Lost Credit Cards What to Do – If you’ve lost your credit cards and you’re not sure what to do, it’s imperative that you take action immediately! There’s no worse feeling in the world than losing your wallet and/or credit cards but by no means should you let this feeling overwhelm you to the point that you don’t act. The longer you wait to take action, the more difficult it can be to get your money back.

Lost Credit Cards What to Do

Let’s go over the steps of what you must do if your credit card gets stolen and then we’ll review how to protect yourself from identity theft in the future.

If your credit card is stolen…

1) Gather your information.

- When did your card go missing? What happened? Are there fraudulent charges? Make sure that you’re as clear on everything as you can be.

- Have your account information/number ready.

- Confirm when your last valid purchase was.

2) Contact your card issuer.

- Every card issuer has a specific phone number for reports of lost/stolen credit cards. If you’re not sure which extension to dial call customer service or explain to whoever you can get a hold of about what’s happened. They’ll be able to connect you to the right source and you can report your card lost/stolen.

3) Follow up with a letter.

- Make sure you also send your card issuer a letter after you hang up the phone, reiterating that your card is lost/stolen and that you called (provide the date) and made a report. Include as many details as you can.

4) Deal with fraudulent charges.

- Federal law protects you from paying all charges made to your card after you report it missing and most of the charges made that you claim were fraudulent. Your card issuer is allowed to dispute up to $50 of the charges, so if there’s a problem you’re entitled to contact the Credit Bureau about your rights under the Fair Credit Billing Act.

5) Prevent future theft.

- It’s important that you protect yourself from further theft in the future. Figure out how your card information was taken from you and consider changing your passwords, and boosting up security in whatever ways possible.

I originally wrote these steps in an article on The Random Forest.

Most Common Identity Theft Schemes:

- Going through your trash : If you don’t shred your mail and personal information, it becomes available for thieves to piece together who you are and where your credit card and bank information is.

- Stealing your mail : Even though it’s a federal offense, that won’t stop some of the scum bags out there who will steal mail at any given opportunity. Consider switching to online banking and set up as many passwords and protection methods as possible.

- Skimming : Identity theft criminals carry devices that read the magnetic strip on the back of your credit cards. There are protective cases available that can prevent skimming, but also make a point of only carrying cards when you need them and checking your credit card statements regularly.

- Phishing : Phishing is the broad term used for computer identity theft. Phishing can be performed by the perpetrators through email, social networks, text messages and mediums.

How to protect yourself from identity theft schemes:

- Minimize how much personal information about you and your accounts is available : Do as much as you can online and try not to leave any paper trails. Try to minimize how many cards you carry or even have, it’ll be easier to keep track of your money.

- Shred everything: Make sure it’s near impossible for anyone to read anything about you or your money

- Trust no-one : No one should ever ask for your credit card information. Ever. Except if you are purchasing something safely online, like a plane ticket.

- Check  your accounts regularly: The easiest way to catch identity theft and get all of your money back is to recognize it early on. Make a habit of checking your accounts several times a week to make sure that all of the purchases are your own.

Keep yourself safe by being cautious! There are a lot of bad people out there looking to steal from anyone they can.

Lost Credit Cards What to Do

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Lost Credit Cards What to Do

How You Can Get Rich - Getting rich is not easy (if you stick to legal means) but it is something that we almost all have a shot at if it’s something that we really want. For this quick article Let’s take a look at some of the top ways of getting rich.

How You Can Get Rich

Risky business

I’m not talking about robbing banks here but rather the quick route through high risk investments in business and fast paced stocks. If you know your stuff you can look at taking this route to riches but it really is an all or nothing kind of thing that I am far too faint hearted for.

Medium/low risk, spreaded investing

How You Can Get Rich

Think people like Warren Buffet here. I am sure he took some risky bets but generally his wealth was built over time and if you keep at it you can do the same with your investments. I think this is the best way to play with investments and I personally know many people that are very well set in retirement from the investments choices they have made throughout their lives. This post on the best investments has some excellent tips.

Get your 15 minutes of fame

You don’t have to be a mega star to get pretty rich. Reality TV stars that have just 10mins of fame are coming out of it with massive lump sums and if you are prepared to make a fool of yourself or do something outlandish to get your name in the world you could land a significant sum of cash in a short time.

