Friday, June 12, 2015

A New Credit Card Program is Saving People Money on Uber!

There have been a lot of disruptive changes in the financial business lately, from high interest online banking to the rise of the independent IRA over the 401K as the investment of choice, but there are more developments in the pipeline.

Major credit card issuer Capital One has already been offering 1-2 percent cash back with their Quicksilver line of credit cards, but now they are offering a full 20% cash back reward with their Quicksilver cards on purchases of services from Uber until April 30th, 2016.

That is a sharp departure from the norm, where up to 5% was all that consumers could expect in a special category for reimbursement purposes.

This is also unique in that it is one of the first promotions in credit company history that is targeted at Millenials that aren't necessarily in college. By focusing on Uber users, they are likely to appeal more to the demographic that hasn't invested in a car but still has a need for transportation that has supported the boom in consumer-client relationships like Uber and Lyft.

So, do you think that this is just smart marketing, or a sign of a shift in the way that credit companies are thinking about millenials?

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Do you have a chimney in your house? Now's the Time to Get it Cleaned!

Here one can see an adult chimney sweep from Frankfurt, Germany, in 1959

Having your chimney swept regularly is an important step to take to improve the safety and livability of your home. An unattended chimney can accumulate deposits of soot along the entire length of the flue, and this can contain toxic chemicals and heavy metals that aren't the best to keep around. A little preventative maintenance can help to improve the longevity of your chimney and keep your home healthy.
In the old days, chimney sweeping was often performed by children, but these days they are usually bonded professionals that normally demand relatively high amounts for their work, up to $100 per flue.

Having a chimney swept can be pretty pricey though, especially in the winter time when sweepers charge high prices for an in-demand service.

If you think ahead, and make a call in the summertime to prepare for the colder season, you can save quite a bit on having your chimney cleaned out. Sometimes the rates can be half those charged in the wintertime, and you can save as much as $50 per flue on a cleaning.
I'd assume that your chimney sweep won't be named Homer Simpson. He or she probably also enjoys the job.

The best part is, you'll be supporting a local business professional when the market is poor, so it's a win win situation.

And for a final bonus, you can likely have the work done whenever you want, since the sweeper will be unoccupied most of the time.
Getting a summer sweep likely will leave you with more money in your pocket and your chimney sweep happy to have the work!

Make the Most of your Meals: Batch Cook and Save Time and Money

I may have mentioned batch cooking before, but it bears repeating.

Cooking food in larger than necessary allows you to drastically reduce the amount of time spent preparing food and at the same time take advantage of economies of scale when purchasing your ingredients.

It's entirely possible to take 15-20 dollars worth of ingredients and prepare a week's worth of lunches and dinners within the space of a few hours, just with some creativity and larger than normal portions while cooking.

I personally cook most of my meals as batches, and I have a pleasant variety of foods to choose from to last me through each week, and the comfort of knowing that I have a refrigerator well stocked with delicious meals waiting for me at home.

For example, I purchased some fresh zucchini, eggplant, and peppers last week at the grocery store. Instead of buying for single portions, I bought pounds of each of them, and instead of taking time every day to clean, chop, prep a pan, and cook them, I roasted all three types of vegetable at once in the oven.

I cooked a batch of rice on the stove at the same time, and made a crock pot full of a meaty, beany stew.

Now I have a protein rich stew, a starchy base, and three different vegetables to combine to make a variety of healthy lunches and dinners to enjoy this week, and I only had to spend one afternoon preparing them!

Cooking in batches helps to avoid the false economy of buying a smaller package at a higher unit price, because it permits bachelors like myself to obtain goods at a lower unit price and actually consume them before they go bad.

Do you cook ahead of time?

What are your favorite make-ahead recipes?

Friday, June 5, 2015

On this, National Donut Day, a Frugal Note

Today, June 5th, is apparently National Donut day, and many different businesses are offering a free donut either with no strings attached or along with the purchase of a cheap beverage.

This is a good thing, and I congratulate those of you who were able to take advantage of a promotion through Dunkin Donuts, Krispy Kreme, or another location, but it is important to point out that getting a 60 cent donut for free doesn't justify a trip out just to get it.

I wouldn't leave my house and drive to a donut shop to save 60 cents, and neither should you.

