Holiday times are here and it’s a given everyone is going to get a gift or two you simply don’t want or can’t use. In the past, it was common to stuff that unwanted gift in a closet, re-gift it to someone else or return it for a refund.

These days, more and more people turn to eBay as an alternative to get rid of that dust collector and put a little cash in the pocket, but best be warned : selling on eBay can be VERY treacherous.

eBay can be a great place to find a potential buyer interested in your unwanted gift but there are numerous pitfalls novice sellers can easily fall into when selling on eBay. Most of these potential problems are due to eBay policies that provide loopholes for crooks to use the eBay Buyer Protection system to their advantage.

eBay also takes up to 15% of your sale price in fees and force sellers to use Paypal for an additional 4% transaction fees. When all is said and done, eBay will pocket nearly 20% of your item’s price for selling in their marketplace that is littered with crooks, scammers and fraudsters. All with zero customer support for sellers.

We spoke to several veteran eBay sellers and they were quick to offer these 7 warnings for casual or novice eBay sellers to avoid potential buyer fraud.

Never Sell Anything on eBay You Can’t Afford to Lose

The eBay sellers we spoke to all were very clear about the fact that you should never sell anything you can’t afford to lose on eBay. In the last year, there have been hundreds of reports of eBay buyers using eBay’s Buyer Protection to scam sellers out of high priced designer items such as Chanel and Louis Vuitton purses by simply claiming the item was not authentic or by pulling a switch and returning a fake item.

Always Ship With Delivery Confirmation

If you’re going to ship anything to an eBay buyer, always, always, always purchase some form of online viewable delivery comfirmation. Without DC, a malicious buyer can simply file an Item Not Received claim and eBay/Paypal will grant them an automatic refund from your bank account or credit card. It is important to note that delivery confirmation is not available for international shipping unless you ship using USPS Express Mail International which is very expensive.

Purchase Signature Confirmation on Orders Over $250

This is another loophole eBay does not inform sellers about but can really come back to bite you in the arse. Any order over $250 (this includes shipping costs) MUST be shipped with signature confirmation in order to qualify for seller protection. There are far too many horror stories from novice sellers who shipped expensive items only to have them stolen by buyers who claimed they didn’t receive it. Again, eBay/Paypal will refund the buyer from your bank account or credit card on file.

Be Prepared for Paypal to Hold Your Funds for 21 Days

Here’s another gotcha that eBay isn’t up front about. All new sellers or sellers not meeting eBay’s secret criteria will be subject to having the funds from their buyers payment held for 21 days by Paypal. This means if you sell a $2000 stereo system on eBay that costs $50 to ship, you will have to pay for the shipping out of pocket and wait for Paypal to release your funds when they see fit.

Beware of Scam Artists Seeking Partial Refunds

Newer sellers with a low feedback score can be assured they will encounter the buyer who complains about the item they were sold but doesn’t want to return it and wants a partial refund. Don’t fall for this scam. This scam is perpetuated by eBay sellers using multiple eBay ID’s (yes, believe it or not, eBay allows people to have more than one ID) who buy on one and sell on another. Never give a partial refund to a buyer for any reason. If they don’t like what you sold them, have them return it for a full refund.

Always Ship to Address on File With Paypal

Another common eBay scam is when a buyer targets a new seller and asks them to ship the item they purchased or won to an address other than the address on file with eBay. If you ship to an address other than the one Ebay/Paypal provides for the transaction, it completely voids your seller protection.

Be Prepared to Accept Returns for 45 Days

No matter what you’re selling on eBay and no matter what you state as a return policy in your listing, eBay will FORCE you to accept returns and issue refunds for 45 days after purchase. This policy is widely abused considering the possibilities for buyers to buy and use an item, then return it at the seller’s expense. Considering Walmart, Best Buy and other retailers no longer accept returns of unsealed CD’s, DVD’s, video games ~ eBay has become the perfect place for people to buy, copy and return.

As you can see from the information provided above, selling on eBay is like tap dancing in a minefield. In most cases, especially where larger, higher priced items are concerned, it’s always best to use an alternative like Craigslist or the newspaper.

