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November may be coming to an end, but there are still plenty of good deals to take advantage of before the shopping season ends. Since Black Friday and Cyber Monday are just a few days away,  there are going to be plenty of good deals to take advantage of. LifeLock also has a good deal going for the holiday season. As you probably know, LifeLock is one of the best identity theft protection services on the market. They protect your credit and help you reverse the damages that may have been done by ID thieves. The service is cheap as well. It costs as low as $99 annually. So in some sense, it’s a no brainer.

LifeLock is having a promotion for November, giving you 10% off annual or monthly plans plus 30 days of free service. That should give you enough time to test the service to find out whether it is right for you. Of course, you won’t know how helpful these services are until you have your ID stolen or messed with. But there are still some tangible benefits to using LifeLock:

• WalletLock™

  WalletLock™

  WalletLock™ assists you in the recovery of the contents of your lost or stolen wallet and sensitive documents; including your credit/debit cards, driver’s license, Social Security card, insurance card(s), checkbook, and traveler’s checks (excludes cash, pictures, and other monies).

• eRecon™

  eRecon™

  eRecon™ patrols over 10,000 criminal websites for the illegal trading or selling of your identity and other personal financial information.

• TrueAddress™

  TrueAddress™

  TrueAddress™ notifies you when a change of address is made to verify the request was made by you and not identity thieves rerouting your mail to another address.

• Pre-Approved Credit Card Opt-Out

  Pre-Approved Credit Card Opt-Out

  Pre-Approved Credit Card Opt-Out – we request the removal of your name from the lists that are responsible for sending you pre-approved credit card offers.

• LifeLock Identity Alert™ system

  LifeLock Identity Alert™ system

  Our advanced LifeLock Identity Alert™ system provides you broader identity coverage, greater control, and early notification by phone, email, and/or postal mail whenever we detect your personal information being used to apply for many forms of credit cards, wireless services, retail credit, utilities, check reorders, mortgage loans, auto loans, and non-credit related payday loans.

• $1 Million Total Service Guarantee

LifeLock’s coupon (NOVEMBERCOUPON) is valid for November only (saves you 10%). So take advantage if you don’t have an ID Theft service protecting your credit.

It always amazes how people who are not familiar with the credit card game get into the game and get ripped off and then blame credit card companies. Now, I am not suggesting that credit companies are not to blame. They do make it difficult for consumers to know all the facts, and their bogus fees are borderline unethical. But if you do you research before signing up for a credit card, you can expect every trick that these companies can throw at you.

If you are new to the credit card game or just haven’t spend time to find out what you need to do to better manage your relationships with credit card companies, here are 5 books that you should read:

How You Can Profit from Credit Cards: shows you the right way to manage your credit cards and take advantage of low interests to save money and get everything you need for less.

BestCredit – How to Win the Credit Game: if you think credit card companies are the most honest folks around, think again. While they may not want to trick you, they do bank on you missing the smallest details. Read this book to find out how to deal with them properly.

How to Take Advantage of the People Who Are Trying to Take Advantage of You: find out how you can make money from credit cards and use their tactics against them.

Can I Pay My Credit Card Bill with a Credit Card?: a beginner’s book designed to help you get answers to those burning questions that you don’t feel like asking in public.

The Skinny on Credit Cards: another great book that shows you how to play with credit card companies on a level footing. You certainly don’t want to be taken advantage of by them.

There you have it. These books are not the only resources you should refer to but they are a good start. The key here is not to engage in a relationship with credit companies without knowing the game.

In these tough economic times, the last thing anyone would want to deal with is identity theft. It’s certainly not pleasant, and if you happen to be a victim, you’ll have to spend a lot of time fixing your credit and taking back what was stolen from you. That’s why identity theft protection services have become so popular in recent years. They take care of everything for you and provide you with innovative service to prevent you from becoming an ID theft victim. TrustedID is one of those top ID theft services that can keep your identity protected against future attacks.

TrustedID has just launched Identity Threat Score to provide you with even more information on your identity and its vulnerabilities. The Identity Threat Score will provide a gauge of an individual’s risk of identity theft by assessing millions of records on hundreds of public and private databases. The information is then analyzed to find out whether your information has been exposed.

Here is what TrustedID had to say about this new service:

The Identity Threat Score is a measure of your personal risk of identity theft. Your score can range from 0 – 500 and it provides an easy-to-understand way to gauge your risk and take the necessary steps to protect your identity. A lower score means that you are at a lower risk of identity theft, and conversely a higher score indicates that you are at a higher level of risk for identity theft.

