please keep links active on web sites or in e-mail. Courtesy copy of your reprint to:... read more

21. Consumer Action: Putting the “Freeze” on Credit Files

By James H. Dimmitt Consumer Action: Putting the “Freeze” on Credit Files Copyright 2005, http://www.yourfreecreditreportnow.com Author: James H. Dimmitt In the wake of 40 million MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and American Express accounts recently being breached, consumers and legislators are scrambling for ways to protect their personal and financial information from being hijacked and used fraudulently by hacke... read more

22. Frugal Outdoor Cooking!

By Cyndi Roberts Firing up the grill is a great way to cook in the summer! Here are a few grilling tips and a couple of recipes, too. For great grilled burgers, form the patty gently. Smashing the meat forces out moisture. Sear both sides of the burger on both sides, then move the burger and cook with indirect heat till done. Use a meat thermometer to gauge when the meat is done. Ground beef shoul... read more

23. Accident at Work Claim - The Essentials

By Mumtaz Shah If you have a workplace accident, do you want to stay quite or do you want to take some action. Regardless of your decision, being the good guy won't help you and being the bad guy could help your employer. An accident at work claim has probably crossed your mind, and rightfully so; every year, thousands of hard working individuals are left injured or disabled due to unsafe workplace conditions... read more

24. Tougher Bankruptcy Laws Take Effect October 2005

By James H. Dimmitt In just a few short weeks, President Bush’s Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act will take effect. In a nutshell, the new law, which goes into effect on October 17, 2005, makes it more difficult to cancel your debts under Chapter 7 Bankruptcy protection. Instead, consumers will find themselves having to file for Chapter 13 Bankruptcy protection and paying back their creditor... read more