Most people don’t like to talk about it but estate planning is a necessary task for anyone with assets wishing to ensure they are distributed fairly to beneficiaries such as a spouse, significant other, children or grandchildren.

While the most common form of estate planning involves creation of a last will and testament, creating a trust can offer a greater deal of control over how and when assets are distributed to beneficiaries.

What is a Trust?

A trust is a legally binding relationship by which property is held by one party for the benefit of another. A trust is created by a settlor who places his/her property in the care of a trustee who then legally controls that property for the beneficiaries. While any sort of property may be held in trust, growth assets such as real estate or investments are more commonly placed into trust. A trust can be created during the settlor’s life through a trust instrument or after the settlor’s death through a will.

A trust is solely governed by the terms and conditions under which it was created. The terms of the trust are recorded in a trust instrument or deed with the trustee retaining legal title to the trust property. The beneficiaries have equitable title to the trust property which provides a separation of control and ownership of the property.

While there are many different type of trust for varying purposes, the two most commonly used in estate planning are revocable trusts and irrevocable trusts.

What is a Revocable Trust?

A revocable trust is a trust which may be legally altered, amended or revoked by the settlor at any time. Provided the settlor is not mentally incapacitated, the trust instrument may be freely changed to suit the settlors interest. These days, revocable trusts are becoming very common as a replacement for a traditional will to minimize administrative costs associated with probate and to provide a centralized system for administration of the settlor’s final affairs after death.

What is a Irrevocable Trust?

An irrevocable trust is a trust, which cannot be altered, amended, or revoked by the settlor or any other party until the terms or purposes of the trust have been legally completed. Irrevocable trusts are commonly used by a settlor who has a large estate where it can be mutually beneficial to avoid estate taxes and other legal and financial liabilities. It is not a recommended option, unless absolutely certain because the settlor will not have a chance to change their decision once it is made.

There are many legitimate reasons for creating a trust but the most common reasons are for privacy and to prevent beneficiaries from spending their inheritance foolishly. Another reason for creating a trust is asset protection where a person can distance themselves from assets with the intention that future creditors will not be able to access assets, even though they may be able to force bankruptcy.

A traditional will also has the potential to create family disputes after your death by any family member who chooses to challenge your last wishes. By using a trust, you can protect your last wishes and specifically disinherit anyone who posts a challenge to your intended beneficiaries.

A little over a month ago, Wealth Watching brought you the news - Bank of America to Charge Customers $5 Monthly Debit Card Usage Fee and the response from banking consumers was overwhelming.

Read my lips… NO NEW BANKING FEES !!

Armed with the power of the internet, irate banking customers flocked to Twitter, Facebook, blogs and anywhere their voices could be heard to express disdain over Bank of America’s proposed $5 monthly debit card usage fee.

It seems Bank of America executives listened, but only after other large banks released statements that they would not impose similar fees. JPMorgan Chase, SunTrust, Wells Fargo and Regions have all scrapped their plans to charge fees for debit card use.

Bank of America released their official statement on Tuesday that it would be abandoning it’s plan to charge a $5 monthly fee to use their debit cards.

The debit card fee was originally supposed to have gone into effect in January 2012.

Maybe these corporate ghouls learned a thing or two (very doubtful) from Netflix, who lost over 800,000 customer due to rate hikes. People just aren’t willing to pay for excessive corporate greed in these troubled economic times and people are tired of being fleeced for services that were initially offered for free.

Once upon a time there was a village named Egoville hidden away in the mountains. Now, this village, like most villages, had their own idiot. His name was Hugh Millety.

Hugh, the village idiot, was the ridicule of Egoville. The towns folk would often set him up with silly choices in order to laugh mercilessly at him when he made the wrong choice.

“Hugh,” they’d say, “would you rather have this shiny new quarter or this dirty old torn dollar bill?”

“I’d like the shiny quarter,” Hugh would reply. His tormentor would give him the quarter and walk away laughing, declaring Hugh a true village idiot. Hugh would just shrug and go about his business.

Even though it was a poor village with little opportunity, this was repeated several times a day by many people. As the years went by, the ridicule became a ritual that dozens of townies took part in. The towns folk had little to their names, but at least they could feel better about themselves in comparison to the village idiot this way. It was their small comfort in the lap of poverty.

