Consumer and Finances
Gift Cards Jan Mayen Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:D%C3%A1rkov%C3%A9_karty.jpg

How to Avoid Problems With Buying Gift Cards: Tips From the FTC

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Gift cards are one quick way to get through your last-minute holiday shopping list. But before you give (and get) gift cards, here are a few things you need to know. — This article is from the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Information blog. Cristina Miranda works in the FTC Division of Consumer and Business Education. Inspect gift cards before you buy. A gift card should have all its protective stickers in place.

Consumer and Finances
Winter driving photo from AAA

Don’t Let a Cold Snap Make You a Non-Starter: Do Car Maintenance for the Winter Soon

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Cars, like humans, need seasonal checkups; in cold winter weather such as this week’s anticipated cold snap, it’s important to maximize fuel efficiency, maintain safety, and ensure your vehicle can start for the worst winter has in store for us. — an announcement from AAA Northeast
So now is the time to get cranking on car maintenance, says AAA Northeast. “No one wants to be stranded in the cold,” said Fran Mayko, AAA Northeast spokeswoman. “So properly preparing your vehicle for cold weather is essential – before your vehicle breaks down. You’ll save time, money and aggravation when the mercury dives into the teens or single digits.”
To prepare, AAA Northeast offers drivers these cold weather car tips:
Batteries: If your battery is more than three years old, have it and the charging system tested.  Even a good battery can lose up to 50% of its capacity when temperatures drop to zero.  At 32 degrees, it takes up to 30% more power to start a cold engine.

Consumer and Finances
Turkey driving Thanksgiving

AAA: Don’t Let a Cold Snap Make You a Non-Starter — Prepare Your Car for Winter

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Cars, like humans, need seasonal checkups; in cold winter weather such as this week’s anticipated cold snap, it’s important to maximize fuel efficiency, maintain safety, and ensure your vehicle can start for the worst winter has in store for us. So now is the time to get cranking on car maintenance, says AAA Northeast. — an announcement from AAA Northeast
“No one wants to be stranded in the cold,” said Fran Mayko, AAA Northeast spokeswoman. “So properly preparing your vehicle for cold weather is essential – before your vehicle breaks down. You’ll save time, money and aggravation when the mercury dives into the teens or single digits.”
To prepare, AAA Northeast offers drivers these cold weather car tips:
 Batteries: If your battery is more than three years old, have it and the charging system tested.  Even a good battery can lose up to 50% of its capacity when temperatures drop to zero.  At 32 degrees, it takes up to 30% more power to start a cold engine.

Consumer and Finances
Family Emergency Scams

How to Protect the Elderly from Scams: Tips from the Federal Trade Commission

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The FTC just sent a report to Congress called Protecting Older Consumers 2018-2019. The report suggests steps to take to help protect older consumers from fraud. But the evidence also shows a thing or two everyone else can learn from them. Check out the sometimes surprising findings in this year’s report. — This article is from the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Information blog.

Consumer and Finances
A Cell Phone Mobile Phone Smartphone FTC Consumer Information Blog Oct 23 2019

Stealing Your ID by Stealing Your Phone’s Account: How to Avoid the SIM Swap Scam

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If your cell phone is your go-to device for checking your email, paying your bills, or posting to social media, you’re not alone. So imagine that your cell phone suddenly stops working: no data, no text messages, no phone calls. Then picture getting an unexpected notification from your cellular provider that your SIM card has been activated on a new device. What’s going on? These could be signs that a scammer has pulled a SIM card swap to hijack your cell phone number.

Consumer and Finances
Hurricane Dorian

As Dorian Moves Closer, Hurricane Preparation Tips for Boat Owners from the Greenwich Harbormaster

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Greenwich Harbormaster Ian MacMillan said with communities along the South East coast are bracing for Dorian, which has rapidly intensified into a Category 4 hurricane, now is as good a time as any to remind local mariners to go over their preparations. — This article is adapted from one in GreenwichFreePress.com. Dorian may strike with life-threatening storm surge and destructive winds are expected. Dorian is also generating dangerous surf and rip currents, and (if it follows the general predictions for it’s path this week) a surge along the East Coast. “The most remarkable thing about this storm is how slowly it’s moving, because that builds a bigger surge,” MacMillan said on Labor Day.  “This is as good time as any for local mariners to go over their preparations.”

Hurricane Preparedness Steps
MacMillan offered the following steps to prepare vessels in the event of a storm, but said these actions should be practiced as a standard, since unnamed and unpredicted storms can also cause significant damage.

Consumer and Finances

Protecting Your Boat in Hurricane Season: BoatUS Magazine Offers Free Guide

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What can you do to protect your boat during the 2019 hurricane season? The editors of BoatUS Magazine have teamed up with the experts at the BoatUS Catastrophe Response Team to create an up-to-date “Hurricane Preparation Guide.”

If you want to know how to best protect recreational boats from damage in a hurricane, ask the experts who’ve been tasked with cleaning up the mess for nearly 40 years. They’re the ones who’ve seen the evidence after the storm passes: a lack of preparation, poorly maintained docks, low seawalls, fallen boat lifts, and destroyed marinas. The new 2019 guide as well as other hurricane preparation information is available at BoatUS.com/Hurricanes. Available to all boaters at no cost, the updated BoatUS Hurricane Preparation Guide has articles on:

What to expect in terms of storm surge, wind, and waves;
Where to keep a boat — either ashore, in the water at floating or fixed docks, at anchor, or in a protected hurricane hole;
How to find and fix potential breaking points such as chafing gear and reducing windage; and
How to develop your own hurricane plan including hauling out, how to choose the most storm-safe location possible, and ensure that you have everything you need to implement your particular hurricane plan, long before any storm threatens your boat.