Move to a cheap country

Money is relative right? Well you can move to somewhere like Belize and live like a king on far less cash. If you can earn your money remotely or have some vast savings you will go from well off to extremely rich.

Work like a dog!

If you can work 3 jobs 24/7 then there is no doubt you can pile the cash away and may be raking in your first million in no time. The question is will you have the health to enjoy your riches?

Invent a new social media platform or web phenomenon

MySpace used to rule the roost but then Facebook popped out of nowhere, the Twitter. It’s easy to think all ideas have been covered but even very recently the fellow who created YouTube Instant landed a lucrative job with Google. If you just put your mind to it you could innovate a new social network vehicle and make your millions!

Act like you are poor

This is my favorite path on the way to riches. Just learn to live in the most simple, easy and frugal way. You may have to get used to being called a tight wad but 20 years down the line you will be laughing when you can lounge by the pool and kick back living on your riches.

What does rich really mean?

It’s easy to write this kind of article and just concentrate on money. Seriously the ideas above are just a bit of fun. However the word rich to me does not even conjure up money. Being rich to me is more a state of mind about where I am in life. Of course I want to be comfortable with money and I am working on that but most importantly I think the richest man / women in the world is the happiest.

If you can strike the ideal balance between work / life / friends and family and find a way to comfortably enjoy all areas then I really feel that is the top way to get rich.

What do you think?

Mary-Kate Olsen Intern with Annie Leibovitz – Everybody’s got to start somewhere, so when Mary-Kate Olsen decided to pursue her career in fashion seriously she became famed photographer Annie Leibovitz’s intern for a semester in 2005. At the time, she and her twin sister Ashley were worth $300 million combined, but that didn’t mean she got special treatment on set.

Annie Leibovitz is a famed photographer, best known for her A-list celebrity work in Vanity Fair. Mary Kate’s duties while interning for Ms. Leibovitz were that of a gofer– fetching coffee, running errands, etc. No special treatment was doled because of her celebrity status. Her sister was also interning across town as it was part of the NYU program.

Said the Olsen twin rep about the girl’s internships:

“They’re having a chance to explore things that interest them that they never had a chance to do. It’s an opportunity for both of them to learn from the best.”

Mary-Kate Olsen Intern with Annie Leibovitz

Internships are perhaps the best way for people to get experience, knowledge and connections among high level professionals in their desired field. I think seeing that even ‘rich and famous’ people must also intern is a testament to the role of the intern.

Ashley Olsen Intern Zac Posen

As mentioned above, the Olsen twins both spent some time as interns in 2005. While her sister was with Annie Leibovitz, Ashley worked as an intern for fashion designer Zac Posen. Her duties were also that of a traditional intern.

Lauren Conrad Teen Vogue Intern

Her internship at Teen Vogue was well-documented on her television show The Hills. Since then Conrad has gone on to become a bestselling author.

Kanye West Fendi Internship

Many people are familiar with Kanye’s love for fashion so it’s no surprise that the rapper took up an internship with reputed Italian brand Fendi back in 2008. Kanye has spoken much about the experience except in a radio interview where he admitted that he enjoyed waking up in Rome, walking to work and getting cappuccinos.

John Krasinski Intern Conan Obrien

Jim Halpert got his start as a intern on the Conan O’Brien show! It turns out that John Krasinki, between waiting tables and trying to get into Broadway plays also was a script intern for the infamous red headed comic back in 2000.

Lady Gaga Internship Philip Treacy

Back in 2010, Lady Gaga applied for an internship at Philip Treacy to learn how to make hats. In 2011, Treacy opened up about the prospect of her interning in an interview with the Guardian:

She plans to [do an internship with me]. She’s already visited me. This is what happened: one Monday morning, four burly bodyguards arrived – Lady Gaga’s security team – to check out the security of the building. I looked at them as if to say: what?! Who is going to take a pot shot at Lady Gaga? Anyway, she is young, talented and peculiar – which I like. The Brit awards were the next night and she said to her people (I loved this): “Can somebody buy me some brown underwear for tomorrow?”

Frances Bean Cobain Intern Rolling Stone

Back when she was 15, Frances Bean Cobain was a summer intern for Rolling Stone, the same magazine that commemorated her father in numerous issues. She said that her interests were in photography and journalism, so what better place to start?

