Identity Theft

Monday’s need-to-know money news

September 29, 2014 By Liz Weston

Today’s top story: How to protect yourself from credit card breaches. Also in the news: The best ways to pay for college, how to avoid year-round tax scams, and what happens to your debt after you die.

Shelter yourself from payment card breaches
How to protect both your finances and your identity while shopping.

The Best Ways to Pay for Your Child’s College Education
How to combat the rising cost of a college education.

Tax-related scams don’t hit just during tax season
Beware of these year-round scams targeting your taxes.

Who Will Inherit Your Debt When You Die?
One thing you don’t want to leave behind.

Why These 4 Personal Finance Myths Perpetuate Money Problems
Monday mythbusting.

Wednesday’s need-to-know money news

September 24, 2014 By Liz Weston

Today’s top story: The fear of outliving your retirement savings. Also in the news: Credit scores reach new highs, fun ways to teach your kids about money, and steps to protect yourself against credit fraud.

Big retirement fear: Outliving your savings
What you can do to prevent it.

Credit Scores Hit New Highs – But You Should Aim Higher
The higher the better.

4 Fun Ways to Teach Your Kids About Money
How to make teaching your kids about money fun.

9 Steps to protect against credit card fraud
Lessons from the Home Depot and Target breaches.

Help! 2 Debt Collectors Are Calling About the Same Debt
Twice the annoyances with none of the fun.

Wednesday’s need-to-know money news

September 17, 2014 By Liz Weston

Today’s top story: The importance of understanding interest rates. Also in the news: Protecting your identity while shopping online, the pros and cons of retirement annuities, and what you should ask before paying your medical bills.

Misunderstood Money Math: Why Interest Matters More Than You Think
Understanding the complicated world of interest rates.

8 Ways to Protect Your Identity While Online Shopping
While you’re shopping for deals, hackers are shopping for you.

Who Benefits From Retirement Annuities
The pros and cons of a retirement annuity.

6 Questions You Should Ask Before Paying Any Medical Bill
Analyze every single penny.

The Right Way to Tap Your IRA in Retirement
RMDs can trip you up.

Will Apple make breaches obsolete?

September 11, 2014 By Liz Weston

If your credit or debit cards haven’t been compromised, you’re part of a shrinking demographic. Database breaches in recent months have exposed tens of millions of cards to potential fraud.

But Apple’s new payment system has the potential to sidestep the bad guys and someday, perhaps, make breaches a thing of the past, according to LowCards.com’s Bill Hardekopf.

Apple Pay, announced Monday, allows people to pay for stuff with their phones, but your credit and debit card numbers won’t live there. The system generates unique tokens that are used instead. No longer would your sensitive financial information be sent into the ether, to be stored in insecure databases.

You can read more at “Could Apple Pay Be the End of Data Breaches?“