Not everyone would make fun of Hugh though. A few felt sorry for him and gave him hand-me-down clothes, leftover food, and even an old shack to live in at the edge of town. Hugh lived off of the handouts of the charitable few.

One day, Hugh showed up at the village square wearing a brand new suit. Everyone was amazed, for few people in the town could afford new clothing, let alone a nice suit. The small village didn’t even have a new clothing store, only a used clothing store.

One of townsfolk asked Hugh where he got his new suit, thinking he must have stolen it. He bought it, he told them. And furthermore he added, the fine new house being built on the mountainside that everyone was wondering about, that was his.

When questioned where he got the money, he told them it was the money they gave him. With people giving him food, clothing, and shelter, he simply saved and invested everything they gave him. “I may be your village idiot,” he smiled and said, “but I’m no fool.”

But why then, they asked, did he always take the lesser amount of money they offered him if he was so cunning?

Hugh replied that if he had taken the greater amount of money, they would have stopped offering it to him. He earned his money by letting them laugh at him, but he knew the first time he took the greater amount they’d stop offering him money and find something else to laugh at him about.

“Now,” said Hugh, “I’m the richest person in town and have all the money I need. I didn’t waste money amusing myself at the expense of someone I falsely perceived to be a lesser person. And you, all of you, have little more now than you had when you started ridiculing me. So tell me, who is the village idiot now?”

Hugh smiled again, then handed out hundred dollar bills to those who had been kind to him. The townsfolk were shocked. It was true though, they had frittered away their money a little at a time, trying to make themselves feel big by comparison to the village idiot.

It just goes to show you, if you live in Egoville, take care not to become the village idiot by your vain perceptions. On the other hand, if you follow the wisdom of Hugh Millety, you might just become the richest person in town.

In a move that is certain to enrage consumers and enrich banking institutions, Bank of America has announced they will start charging customers a $5 monthly debit card fee starting early next year.

They’re not alone. Other national banks, Chase and Wells Fargo are also testing similar fees in select markets. Regional banks SunTrust and Regions Financial have also announced monthly debit card fees that go into effect later this year.

Sen. Dick Durbin slammed Bank of America over the announcement, saying “It seems that old habits die hard for Bank of America. After years of raking in excess profits off an unfair and anti-competitive interchange system, Bank of America is trying to find new ways to pad their profits by sticking it to its customers.”

The decision has drawn much criticism as Bank of America was one of the largest recipients of US taxpayer bailouts, totalling $45 billion in federal bailout money in 2008 and 2009 to deal with losses at Merrill Lynch.

Durbin also added, “Banks that try to make up their excess profits off the backs of their customers will finally learn how a competitive market works.”

The new Bank of America debit card usage fee will apply to basic accounts and will be in addition to any existing monthly service fees charged to account holders.

How much would you pay for a muffin?

How about a cup of coffee ?

You might be shocked to find out what the US Justice Department is willing to pay for serving these common items to conference attendees - all at the taxpayer’s expense.

The Justice Department’s Inspector General released a report on Tuesday entitled “Audit of Department of Justice Conference Planning and Food and Beverage Costs.”

The report covers the last few years of the George W. Bush administration and the first year of the Obama administration and details how the department hosted or participated in 1,832 conferences in 2008 and 2009, costing $121 million.

According to the report, one conference served muffins that cost $16 each (yes, you read that right, $16 each, not $16 for a dozen). Coffee and tea at some of these events cost as much as $8 per 8 ounce cup. That’s more than the average consumer pays for a bag or can of coffee that would yield up to 60 cups.

Another conference served Beef Wellington hors d’oeuvres that cost over $7 per serving. Still yet another conference had a $60,000 tab for a reception that included platters of Swedish meatballs with a cost of nearly $5 per meatball.

While hotel food is notoriously expensive, these costs are simply outrageous. The Justice Department will say that this report old news and that it has done much more since 2009 to reduce “allowable but … extravagant” spending.

The $4.6 million Goldplus Nano Car was unveiled in Mumbai, India on Monday. The blingmobile boasts exquisite craftsmanship using 80kg of 22 carat solid gold, 15kg of silver and precious stones including diamonds and rubies.