Brooke Shields Intern San Diego Zoo

This one sounds like fun! The movie star got to be an intern at the San Diego zoo during a break from her acting career.

Shenae Grimes Teen Vogue Internship

Following in Lauren Conrad’s footsteps, the 90210 actress took on a summer internship at Teen Vogue. She wrote about the experience on her blog:

“I’m home from my first day as an intern at Teen Vogue and boy, am I wiped! With a million shoots to prepare for, the office was a zoo of clothes today and I don’t think I sat down once!”

While a lot of these famous people are getting internships at big named places because they have the connections to do so, keep in mind that many people started out their careers as interns and worked their way up to fame and fortune.

Internships give you real life experience and look great on resumes. With summer around the corner, the las window of opportunity to get an internship in a field you enjoy might be closing!

Mary-Kate Olsen Intern with Annie Leibovitz. Source: Wikipedia

Recent: Who are the 1%?

How to Pick the Right Smartphone – I have to admit, after years of umming and arring I finally purchased an iPhone! However I don’t want to join the ranks of many users and claim you absolutely NEED one. Picking a smartphone that is right for you is essential if you don’t want to waste your hard earned money, getting the wrong tech can be pricey!

How to Pick the Right Smartphone

I love the functionality of my phone and after a few weeks I have come to realise that although it took me years, I made the correct decision on my purchase. I wanted to share some of my thoughts with you and hopefully help you make a good decision for your budget and lifestyle.

The very first thing you have to do is really honestly answer the question “Do I need a Smartphone?”. Often for many people the answer is no! You probably have a good digital camera, you probably won’t play Angry Birds much after 30minutes and you will never really properly use the calendar. In many ways it is often better to have a cheap phone not to worry about. If you drop it in your pint of beer or leave it on your bus seat it isn’t a big deal. Carrying around what amounts to a mini computer suddenly makes things a little more stressful!

If you did answer yes then you need to write down what exactly you need this smart device to do. As an insight into my decisions here is a list of things I was thinking I wanted a device, or many devices for before I embarked to New Zealand, my current abode.

• I wanted a good quality digital camera that I could carry in my pocket.
• I wanted a video camera for capturing those moments quickly.
• I wanted a device to catch up on emails and be able to browse the net when a laptop was too big (coach and train journeys for example).
• I wanted to be able to keep track of my stats on my websites.
• A calendar and reminder function.
• GPS functionality for recording running and exercise.
• GPD functionality for finding out where the hell I am!
• Skype.
• Ebook reading capability.

Your list may be much shorter or 10 times longer. Seriously go through the options and think each one through. Mark down if you already own devices that can cover some of the capabilities and if you really need an all-in-one or if cheaper separate goods will do. With everything I wanted I worked out one device would be a lot cheaper.

With this list you can go into any phone store or do your own online research and get a good comparison list (using excel is great) to determine which smart phones on the market will be able to do the jobs you want.

Android, Windows or iOS

It is very likely you will find multiple phones that could suit your needs all operating on different operating systems. I personally have not tried Windows (it is reported to be very good) but iOS and Android are both great. In my experience Android is more open and great for people who really want to play around with the bones of their machine. It can be a little tougher to use and the wide myriad of devices means apps sometimes don’t function to their full potential. However on the higher-end devices this shouldn’t be an issue. iOS only works with the iPhone (and iPad) so it means it is written for one device and generally just works. Getting under it’s skin is tough but there are millions of apps available and lots of functionality to keep you entertained. I am happy that I made  my choice with iOS and have had no major problems with it so far.

The downside of the iPhone!

Because I travel I got the iPhone unlocked. To say it was expensive was an understatement! I could have purchased an iPad for the same price or even a small laptop for less. I now worry about the device (but love it too) and have found it to be a little delecate for something that such be a rugged device. It’s like carrying around an egg in your pocket that you worry may crack.

For me it is worth it but just one serious thing that you should consider along with the functionality. You may require a more rugged device.

Used and older models?

You should also always consider a refurbished item. Amazon has loads and the savings can be quite high. Apple even sell older iPhones and you could find that an older model of any phone may suit all and more of your needs.