Consumer and Finances
BBB Logo Better Business Bureau Logo

College Students: Beware of These Types of Scams — Tips from the Better Business Bureau

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During the transition from high school to college many students and parents are faced with tuition payments, financial aid and scholarship applications, and often have to purchase a new laptop or tablet. These are all things that could lead to being scammed if not careful. According to the BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust, consumers ages 18 to 24 are three times more likely than seniors to fall victim to a scam. According to 2018’s BBB’s ScamTracker Risk Report, 41.6% of students reported a loss when exposed to a scam as compared to 28.3% of non-students. With college students being the primary target for scams, Better Business Bureau Serving Connecticut (BBB) has some useful tips and warnings for college students and their families:

—Fake Credit Cards — It’s not a secret that deals which appear to be a quick and easy way to spend money are offered to college students to get them to apply for their first credit card.

Consumer and Finances
Back to school

Connecticut Tax Free Sales Week Runs From Sunday, Aug 18 to Saturday, Aug 24

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You know school is starting soon when the state announces “Tax Free Week.”

Per statute the 19th annual Tax Free Sales Week, which begins on the third Sunday of each August, is right around the corner. This is a great opportunity for some back-to-school shopping and to prepare for the fall season. Certain clothing and footwear items under $100 will be exempt from the state’s sale tax during this time. This year the week runs from Sunday, Aug. 18 to  Saturday, Aug.

Consumer and Finances
Town Seal Patrol Car

Police: Two Darien Residents Victimized on Craigslist in Unrelated Incidents

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Twice in eight days, Darien residents were scammed out of the money they sent to people purporting to be sellers on Craigslist, Darien police said. The incidents appear to be unrelated. In one case, reported to police on July 26, a woman sent $300 to someone selling concert tickets. In the other, a man sent $3,400 for first month’s rent and a security deposit. Both scammers said they came from the Washington, D.C. area.

Consumer and Finances

Tips on Saving a Little Money as You Do Back-to-School Shopping

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Jeff Kreisler, editor-in-chief of PeopleScience and co-author of Dollars and Sense, offers five tips on how to avoid overspending on back-to-school items this fall. Don’t fall prey to marketing tactics; try to spend smarter. —This article, from an email sent by a publicist for Jeff Kreisler, seemed to us to have some sensible advice worth repeating, even for people who don’t have school-age kids. These tips probably won’t save you a lot — but they’ll probably save you a bit. Jeff outlines our unconscious decision-making biases and how they can lead us to make poor choices, whether through intentional “traps” set by retail stores or by our own volition.

Consumer and Finances
From FTC Check Your Credit Report video found 2019

After That Capital One Data Breach: Time to Get a Free Check of Your Credit Report

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If you needed yet another nudge to start keeping an eye on your credit report to protect against identity theft, Capital One has delivered it with its announcement that a data breach has exposed the personal information of 106 million of its credit card customers and credit card applicants in the U.St. and Canada. — Sheena Gressin is an attorney in the Federal Trade Commission’s Division of Consumer and Business Education. This article is from the FTC Consumer Information blog. News of the Capital One breach comes just one week after the Federal Trade Commission announced that Equifax agreed to pay up to $700 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the FTC, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and 50 states and territories, stemming from the credit reporting giant’s 2017 data breach, which affected about 147 million people.

Charity Events and Opportunities
SilverSource Richard Silver

SilverSource Charity Golf Outing Raises $130K, Honors Stamford Attorney

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SilverSource held its annual Charity Golf Outing on June 10 at Rockrimmon Country Club in Stamford. The event included a day of world-class golf, brunch, dinner, cocktails, door prizes and awards. — an announcement from SilverSource
The tournament was one of the organization’s central fundraisers, drawing over 100 golfers and raising over $130,000 for the SilverSource Elderly Housing Stability Program, Elder Eviction Protection and the Ride To Wellness Medical Transportation Program. Tournament participants enjoyed a variety of competitions in addition to 18 holes of golf. Tournament play activities included a longest drive contest, closest to the pin competition, a closest to the line contest, and a hole-in-one competition presented by BMW of Darien.

Consumer and Finances
Financial Basics workshop at DCA 2019

‘Financial Basics for Young Adults’ Workshop April 30 at Darien Community Association

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The Darien Community Association (DCA) will offer their next financial workshop – “Financial Basics for Young Adults” on Tuesday, April 30 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

— an announcement from the Darien Community Association

Are your adult children well-launched? Join us for an educational workshop on Financial Basics with a focus on young adults. During this session you will learn more about:

—The importance of goal setting and financial planning

—The basics of budgeting, managing debt and credit, investing and saving

—Good habits for the future

—Different retirement plans and the savings and tax implications they may have on your retirement goals

Attend with your adult child or encourage him or her to attend on his/her own. A light lunch will be provided. This session will be led by Karen Goersch, CPA, CRPC®, APMA®, Financial Advisor, Ameriprise Financial.

Consumer and Finances
Seniors CT Refund Rent

If You Rent, Have Limited Income and Have a Disability or Are Over 65, You May Be Eligible for a Rent Rebate

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If you’re a senior citizen or disabled resident of Darien who rents, you may be eligible for a rebate from the the state government for the rent you paid in 2018. — an announcement from the Darien Human Services Department

The town Human Services Department will accept applications from Darien residents who meet the eligibility requirements and who apply for the rebates before Sept. 30, 2019. Eligibility requirements are:

1. Must be 65 years of age as of December 31, 2018 or disabled and collecting Social Security disability payments.