A few blocks away in the Dharavi slums of Mumbai, India, another poverty stricken child died of starvation in the streets.

The Goldplus Nano Car (pictured left) is fully functional but it isn’t for sale. The vehicle was constructed as a unique branding and promotional initiative by India’s Goldplus Jewellery, part of Titan Industries, a Tata Group company. The Goldplus Nano Car is being billed as the world’s first ever gold jewelery car and it was built to commemorate 5000 years of jewelery making industry in India.

According to a survey by the Indian Health Ministry in 2007, India has higher rates of malnourished children than many places in Africa. Almost 46 percent of children under the age of 3 suffer from some sort of malnutrition in India. Despite India having sufficient funds to tackle the problem, it seems the wealthy in India would rather spend their money distancing themselves from the problem of feeding their starving children.

We’ve all seen the commercials about sponsoring a starving child for as little as $1 per day. At $4.6 million for Goldplus Nano Car, that’s 4.6 million days only one poor starving child could be fed or the cost could feed 13,000+ starving children for 1 year.

Seeing as Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata only cares about feeding his ego and doesn’t care about feeding starving children, anyone with a heart and a sense of decency, please click here to sponsor a starving child in India or support an end to world hunger by clicking the banner below.

Nobody likes the feeling of being ripped off. While the initial sting can be devastating, the lasting effects from being taken advantage of can cause many sleepless nights. In cases of identity theft, a consumer could possibly face years or even decades of problems arising from the financial entanglements caused from having personal information compromised.

Fortunately, there are precautions you can take as a consumer to avoid common scams and the headaches that come from being a victim. Armed with a little bit of common sense and the tips below, the risk of falling victim are sgnificantly decreased.

#1 : Do Your Due Diligence
As a consumer, one of the most important things you can do is research new and untrusted companies before you begin business with them. This is especially true of internet based companies and absolutely critical before making any type of investment. More often than not, a simple Google search can save you a lot of future headaches and heartaches.

#2 : Monitor Your Credit Report and Banking Statements
With identity theft on the rise, these days, it’s more important than ever to watch your personal information more closely than ever. You don’t have to use a third party monitoring agency such as Lifelock because all of the resources necessary are availabe to consumers for free if you know where to look and are proactive.

#3 : Make Yourself Aware of Consumer Laws and Rgulation
While you don’t have to become an expert, it’s important to at least glance and read the FTC’s studies about consumer fraud to help protect yourself. As stated on their site, “education is the best defense”

#4 : If It Seems Too Good To Be True, It Probably Is
While this seems like such an old adage, in today’s world, the saying is more true than ever. If you really believe you’re going to get that $700 iPad you want for $49.95 or get something for nothing, just remember what P.T Barnum said. “A sucker is born every minute” and that’s the motto con-men and scammers rely on to fleece people of their hard earned cash

#5 : Keep All Documentation of Transactions as Evidence
As an educated consumer, it’s imperative to keep receipts, records and anything else that might pertain to significant transactions to protect yourself against fraud. Don’t be the chump who throws away receipts when all it costs you to keep them is a shoebox. Should you find yourself in a sticky situation with the burden of proof resting on your shoulders, it can only help to have accurate documentation. Legitimate businesses will be more than happy to offer you receipts or documentation when doing business with them.

Each year and every year, millions of Americans fall victim to dishonest merchants, poorly operated service providers and predatory investment schemes. The losses to consumers total in the billions of dollars and often times consumers believe that there is no recourse outside of costly legal action to recover lost money from the business or person who defrauded them.

In the United States, consumer protection laws were created to facilitate fair trade competition and the free flow of truthful information to consumers.

There are several government appointed agencies who regulate various sectors in which businesses operate in. Any business operating legally in the United States must conform to the standards set forth by these agencies and should a business fail to do so, they can be warned to improve, fined or have legal action taken against them.

It is of the utmost importance that when consumers feel they have been wronged by a business entity, that they file a complaint with the specific agency governing the practices and actions of the business in question.

In this article, I will try to bring together the different agencies in one place where consumers can find an appropriate legislative body to file a compliant in case they were defrauded.