For any decision read blogs, reviews, twitter comments, Facebook. Ask to use friends smart phones and ask what they love and hate about their devices. Stay within your budget (lower ideally) and don’t make rash purchases.

Related: Smart phone identity theft risks

Good luck!

Most Valuable Companies in the World 2012 – You have to remember that most valuable does not necessarily mean the biggest companies. In 2012 the world has some absolutely huge companies, the biggest probably being Petrobras but they are not the most valuable, so who are?

Most Valuable Companies in the World 2012

Most Valuable Companies in the World 2012

I’m not going to say this is going to give you a huge shock. The number one and two slots are taken by some pretty large companies.

Well number one goes to Apple. Forbes reported in February 2012 that Apple stock had broken the $500 barrier and an astounding holiday season brought their capital up to a staggering $465 billion.

Number two goes to another expected industry and the biggest companies who deal in this stuff known as black gold could all be fighting for places near the top of a value list. This year Exxon Mobil have taken that title (they were no1 in 2011) with a capital of $400 billion, as of February 2012.

However looking at some other sources it seems that by last month that capital may have risen even more for both companies. A list of the top 20 from Affordable Cebu puts Apple at $546 billion for April 2012 and Exxon at $407.4 billion (I can’t find at present where they sourced these numbers). Anyway here is their top 20 for April 2012.

A lot of the usual suspects have turned up on the list. It really is quite staggering how much they are all worth! Interestingly Petrobras the biggest company in the world is only the 19th most valuable. Size isn’t everything!

Related: The 10 Richest People in the World

Thanks for reading and please take the time to comment.

Sources:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/marketshare/2012/02/16/the-most-valuable-company-in-the-world/

http://www.affordablecebu.com/load/business/top_20_world_39_s_most_valuable_companies_2012/6-1-0-3277#ixzz1tzF7ylNh

Top Performing Mutual Funds – The markets have been up, down and sideways in recent years with the economic down turn and everything it has been caused by and has caused. However there are still people out there investing in good solid funds and bringing in some decent returns.

Top Performing Mutual Funds

Of course it is impossible to say what will perform the best but tracking the top performing mutaual funds is a good start and may help you decide where to put some of your money.

So at the time of writing what are the top performing funds? Luckily MSN have a great page on their site tracking the top performing funds and below you’ll see the Short Term and Long term tables including how they have performed over certain terms.

*Funds with the best performance in all categories for the last 3 months

So who are the world’s biggest private corporations? Lets take a look.

America’s largest private companies, from Forbes.

Every year Forbe’s produces a list of the biggest American private companies. below is the top 10 from their 2011 list.

The world’s biggest private companies, via Wikipedia

The best data I could find for the biggest private companies in the world comes from a list of the biggest companies on Wikipedia. Here are the top 9 that are listed as private. The Rank reflects their overall position in the 188 entries on the list which can be found here.

From a USA perspective you would think that Food, Drink and Tobacco were the biggest provate companies out there but once you expand that to the world view you see Raw Materials ruling. I was, I must say, quite shocked to see the power of the German companies in the list above! Of course some of this data could be contended but at very least it gives an interesting overall picture of the state of private companies around the world.

Related: World’s Wealthiest People

Thanks for reading.

What is the Secret to Saving Money? Considering how difficult saving money can be, it’s not uncommon for people to wonder if there’s some sort of secret. After all, why do certain people have an impressive savings account while others barely have enough in their checking?

I think that in a lot of cases, the ability to save money is often a personality trait. Take my brother and I, for example. Since we were very little kids he’s just loved spending money while I was always worried that I was buying the “wrong” thing. Our parents would take us to the flea market on Sunday growing up and give us each a dollar. My brother would spend his dollar on the first, shiny thing within 30 seconds. I, on the other hand, would hem and haw, worry until I gave myself an ulcer, and finally gave up on spending my dollar at all.

Now, I don’t think child-me knew the “secret” to saving money. But I was cautious with where I wanted my dollar to end up and I’d say thinking about every little purchase can help prevent frivolous spending.

What is the Secret to Saving Money?

As an adult, however, I’ve learned that the “secret” to saving money is scrupulous budgeting and discipline. By creating a budget and sticking to this budget, you’ll be surprised just how much money you can really save. It takes a lot of work and will power, but it over time it will become a way of life.

