Financial unfaithfulness is widespread. That's the apparent conclusion of a new survey conducted by Yahoo and research firm Decipher. It found that about half of all people in a serious relationship have committed some kind of financial indiscretion. According to an article about the survey on Yahoo Finance, the deceptions include lying about he cost of a purchase or hiding it altogether, secretly racking up credit card bills, and keeping a hidden savings account. Women were more likely than men to acknowledge being financially untrue (55 percent vs. 41 percent).
Matt's View
No wonder money is such a common source of conflict among couples. While it's becoming less and less the norm, I encourage married couples to combine financial accounts that can be combined. Doing so promotes openness, communication, and teamwork. Do you have questions about this? Rebuttals? Send them to me
and we'll kick this around some more.
If you traveled overseas between February 1, 1996 and November 8, 2006 and used a Visa-, MasterCard-, or Diners Club-branded credit or debit card, you may be owed at least $25. It's the result of a class action lawsuit claiming that foreign-currency transaction fees were not properly disclosed. As reported by the Washington Post, the rebates will range from $25 to three percent of what you charged. To learn more and fill out a claim form, go here
. You have until May 30th to file a claim.
Matt's View
Recently, I told you about a rebate
for people who purchased a diamond between 1994 and early 2006. Now it's credit and debit cards. It's a good thing someone's watching out for us.
Fewer than two percent of homeowners try to appeal their property assessments, according to an article in Money magazine. However, the National Taxpayers Union reports that 60 percent of properties are overvalued. The Money article said an appeal will require five to 20 hours of work and most of the time you won't need a lawyer. It suggested the following steps: Call your assessor's office to find out how it sets home values; go to the assessor's office and ask for the evidence used in valuing your home; build your case by looking up neighbors' valuations at the assessor's office and reviewing sales of comparable homes; if you think your property has been overvalued, meet with the assessor to politely make your case; and file an appeal (usually with a county board).
Matt's View
There's more to these steps, so check out the whole Money article
. After you receive your assessment, you'll have 60 days to file an appeal.
With food prices on the rise, it's time to reconsider the lowly coupon. You know, those "free standing inserts" that come in the Sunday paper only to end up on the bottom of the birdcage. According to an article in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, a mere two percent of coupons get redeemed. Perhaps the redemption rate would go up if more people used web sites to get their coupons instead of thumbing through their newspapers. The article recommended looking for printable coupons on the web sites of the retailers where you shop, manufacturer sites, and dedicated coupon sites such as CoolSavings.com
, Coupons.com
, and SmartSource.com
. Note that you'll have to download software in order to print coupons from these sites.
For those who really want to experience the future of coupons, visit Cellfire.com
, which sends coupons to your cell phone (it's not available for all carriers). After coupons are stored on your cell phone, click a "use now" button, show the coupon to the cashier, and you'll receive your discount.
Matt's View
Another good site is The Coupon Mom
. The site claims you can save up to 50 percent on your grocery bill by using its approach
.