The Federal Trade Commission, also known as the FTC, is an independent agency of the United States government with the main goal being to protect US consumers and businesses by investigating specific concerns raised by reports from consumers and businesses, congressional inquiries, pre-merger notification filings, and/or reports in the media.

The Federal Trade Commission was established in 1914 during the Presidency of Woodrow Wilson under the Federal Trade Commission Act. The main purpose at the time was to deal with anti-trust issues and to enforce the provisions of the Clayton Act.

Since it’s formation, the FTC’s duties have expanded to encompass the “Truth in Advertising” act which protects consumers against false advertising. Since the popularity of the internet and the rise of unscrupulous internet marketing, this currently the most active arm of the FTC.

Contact Information
Website : http://www.ftc.gov
Complaint Form : https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov
Phone : 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357)
TTY: 1-866-653-4261

Not to be confused with the NCAA conference bearing the same acronym, The Securities Exchange Commission, also known as the SEC, is the governing body for enforcing securities laws and protecting consumers against fraudulent investments in the United States.

The SEC, as we know it, was established in 1934, during the Great Depression following the Stock Market Crash of 1929, to regulate the stock market and prevent corporate abuse. It was founded by Congress as a means to provide an independent agency that would overlook the sale of stock and to ensure coporate reporting was not falsified.

The SEC is the regulatory body who pinched Bernie Madoff and Lou Pearlman for their ponzi scheme investments. The SEC also brought down corporate giants ENRON and WorldCom for their fraudulent accounting practices..

If you feel you have been the victim of a securities or investment fraud, you are urged to contact the SEC and file a complaint.

Contact Information
Website : http://www.sec.gov
Complaint Center : http://www.sec.gov/complaint/select.shtml
Other Contact : http://www.sec.gov/contact.shtml

The Food and Drug Administration, also know as the FDA, is a consumer protection organization that deals with issues specific to food safety, dietary supplements, prescription and over-the-counter medications, vaccines, medical devices, veterinary products and cosmetics.

The FDA falls under the Department of Health and Human Services which is a federal executive department. The agency was created under President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 when he signed into law the Food and Drug Act .

Prior to Roosevelt signing the act into effect, there was no federal regulation on food products or pharmaceuticals in the United States. In the 1930’s the FDA’s role was increased due to outcry for even more stringent regulation of consumer goods due to complaints about cosmetics and other products that were causing fatalities.

In 1938, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the new, updated Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act into law which provided a wider scope for the agency.

Contact Information
Food and Drug Administration
10903 New Hampshire Ave
Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002

Website : http://www.fda.gov
Phone: 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332)

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, also known as OSHA is the primary federal agency in charge of the enforcement of safety and health practices. The agency falls under the United States Department of Labor.

OSHA was created in 1970 by Congress under the Occupational Safety and Health Act and was signed into being by President Richard M. Nixon.

OSHA covers safety issues for workers in most private sector workplaces. Some of the changes OSHA has brought about are to make the modern workplace safer by providing adequate protection against dangerous or potentially fatal workplace environments.

Contact Information
U.S. Department of Labor
Occupational Safety & Health Administration
200 Constitution Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20210

Website : http://www.osha.gov
Phone : 1-800-321-OSHA (6742) Toll Free U.S.

On Thursday, a federal judge sentenced Lee Farkas, former Chairman of Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Mortgage Corp. to 30 years in prison for operating a multi-billion dollar fraud scheme that led to the collapse of the mortgage lender and one major bank.

The first signs of what would eventually lead to a $3 billion fraud surfaced in January 2000, when Fannie Mae executive Samuel Smith discovered Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Mortgage Corp. sold him a loan owned by someone else.

Over the next two years, Fannie Mae, the government sponsored enterprise which issues nearly half of all mortgage-backed securities, determined in excess of 200 loans acquired from Taylor Bean were bogus, non-performing or lacked certain critical components such as mortgage insurance.

It has come to the surface, that Fannie Mae officials never reported the fraud to law enforcement or anyone outside the company. Internal memos, public testimony and court papers show Fannie Mae only tried to rid itself of liabilities and cut ties with Taylor Bean.