These are the steps by which I’ve successfully saved money:

#1 Set a monthly savings goal. Sometimes you just need a number to work towards. After examining how much money you can realistically save each month, come up with an amount of money you’d like to have put into savings. It can be $50. It can be $500. Whatever it is, make sure that is achievable and work hard towards it.

#2 Give your life a frugal makeover. Many people don’t realize that one of the secrets to saving more money is to take a dollar here and there from your normal expenses rather than cutting out one big thing. Let’s just say you want to save $1000 a year. To break it down, you’ll need to save about $2.75 a day OR $20 a week, OR $80-ish dollars a month. Do you have a bad habit that’s costing your $2.75 a day? Perhaps indulging in a soda or snack or beer? By eliminating a bad habit (something that isn’t good for your health) you stand to save a lot of money!

#3 Impose a 48-hour purchase rule on non-essential items. If you find yourself wanting to buy something that’s expensive and a “toy” or another pair or shoes or something, pull yourself away from the situation and take two days to think about whether or not you really want to buy it. Often times we see something we like an want to feel the thrill of the immediate gratification. If you still really want to buy the item and have justified it to yourself financially after two days, only then should you buy it.

#4 Cut up your credit cards and focus on paying off your debt.

You may not feel like you’re saving money, but getting rid of your debt will help you be in a position to truly save later on.

#5 Put any extra money that comes your way into savings.

Any time you come into extra cash– tax returns, bonuses, inheritance– put it into your savings rather than spending it. This can be incredibly hard, but your discipline will pay off in the long run.

No one said saving money was easy, but it definitely is possible. Just remember, taking the time to create a budget for yourself and sticking to it is really the only way to get ahead.

What is the Secret to Saving Money?

What is the Secret to Saving Money?

World’s Best Airports – The word airport and anything related to having fun are usually far apart. The monotonous holes of boredom are synonymous with slack jawed shattered waiting, waiting and more waiting. There is only so many times you can flick through every book in the poorly stocked bookstore and how many Starbucks muffins you can eat for the sake of eating!

World’s Best Airports

World's Best Airports

Airports are trying though and over time things are changing. The main problem of being contained in a space with no choice to get out will never be overcome but filling those spaces with distracting flashy things is taking shape and in some cases working wonders to help travellers stay entertained, fed and of course poor! Airports have a strong tradition for charging more, after all you don’t have a choice to go elsewhere!

So, where are the world’s best airports as chosen by us, the passengers? Skytrax surveys passengers each year to come up with the list. They ask for opinions on things like dining, shopping experience, courtesy of staff members, baggage handling and security waiting times. They take millions or questionnaires so the results are normally fairly well balanced.

Here are their top 50 airports of 2012.

1. Incheon International Airport
2. Singapore Changi Airport
3. Hong Kong International Airport
4. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
5. Beijing Capital International Airport
6. Munich Airport
7. Zurich Airport
8. Kuala Lumpur International Airport
9. Vancouver International Airport
10. Central Japan International Airport
11. Moscow Domodedovo Airport
12. London Heathrow Airport
13. Copenhagen Airport
14. Auckland International Airport
15. Tokyo International Airport Haneda
16. Frankfurt Main Airport
17. Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport
18. Narita International Airport
19. Abu Dhabi International Airport
20. Kansai International Airport
21. Sydney Airport
22. Barcelona Airport
23. Helsinki Airport
24. Seoul Gimpo Airport
25. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Intl Airport
26. Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport
27. Dubai International Airport
28. Cape Town International Airport
29. Hamburg Airport
30. Taiwan Taoyuan Airport
31. Jorge Chávez International Airport
32. O.R. Tambo International Airport
33. Shanghai PuDong International Airport
34. Athens International Airport
35. Brisbane Airport
36. King Shaka International Airport
37. Dusseldorf International Airport
38. London City Airport
39. Madrid Barajas Airport
40. San Francisco International Airport
41. Vienna Airport
42. London Stansted Airport
43. Melbourne Airport
44. Denver International Airport
45. London Gatwick Airport
46. Gold Coast Airport
47. Toronto Pearson International Airport
48. Oslo Airport
49. Dallas/Fort Worth Airport
50. Billund Airport

Source: Skytrax.