TrustedID searches through millions of records on hundreds of public and private databases to locate information related to your identity. Our system uses advanced technology to analyze this information for patterns that could indicate you have been or are about to be a victim of identity theft.

Since your financial and personal information is constantly updated within these databases we will automatically re-calculate your score, so it is important to log into your account regularly to check for these updates. If you receive an alert that you have a medium or high score we recommend that you contact our Protection Specialists for steps to help improve your score. Once you have taken these actions you will be able to update your Identity Threat Score.

The Identity Threat Score is not a credit score, and neither score directly affects the other. While lenders do not look at a Threat Score during their credit evaluation, it is still important to check it periodically in order to keep yourself safe, since a stolen identity can lead to misuse of your personal information that can affect your credit score.

The service is provided to TrustedID customers free of charge. It’s designed to give you better protection against modern day threats against your identity. In these tough economic times, you can’t afford to leave yourself open to ID threats these days. All in all, if you are looking for an affordable service to keep your ID protected at all times, TrustedID is a decent service to try, and it just got that much better with the free ID Theft Score.

It was inevitable. With all the rules that the government is putting in place, it was only a matter of time before credit card companies increased fees and introduced new fees to keep their businesses viable. First it was the interest rates that went up. And we are not talking about interest rates being increased only for those with a bad credit history. Even those with a great credit history have had their APR raised by their issuers.

Interest fees seem to be the first step in the process. Many experts claim that the next step in the process is the introduction of annual fees for most credit cards. With more regulations going into effect next year, it’s only a matter of time before things get even more tough for credit card owners.

The latest moves by credit card companies have certainly had a negative effect on consumers. According to surveys, satisfaction rate and consumer confidence have dropped significantly in the past few months. Let’s not forget that credit card companies have increased all kinds of fees, so if you happen to miss a payment or are late for one, you are going to see a large increase in your fees. Read the rest of this entry »

IdentityTruth is a VC-funded credit protection service that lets you monitor your credit information and prevent ID theft.  IdentityTruth protects you against breaches.  Whether you are the head of the FED or just a regular Joe, your identity can be stolen by identity thieves. IdentityTruth is a service that helps you stay on the top of your identity information 24/7. IdentityTruth manages fraud alerts on your personal credit profiles with the 3 major credit bureaus to help protect you against further criminal activities. It also removes your name from credit offer databases. And if you are worried about having your sensitive information leaked on the Internet, you are covered with IdentityTruth.

IdentityTruth ID Theft Protection Service Overview:

IdentityTruth protects you by:

• providing you with alerts notifying you of breaches, potential risks, offering “what’s next” advice.
• letting you know if someone is currently misusing your identity.
• alerting you about potential threats before you become an identity theft victim.
• providing fraud alerts on your credit history (all three bureaus) to help protect you against ID thieves.
• monitoring of your consumer credit report including alerts to critical changes and updates to your credit history.
• managing your online reputation.
• managing your junk mail and protecting you against bogus offers.
• giving you up to $2 M in insurance coverage.

Read the rest of this entry »

Playing the credit card game is not as easy as some want you to believe. Think about how many people have gotten in trouble by choosing the wrong credit cards, signing up for too many credit cards, or taking on more than they can possibly chew. Credit card companies may be hurting these days, but that doesn’t mean they are willing to do you any favors. These companies are in business to make a profit, and these trying times have made many of them raise interest on their customers and add additional fees.

The Skinny on Credit Cards, How to Master the Credit Card Game is a wonderful book that teaches you how to play the credit card game and perfect it. So what do I mean by that? In order to get the best out of your credit cards and master the game, you need to first know how to choose the right credit card. There are lots of credit card offers out there but not all of them are worth applying for. This book teaches you how you should go about applying for a new credit card. And if you already have a credit card, you are going to learn tips and tricks that help you lower your rates and increase your credit score over time. Read the rest of this entry »

If you have been following the news lately, you probably know that signing up for a new credit card can be costly these days. Many credit card issuers are introducing annual feels and jacking up rates on their customers to keep their profits up. President Obama and the Congress have been working hard to bring a new set of regulations to prevent credit card companies from engaging in deceptive practices, but as many industry experts have predicted, credit card companies will find a way to bend the rules and make more profits off their customers.

Don’t get me wrong. There are many good credit cards out there. Some companies are more ethical than others, but the whole culture of using credit cards to use the money you don’t have needs to change if this country is to get out of this recession. Thankfully, there are prepaid cards that lets you carry your money around without having to worry about spending the money that you don’t have. Prepaid credit cards are not credit cards really, but if you are just using your credit cards to pay on the go, why not use a prepaid card?