Fannie Mae’s cutoff, Freddie Mac began picking up Taylor Bean’s business within a week. Freddie Mac soon became Taylor Bean’s largest customer and the mortgage company grew to be one of its biggest revenue producers, accounting for about 2 percent of single-family home mortgages by volume in 2009.

The trial of Farkas and his Taylor Bean cronies resulted in the only major criminal conviction stemming from the financial crisis. A crisis that followed the September 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers, the US government takeover of Fannie Mae and it’s rival Freddie Mac.

For many prospective home buyers, the good news is that mortgage rates are still hovering around all-time lows but the bad news is that it’s more difficult for the average home buyer to qualify for a mortgage at these rates.

In the week ending June 30, 2011, 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.51 percent with an average 0.7 point. The numbers were up from last week when 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.50 percent. The same time last year, the average for a 30-year FRM was 4.58 percent.

As for the 15-year FRM, this week it averaged 3.69 percent with an average 0.7 point which was the same from last week’s average. The same time last year, the average for a 15-year FRM was 4.04 percent.

Even with these great rates which might otherwise entice people to stop renting and buy a home, the sale of homes is still repressed. Investors buying homes with cash, without taking out a mortgage represent a significantly large percentage of home buyers.

“If banks would simply return to normal sound underwriting standards and begin lending to more creditworthy borrowers, we’d get a much faster recovery in the housing sector,” stated Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

Last Week, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke stated the housing market is dragging down the broader economy. For the market to recover, he said foreclosures must be cleared from the pipeline of homes for sale.

Most economists say home prices will continue falling through the rest of 2011. Many forecasts don’t anticipate a rebound in Real Estate prices until at least 2013.

Shares of eBay have seen nearly a 5% surge since Thursday as the new Federal Reserve rules have stated that alternative payment systems such PayPal are not payment card networks subject to a provision known as the “Durbin amendment” which puts a cap interchange fees.

Regarding the decision, Youssef Squali, an analyst at Jefferies stated “the primary reason Paypal does not seem to fall under the definition of a payment card network is that for any PayPal transactions that take place between a merchant, a customer and the customer’s bank with PayPal as the payment operator, the transaction is settled on PayPal system (versus being routed to the individual parties), whereby PayPal makes the appropriate debit (customer) and credit entries (merchant).”

The new Federal reserve rules are anticipated to greatly boost eBay’s PayPal unit which is the fastest growing segment of it’s business. Paypal will also benefit from the significant ruling many eBay investors were fearing regulation would cost Paypal millions, if not billions of dollars in the long run.

As a result of the ruling, Bank of America analysts upgraded shares of eBay to “buy” from “neutral” Thursday morning stating there was a 25% upside to $38 price objective, which has remained unchanged.

Citigroup analysts also upgraded the stock to “buy” from “hold”. They raised their price targets to $38 from $36, and raised their 2012 price-to-earnings target multiple to 17 from 16.

With an estimated $2.22 billion in payment transactions estimated to flow through PayPal in 2012, it should mean approximately $74 million to $96 million in cost savings.

After much deliberation, financial institutions and their lobbyists won major concessions to the Federal Reserve’s proposal for capping what banks could collect on debit card swipe fees.

Originally, the fees were to be capped at 12 cents per transaction but the Fed issued a final ruling on June 29 that will raise the cap to 21 cents per transaction.

This new ruling gives additional concessions to banks where card issuers can charge an additional cent to each transaction if the institution can show it has a substantial fraud protection systems in place. The additional transaction fees potentially raise the cap to 24 cents per transaction.

In a related article, JP Morgan analyst Tien-tsin Huang explains why the change in swipe fees is good for Visa and Mastercard :

So what does this news mean for consumers?

The average consumer probably won’t notice any difference as the new fee structure only applies to fees charged to merchants for accepting credit and debit cards. While it may result in increased prices wherever credit and debit cards are accepted (which is everywhere), the offest is not likely to cause alarm.

If you’re a consumer with reasonably good credit and are not already overloaded with credit card debt, one of the best credit cards you can possibly apply for is the Discover Card.

Discover has a wide variety of card offerings, each with significant incentives and benefits for consumers and small business alike. While Discover is not as widely accepted as Visa and Mastercard, they are certainly a card for those of us who have shown we are capable of managing our finances properly.