I have been to quite a few of these airports and I can’t say I have noticed a big difference between them! Have you been to many?

What is your favorite airport.

Thanks for reading- World’s Best Airports

Top Budget Travel Destinations 2012 – I love traveling but I am certainly no millionaire so travel to destinations that I can afford on a sensible budget. Where are the best 2012 destinations for those on a budget?

Top Budget Travel Destinations 2012

Top Budget Travel Destinations 2012

You can find ‘budget’ travel options at any travel destination but if you don’t choose carefully you’ll be sharing your room with cockroaches and bad smells, sleeping in a half finished hotel or being miles from anything that you came for. The budget concerned traveller has to be careful with choices but that doesn’t mean you will end up in a terrible place. Sure you won’t have gold rimmed mirror frames or 116″ flatscreens in your hotel room but you can travel in comfort and have a lot of fun for not a lot of cash.

It’s hard to decide the best destination because so much of it depends on what you want. Do you like sleeping in a tent, are you cool with a basic hostel room or do you need a little bit more comfort? Are you looking to soak up rays on a flawless beach or soak up a whole new culture?

Lets take a look at the top 10 destinations from Budget traveller with my notes on each place and my experiences about the ones I have been too.

Azores, Portugal – Azores is a beautiful volcanic island with prices currently at rock bottom for very luxurious holidaying due to the economic woes of Portugal. I have not been to Azores but I did visit Portugal last year and loved the people and the relaxed culture. The biggest downside for me was seeing hoe badly hit the country has been from the economic downturn, it is sad to be enjoying yourself surrounded by people who are hurting so I suggest you take some time to soak up some of the local culture and don’t just lounge around on the beaches.

Egypt – I lived in Egypt for the past few years. The recent spring has plummeted prices as tourists decided it wasn’t such a great, safe, destination anymore. There is some truth in that but Egyptians are very welcoming people and if you stick to the main drags and tour operated routes I imagine you’ll be fine (I can’t promise anything but anything can happen anywhere in the world!). The country is full of so much beauty and great people but poverty is a sad reality you will encounter. Read my post about A Budget Egypt Vacation (written pre-revolution).

San Diego, USA – I am quite surprised to see this city on the list as I always thought it was super expensive. However, apparently, 2012 is the year to visit as hotel prices are down. It’s expected they will rise again in 2012. I’m definitely wanting to visit one day.

Atlantic Canada – I have friends who recently returned from a trip along the coastline of Atlantic Canada. They hiked and camped, saw giant ice bergs and stayed in small towns, all on a very reasonable budget. I lived in Quebec for a few years but never made it up there. From my experience Canadian towns are full of great free festivals in the Summer months.

Belize, Central America – Belize is an English speaking central American country with a growing retiring population who are discovering the beauty and low price it has to offer. Of course this means it’s prices may well start to rise soon! It has miles of beautiful mangrove forests and hidden beaches, Mayan ruins and more to offer.

San-Antonio, USA - Affordable and beautiful bike friendly city with great offers. I have never been or even thought about it until reading the budget traveller article!

Poland – Poland’s GDP and economy is on the up but it is still affordable. Famed for their lacklustre pickled everything and vodka guzzling skills the country is rather beautiful with a slight rough Eastern European edge. I can’t wait to visit!

Taipei – This once Chinese Pacific island has started to open it’s doors to Tourists and is boosting quite a boom with award winning chefs opening restaurants and new hotels being thrown up. May be worth getting there before the price rise does!

Kansas City, USA – Kansas is in the mid-west, an area known for lower average prices. Howver the city is quite a high-brow cultural center so could be worth some time.

Athen, Greece – The history of Athens alone and the immense amount of Greek culture to soak up means that Athens is on everyone’s list to visit one day. of course Greece is in default and things are not doing great there so prices are low and deals are easy to find. Like all countries that are on the down, don’t go flashing your money around if you want the locals to like you!

List source: Budget Traveller.

So, what do you think of the list? It isn’t quite the list I would have chosen but it looks good none the less. Have you been to many of the places and what did you think? Will you be visiting any this year and do you have any other suggestions?

Thanks for reading - Top Budget Travel Destinations 2012