Protect yourself by learning what identity thieves are up to with this helpful Business Insider story. More than 11.6 million consumers reported identity theft in 2011, a 13 percent jump over the year prior and a figure that's likely to rise as we continue our love affair with digital banking. MoneyGram, the second largest money transfer business in the US, has learned a thing or two about the Read more

Since Halloween is coming up in just a few days, it seems fitting to talk about the various scary money situations that people find themselves in. I recently addressed tips for bankruptcy and what to do when you're laid off, but today I'm going to talk about what to do when something (or things) is stolen from you. Even if this hasn't happened to you, it's a good idea to know what to do when the Read more

Unfortunately, my sister's been hit — someone got a hold of her bank account information and opened a couple new store charge accounts, racking up quite a sum in fraudulent charges. She's not completely negligent with her personal financial information, so I was pretty surprised they got their hands on all of these sensitive stats, but in the digital age, keeping track of your finances means Read more

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy! This morning, I received an email from my first cousin telling me she was in dire straits and needed me to send her money to rescue her. Although the email was signed with her name and contained her normal email signature, it was a scam. She confirmed this through a follow-up email a few hours later telling everyone to Read more

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy! We love the motto “be prepared.” But when it comes to the average American’s wallet, there’s such a thing as over-prepared. From the looks of our bulging billfolds, we must be heading out each day to open a new line of credit, fill out a W-2, shop at several department stores, use a few gift cards, return an item or two, Read more

We're thrilled to present this smart Kiplinger story here on Savvy! Someone stole my stinking wallet while I was pushing a cart at the supermarket. And, to add insult to injury, the wallet was snatched during National Protect Your Identity Week. I learned a few valuable lessons from the experience, which I would like to share. Here’s what I did wrong, what I did right and how I will be more Read more

As consumers, frustration is inevitable — it's common to experience bumps along the way. Some of the many hurdles we have to deal with include marketing ploys we fall prey to, rude customer service, instances of fraud, and the list goes on. Each year generally sees a different laundry list of complaints, and here are some of the top new pet peeves of customers in 2010, courtesy of the Consumer Read more