Applying for the Discover card is simple as filling out an online form but getting accepted is not as easy as with many Visa or MasterCards, which makes Discover an outstanding line of credit to have open for any consumer who is working to increase their credit score.

Beside American Express, Discover is highly regarded in financial circles and if you are intending to finance a large purchase such as a home or a new car or if you are intending to re-finance a home or property loan, it can be beneficial to you as a consumer to open a line of credit with Discover as an extra step to insure your credit worthiness and to lock in a lower rate.

Discover offers generous lines of credit to their members and their rates are extremely fair in comparison to the vast majority of Visa and MasterCard issuers. They have outstanding consumer fraud protection and top notch customer support.

Discover Card Benefits

• Great low rates
• No annual fee
• 5% Cashback Bonus on purchases in categories like gas, groceries, and travel
• Up to 1% Cashback Bonus on all other purchases
• Easy Online Account access and much more!
• $0 Fraud Liability guarantee and advanced fraud alerts
• Fraud specialists dedicated to helping you 24/7
• Live phone support within 60 seconds, guaranteed

Click on the banner below at the left to apply with $50 cash incentive or click on the banner below to apply with 5% Cash Back bonus.

People today are living much longer lives than they had just a few generations ago. In many cases, this can mean that your beneficiaries, especially a spouse, will probably live for many years after your death but what will their quality of life be?

As a responsible provider, spouse, parent or grandparent, you should want to make certain that you have adequate life insurance coverage for your beneficiaries that will provide enough coverage for the duration of their lives or for however long it may take them to adjust financially to life without you being around to rely on for financial assistance.

For many older Americans, a senior term life insurance policy can be a perfect method to supplement the financial assistance you leave behind for your beneficiaries. Regardless of if you already have a whole life insurance policy or a nest egg set aside to cover this purpose, a senior term life insurance policy can assure your beneficiaries will have additional coverage to make ends meet.

If you are a senior who already has a life insurance policy, chances are you purchased that life insurance policy many years ago while you were working. The amount of life insurance coverage you purchased at that time may have seemed sufficient during that time period but the cost of living increases over the years have practically whittled away at the base of your commitment.

In many cases, the amount of life insurance coverage that was purchased in the past may not be adequate coverage for your beneficiaries today or into the future. As the cost of living continues to rise for most people around the world, you should remember to keep an eye on the amount of life insurance coverage you have set aside for your loved ones.

Numerous expenses may need to be dealt with after you are gone including funeral expenses, medical expenses, financial settlements, estate settlements and much more that is normally overlooked when we are in good health. Your beneficiaries will need to pay foremost of these expenses and the costs can add up more quickly than one can imagine.

With the average funeral costing in excess $10,000 today and just as the cost of living continues to increase, so might the costs associated with internment. Having an additional senior term life insurance policy could help your beneficiaries deal with these expenses without the additional stress of worrying about financial issues.

So, if you are a senior who already has a life insurance policy, or savings account set aside to financially compensate your family members, take another look at the amount of coverage you have and evaluate your situation because it may be the wisest decision you ever make.

eBay has certainly taken their love affair with Chinese sellers to the next level. eBay marketplace, which is already full of too many Chinese junk products, is planning a full blown Chinese invasion with their recent acquisition of GSI Commerce, an online services company eBay purchased for $2.4 billion.

In a poor economy, one would think a US based marketplace such as eBay would be working to assist their US based merchants but instead, eBay is intent on making it even easier for Chinese junk sellers to peddle their low priced junk wares to US buyers.

Apparently, eBay is gearing up to offer fufillment services aimed at increasing delivery times for Chinese products. No longer will those knock-off sunglasses or counterfeit Air Jordans have to ship from mainland China. The mountains of Chinese junk will be stored in eBay’s newly acquired facilities eagerly awaiting sale to US buyers.

The Wall Street Journal reports :

The fufillment services proposed by eBay are yet another feeble attempt by eBay CEO John Donahoe to compete with rival Amazon.

You can count on the fact that these new Chinese fufillment items will be listed on eBay as “Shipping from US” so eBay shoppers will never even know they’re buying Chinese goods.