Thursday, May 21, 2015

A bit of housekeeping: New Domain Name

I've decided to migrate my website to a new domain on the blogger site.

My old domain, protectoshell.blogspot.com, is no longer the home of One Man's Plans.

I will now be located at onemansplans.blogspot.com

Thank you for your understanding.

If you have to choose between your Desktop and your laptop, use your laptop and save money

I'm sure that we could all use an extra bit of money.

And it's possible to save a little every month just by being proactive about electrical use from your laptop computer, about $2.50 a month, or $30 a year.

If you take the time to unplug your laptop charging cord after you are done charging your computer, you can really save that much in electricity.

If you get rid of your desktop entirely, you can save even more, and possibly even afford a nicer laptop computer.


Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Four Major Cancer Patient Support Charities Spent Less Than 5% of Donations On Cancer Victims

According to CNN, four major charities have been found by United States Consumer Protection Bureau investigators to have spent 97% of over 187 million dollars of donations on a number of expenses that have nothing to do with actually helping cancer patients. These charities were all run by James Reynolds and his family, James Reynolds Jr. (his son), and Rose Perkins (his ex-wife).

James Reynolds Sr. is the CEO of Cancer Support Services and the Cancer Fund of America.

James Reynolds Jr. is the CEO of the Breast Cancer Society.

Rose Perkins is the CEO of the Children's Cancer Fund of America.

As a direct quote from CNN:

"The government says the charities claimed to provide direct support for cancer patients, breast cancer patients and children with cancer. "These were lies." "

Aside from the lavish expenditures, the charities also showed a stunning level of nepotism and cronyism, all run by the family and extended family of a single man, and employing a number of friends, family members, and extended relations in capacities that are completely unrelated to their prior experience and primarily based on a desire to give them work.

Among the expenses listed in the report as reported on CNN, donor funds were used to pay for private fundraisers for personal use or for themselves. Charity workers used donor funds to buy cars and other vehicles, consumer goods, college tuition, gym memberships, Jet Ski outings, subscriptions to dating services, luxury cruise lines, and tickets to concerts and sporting events.

It's quite lamentable to hear that people are willing not only to appropriate money from their businesses, but to take money away from people who arguably need it the most: men, women, and children afflicted with cancer and in need of help.

For more information, refer to the Federal Trade Commission newsletter, which I will also reproduce below.

FTC, All 50 States and D.C. Charge Four Cancer Charities With Bilking Over $187 Million from Consumers

Complaint Alleges Defendants Falsely Claimed Donations Would Help Pay For Pain Medication, Hospice Care & Other Services; But Spent Donations on Cars, Trips, Sports Tickets, & Professional Fundraisers

