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Dear Liz: I'm confused about paying down credit card debt. Some say to pay the lowest-balance cards first and others say the highest balance or the one with the highest interest. I have almost $16,000 on credit cards ranging from a $4,930 balance on a card with an 8.24% interest rate to $660 on a card with an 18% rate. Answer: Actually, the first question you should ask is "How much credit card debt do I have compared to my income?" If your balances equal half or more of your annual earnings, you may not be able to pay it all off. You should make appointments with a legitimate credit counselor (such as one affiliated with the National Foundation for Credit Counseling at http://www.nfcc.org) and a bankruptcy attorney (referrals from the National Assn. of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys at http://www.nacba.org). If your situation isn't that dire, the fastest way out of debt is to pay the minimums on your lower-rate cards and send as much money as possible to your highest-rate card. Once that's paid off, concentrate on paying off the next-highest-rate card, and so on. Some people instead like to target balances from smallest to largest to get a quicker feeling of victory, but you typically pay more in interest with that approach. Ranking credit card firms Dear Liz: My wife and I have had our bank's airline cards a long time, but we want to change because it's become almost impossible to cash in the miles. What I don't see in various card-comparison articles are ratings of the card issuers for customer service and fraud protection. Our bank has been quite good at both, but what about the other issuers? Answer: People are often unduly impressed when their credit card issuers contact them frequently about possibly fraudulent charges. The issuers are the only ones at risk in these situations, since under "zero liability" policies you can't be held responsible for bogus charges. Also, if their software were better, they might do a better job of separating legitimate f

Since last fall, when Target and Neiman Marcus reported unauthorized access to payment-card data, the potential of identity theft has been consumers' minds. Thieves steal personal information, such as your name and address, Social Security number and date of birth, to commit fraud - for example, getting a loan in your name. The first line of attack is getting informed. The best source for information on how to protect yourself is the Federal Trade Commission, a federal agency whose mission is consumer protection and law enforcement. The FTC website at http://tinyurl.com/blbmymb provides a series of steps for those whose identity has been compromised, as well as preventive measures you can take to protect yourself. Next, contact one of the three national credit-reporting companies: Equifax (http://www.equifax.com, 800-525-6285); Experian (http://http://www.experian.com, 888-397-3742); or TransUnion (http://http://www.transunion.com , 800-680-7289). If your identity has been stolen, you'll want to place an "initial fraud alert" on your credit file to help prevent new accounts being opened in your name, according to Cliff O'Neal, spokesperson for TransUnion.

Kongressen debatter utvide langsiktige dagpenger for noen 1,3 millioner amerikanere, tapt i oppvarmet retorikken er noen veldig viktige tall for skattebetalere. Stat og føderale arbeidsledighet forsikring systemet har hjulpet mange mennesker i nød, men det er også tillatt noen kvalifisert mottakere svikaktig hjelpe seg selv til lommebøker av bedrifter og skattebetalere. USA registrert noen $7,7 milliarder dollar i feil arbeidsledighet forsikring betalinger i 2013, ifølge US Department of Labor. Anslått urettmessig betaling går så høyt som 18.16 prosent i Nebraska. Louisiana postet den høyeste beregnede svindel satsen i landet i fjor, på mer enn 7 prosent. I Wisconsin: * Anslått urettmessig betaling utgjorde$ 92,644,556, gjennom 30 juni. Systemet hadde en anslått uriktig betalingen rate på 10.48 prosent, ifølge Labor Department. Prisen er summen av overbetaling rate og underbetaling rente, trekke overbetalinger gjenopprettet, for arbeidsledighet forsikring program for rapporteringsperioden. Dataene krever urettmessig betaling informasjon Act. * Majoriteten av urettmessig betaling involverer arbeid søk spørsmål - manglende evne til å validere at et individ har møtt Statens arbeidskrav søk- og inntekter foregående år, der en person fortsetter å kreve og få fordeler etter returnerer arbeide. * Den estimerte arbeidsledigheten forsikring svindel i perioden var 2,1 prosent. * Staten bestemt nesten 5600 fordringshavere mottatt falske føderale Emergency arbeidsledighetstrygd overbetalinger totalt $10.5 millioner mellom 1 januar 2013 og 30 november 2013. For bestemmelse er potensielle ankes, ifølge John Dipko, talsmann for staten avdelingen av arbeidsstyrke utvikling.

WASHINGTON - The numbers of affected consumers are as yet impossible to predict, but mortgage-credit experts warn that the recent massive data breaches at Target, Neiman Marcus and other retailers could have significant side effects on some real-estate transactions in the coming months, as damaged credit files depress scores and jeopardize loan applications and home sales. The Target breach alone could touch as many as 70 million credit- and debit-card customers, according to the company. Neiman Marcus says data on 1.1 million of its customers may be vulnerable to fraud. So what are the potential blowbacks on home sales and mortgage applications? Start with the basics. Identity theft, if not corrected quickly, can make a mess of anyone's credit-bureau files. Though victims may not be liable for the unauthorized debts racked up, their credit reports - and in turn their credit scores - can be damaged for weeks or months. Listen to Terry Clemans, executive director of the National Consumer Reporting Association, the primary trade group that represents independent credit-reporting companies serving the mortgage industry.