Here’s what you can expect to find selling on eBay in coming months courtesy of eBay’s increasing love affair with Chinese sellers :

• Portable baby swings that trap babies upside down
• Toys with toxic lead paint that poison children
• Pet food that kills your pet after they eat it
• Toothpaste that contains diethylene glycol, a constituent of antifreeze
• Faulty baby carriers that result in injured babies
• Oscillating tower fans with faulty wiring resulting in fires
• Circular saws with faulty blade guards that result in cutting users, not wood
• Bargain priced electric oil heaters that burn down homes
• Glassware that breaks for no reason, injuring users

If you’re the least bit patriotic and support recovery of the US economy, shopping on eBay should no longer an option.

In these troubled economic times, more people than ever have taken to growing their own food in gardens but what if you rent an apartment and don’t have a yard to garden in?

Community gardens have become increasingly popular across the US as a place where people without any land of their own can till the soil and share in the gardening experience. They are also great places for underprivileged children from the inner cities to get out in the fresh air, get their hands dirty and learn about being responsible for a garden.

Unfortunately, one bank in Fort Lauderdale seems completely oblivious to this simple concept.

From the UPI article :

It’s quite amazing that nobody from the bank had a clue that vegetables just don’t start growing by themselves in the wild?

Although a bank representative stated “the bank realizes they have hurt people and would like to help them find a better location”, the damage done is on a human end is more of an emotional loss than a financial loss. But, who would expect bank executives to know anything about emotions?

Full UPI article : Florida bank has community garden razed

As CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett is famed for his strikingly successful investment strategies and is as well known for his personal integrity as his business savvy. Who knew Mr. Buffett would be such an expensive lunch date?

A total of two bidders were up to the pricetag and entered eight bids in the eBay auction, which started last Sunday.

The staggering final bid was actually for just under $2.35 million, but the anonymous winner added to that after the auction to surpass last year’s winning bid of $2,626,411 by $111, organizers said.

Interest in this year’s auction was much lower than in 2010, when nine bidders made a total of 77 bids for the luncheon.

100% of the final sale price goes to support the Glide Foundation

About this nonprofit:
Glide’s mission is to break the cycles of multi-generational dependency, poverty, and low self-worth by providing a spiritual home of unconditional love. Glide strives to create a healthy community by offering effective services that foster holistic healing in an environment of cultural integrity and diversity.

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Online auction giant eBay saw it’s stock vacillating wildly once again this week after an upgrade from “sector perform” to “outperform” by Pacific Crest’s Steve Weinstein. Following some aggressive trading, it appears the bulls are looking for more gains in the near future.

Early yesterday, tracking systems recorded a number of buyers in the July 30 calls for $1.50 and $1.52, with about 4,000 total contracts purchased. The June 30 calls were also quite active, with more than 1,400 bought for $0.88 to $1.09.

While volumes were noticeably less than previous positioning, eBay has managed to swat off negative press regarding their failing marketplace and attract some buying of the October 32 calls earlier this month. Calls outnumbered puts by more than 2 to 1 yesterday, which is yet another indicator the consensus remains bullish.

eBay stock closed yesterday (Thursday) up 0.29 percent at $30.66 but closed today (Friday) down 2.28% at $29.96, once again showing a fickle sentiment towards the company that just can’t seem to hold momentum. Despite the positive new stories about Pacific Crest’s upgrade, and the mild upswing in price, the down side flattened out any gains.

Although Pacific Crest said eBay could see more than 30 percent upside from here, citing prospects for its core business and PayPal division, the general consensus is that eBay is just settling down from hitting a 52 week high of $35 per share earlier this year. There are many hidden factors, such as PayPal facing strong competition from emerging rivals and eBay’s marketplace floundering because of increased fees charged to merchants, leading them to look for alternative to selling on eBay.

One thing is certain and that is nobody knows exactly where eBay is headed to but it’s likely to be a wild ride. Whenever a stock vacillates as wildly as eBay has been doing for the last few years, there are bound to be a lot of winners and a lot of losers. It’s enough to give investors whiplash.

eBay is scheduled to announce earnings on July 20, just a few days after the options expire on July 15.