FOR RELEASE
The Federal Trade Commission and 58 law enforcement partners from every state and the District of Columbia have charged four sham cancer charities and their operators with bilking more than $187 million from consumers. The defendants told donors their money would help cancer patients, including children and women suffering from breast cancer, but the overwhelming majority of donations benefitted only the perpetrators, their families and friends, and fundraisers. This is one of the largest actions brought to date by enforcers against charity fraud.
The FTC infographic 'Sham Cancer Charities', showing the four so-called charities, what they claimed they did, what they really did, how they spent the money
Sham Cancer Charities infographic – click to view full-size.
Named in the federal court complaint are Cancer Fund of America, Inc. (CFA), Cancer Support Services Inc. (CSS), their president, James Reynolds, Sr., and their chief financial officer and CSS’s former president, Kyle Effler; Children’s Cancer Fund of America Inc. (CCFOA) and its president and executive director, Rose Perkins; and The Breast Cancer Society Inc. (BCS) and its executive director and former president, James Reynolds II.
CCFOA and Perkins, BCS, Reynolds II and Effler have agreed to settle the charges against them. Under the proposed settlement orders, Effler, Perkins and Reynolds II will be banned from fundraising, charity management, and oversight of charitable assets, and CCFOA and BCS will be dissolved.  Litigation will continue against CFA, CSS and James Reynolds Sr.
“Cancer is a debilitating disease that impacts millions of Americans and their families every year. The defendants’ egregious scheme effectively deprived legitimate cancer charities and cancer patients of much-needed funds and support,” said Jessica Rich, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “The defendants took in millions of dollars in donations meant to help cancer patients, but spent it on themselves and their fundraisers. I’m pleased that the FTC and our state partners are acting to end this appalling scheme.”
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring said, “The allegations of fundraising for personal gain in the name of children with cancer and women battling breast cancer are simply shameful. This is the first time the FTC, all 50 states, and the District of Columbia have filed a joint enforcement action alleging deceptive solicitations by charities and I hope it serves as a strong warning for anyone trying to exploit the kindness and generosity of others.”
South Carolina Secretary of State Mark Hammond said, “When charities lie to donors, it is our duty to step in to protect them. At the same time, however, this historic action should remind everyone to be vigilant when giving to charity. This case is an unfortunate example of why I always tell my constituents to give from the heart, but give smart.”
According to the complaint, the defendants used telemarketing calls, direct mail, websites, and materials distributed by the Combined Federal Campaign, which raises money from federal employees for non-profit organizations, to portray themselves as legitimate charities with substantial programs that provided direct support to cancer patients in the United States, such as providing patients with pain medication, transportation to chemotherapy, and hospice care. In fact, the complaint alleges that these claims were deceptive and that the charities “operated as personal fiefdoms characterized by rampant nepotism, flagrant conflicts of interest, and excessive insider compensation, with none of the financial and governance controls that any bona fidecharity would have adopted.”
According to the complaint, the defendants used the organizations for lucrative employment for family members and friends, and spent consumer donations on cars, trips, luxury cruises, college tuition, gym memberships, jet ski outings, sporting event and concert tickets, and dating site memberships. They hired professional fundraisers who often received 85 percent or more of every donation.
The complaint alleges that, to hide their high administrative and fundraising costs from donors and regulators, the defendants falsely inflated their revenues by reporting in publicly filed financial documents more than $223 million in donated “gifts in kind” which they claimed to distribute to international recipients. In fact, the defendants were merely pass-through agents for such goods. By reporting the inflated “gift in kind” donations, the defendants created the illusion that they were larger and more efficient with donors’ dollars than they actually were. Thirty-five states alleged that the defendants filed false and misleading financial statements with state charities regulators.
In addition, the FTC and 36 states charged CFA, CCFOA and BCS with providing professional fundraisers with deceptive fundraising materials. The FTC and the attorneys general also charged the defendants with violating the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), CFA, CCFOA and BCS with assisting and facilitating in TSR violations, and CSS with making deceptive charitable solicitations.
In addition to the bans imposed on charity work by the settling individual defendants and the dissolution of two corporations, CCFOA and BCS, the proposed final order against CCFOA and Rose Perkins imposes a judgment of $30,079,821, the amount consumers donated between 2008 and 2012. The judgment against CCFOA will be partially satisfied via liquidation of its assets; the judgment against Perkins will be suspended based upon her inability to pay.
The proposed final orders against BCS and Reynolds II impose a $65,564,360 judgment, the amount consumers donated between 2008 and 2012. The BCS order provides an option, subject to court approval, for spinning off its Hope Supply Warehouses program to a legitimate, qualified charity. BCS’s remaining assets will be liquidated and used to partially satisfy the judgment. The judgment against Reynolds II will be suspended when he pays $75,000.
The proposed final order against Effler will impose a judgment of $41,152,231, the amount consumers donated to CSS between 2008 and 2012. The judgment will be suspended upon payment of $60,000. The full judgment amounts against the individuals will become due immediately if they are found to have misrepresented their financial condition.
The Commission vote authorizing the staff to file the complaint and proposed stipulated final orders was 5-0. The documents were filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. The proposed orders are subject to court approval.
NOTE: The Commission files a complaint when it has “reason to believe” that the law has been or is being violated and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. Stipulated orders have the force of law when approved and signed by the District Court judge.
Before giving to a charity, read the FTC’s Charity Scams.
The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them.  To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics. Like the FTC on Facebook(link is external), follow us on Twitter(link is external), and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.

CONTACT INFORMATION

MEDIA CONTACT:  
Frank Dorman,
FTC Office of Public Affairs
202-326-2674
STAFF CONTACT: 
Charles Harwood, Director
FTC Northwest Region
206-220-6350
Tracy Thorleifson,
FTC Northwest Region
206-220-4481