There are many prepaid credit cards on the market, but you do want to make sure you read the terms and conditions and check the fees before signing up for one. Afte all, you don’t want to end up spending more money on fees than things you want to buy. With that in mind, here are 3 prepaid cards that let you spend your money on the go without ending up in debt:

AccountNow Prepaid Visa® Card: a cool debit card that lets you carry up to $10,000 in cash. It does come with an annual fee but since this card is made for serious shoppers, that’s to be expected. You don’t need a minimum balance and no credit check is needed.

All Access® Visa® Prepaid Card: a debit card that does not come with an annual fee. The card will cost you $9.95 up front though. You’ve got to appreciate the security features of it.

SilverCard Prepaid MasterCard®: a wonderful card that lets you handle all your purchases with peace of mind. There is no credit check, and you get unlimited transactions, free account alerts, and no overdraft fees.

Prepaid credit cards are not credit cards, but for anyone who’s interested in living a financially responsible life, these cards are great convenience tools. And they won’t cost you too much either.

Your turn: what prepaid card are you currently using?

The credit card industry will never be the same with all the changes in regulations that are coming. But don’t think for a second companies won’t find a way to increase their profits. The cost of extending credit to consumers and businesses has gone a whole lot and card issuers have to change their terms in order to make more profit per customer. That’s why you can expect a letter of change in terms and conditions from your card issuer. The last thing you want to do is ignore that letter.

Curtis Arnold, one of the premiere experts on this topic, put it best when he said:

They’re going to find loopholes in the legislation… There’s no way you can cover every single potential consumer topic.

One of the biggest changes that is expected is the introduction of annual fees. Your card may not have an annual fee these days, but you can expect your card issuer to try and impose one on you. Of course, your card issuer can’t do that unless you miss the mandatory notice by your credit card company. You should also keep an eye out for the annual fee. A lot of people just pay their credit cards without even noticing those small fees. That’s the worst way to manage your credit cards.

There are going to be new fees, higher rates, and less rewards. And you are going to hear all about it from your credit card. So the next time you get a letter from your credit card company, make sure you read it. You may save yourself a whole lot of headache in the long run.

If you have been paying attention to the latest developments in the credit card industry, you know card issuers are not feeling too good about all the new legislation and pressures that the government is putting on them. There is no question that some credit card issuers have abused the system in the past. Credit card companies are out there to make a profit, and the tougher the government gets, the more ways they find to get around the rules. The latest move by the Obama administration to put a tighter regulation in place in the credit card market has card companies up in the arms. These folks have been making money off of those high fees and bogus charges for years. A consumer protection agency simply doesn’t make sense for them.

Don’t think for a second that card companies are ready to give up the fight. In fact, they are raising their fees on consumers and businesses to offset their losses. No wonder people can’t save money these days. The good news is the government is dedicated to putting a tighter set of regulations to prevent card issuers from engaging in deceptive business practices. The bad news is the rates are going up and many are going to find it difficult to get their hands on credit. The best approach at this point is to take care of your existing credit cards, and avoid getting into unfair relationships with credit card companies. These companies are hurting but don’t let them use you to build up their profits.

Have you ever wondered how some folks make thousands of dollars everyday just by borrowing money from credit cards? The concept of credit arbitrage is nothing new. Even though credit card companies have gotten tougher with folks who borrow a lot of money, you can still earn money from borrowing and investing in high-yield bonds or other investments.

How To Take Advantage of the People Who Are Trying To Take Advantage of You is one of the few books that teaches you how to get started with credit arbitrage. The author assumes that you are not that familiar with how credit cards work and teaches you what you need to keep in mind before on a hunt for arbitrage with credit cards.

As you can guess, there is more to credit card arbitrage than getting a bunch of credit cards and maxing them. The smallest details can determine how successful you are going to be with your credit arbitrage project. You need to know exactly how your credit score works, and what options you have as far as investments are concerned. It always pay to diversify your investments to protect yourself against unwanted risk. And you will need to have some money around to pay your bills on time (don’t forget you need to track your bills to avoid being late).

How To Take Advantage of the People Who Are Trying To Take Advantage of You walks you through every step of the process and teaches you where to invest and how to get the best out of your credit cards. It even shows you how to effectively track your accounts and deal with problems on the way. Credit card arbitrage is tougher these days, but it is still possible. You just have to play your cards right. Credit card companies may not like it, but it’s fair game.