Aug 29
Credit card security is always an issue when transacting over the internet. This new twist on an old standby has people up in arms in Austin, Texas. Credit card numbers from restaurant guests at a local downtown hotel were stolen when enterprising fraudsters hacked into the hotel’s accounting network.
The hotel has fixed the security breach but it is not known exactly how many victims there are but local law enforcements have estimated that up to 700 credit card numbers have been stolen. Numbers from the guests of the Driskill Hotel restaurant were stolen along with patrons who stayed at one of the approximately three dozen locations managed by Destination Hotels and Resorts, the parent company of Driskill Hotel. T
Read more…
Aug 29
Here’s an all-too common scenario. Consumer gets credit card. Consumer doesn’t properly monitor spending with credit card. Consumer falls into debt and trashes credit rating. Many people who have been through this process have sworn never to repeat their mistakes. And some are taking near-Draconian measures in the name of preserving their creditworthiness.
This segment of the marketplace is being courted by MasterCard’s inControl program. MasterCard is partnering with Citigroup to offer a credit card which enables users to stop themselves from getting into debt before they can actually do so.
The inControl program has been around since 2007, but has been used primarily with corporate cards and accounts. Howev
Read more…
Aug 28
1. “You may have more investing experience than I do.”
The first step when selecting a money manager is reviewing his or her track record, which provides information about past performance and returns as well as investment style. A manager without a track record should raise a red flag, especially for an investor who’s looking to place money in experienced hands.
“If they don’t have a track record, there’s no real compelling reason to take a risk,” says Gary Schatsky, an attorney and fee-only financial advisor in New York.
Often, investors are concerned about ending up with a young money manager, but age shouldn’t be the focus of their search because it does not always speak to experience, he says. Instead, invest
Read more…