Disputing a Charge on Your Credit Card

If you have ever disputed a charge with your debit or credit card company, you know how challenging it can be.

When you call your card company to inform them of the charge in question they generally take your word for it. Then restore the bank account temporarily or issue a credit, and then they go about their investigation. The company essentially demands that the merchant or service provider who supposedly did you wrong prove that it did no wrong at all.

Chances are you will need to use the dispute process sooner or later. If you have never disputed a charge there are a few things you should know first. The behind-the-scenes game that goes on can be tilted much more—or much less – in your favor, depending on which charges you dispute and how you go about disputing them.

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The Impact of Alzheimers

Many of us are starting to notice that our elderly parents are experiencing memory loss which can affect their ability to make sound decisions about their personal finances. But like most, we are prone to making the mistake of waiting too long to act.

The consequences of avoiding discussing these problems can be dire. An elderly parent’s accounts can be closed, credit can be damaged, money can be lost to scam artists and worst of all, their homes could face foreclosure.

There are some steps you can take to avoid financial abuse in elderly dementia or Alzheimer’s sufferers.

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Ten Tips to Help You Reduce the Risk of Financial Elder Abuse

1. Choose a caregiver with caution
Do not assume that by hiring a caregiver through a bonded agency you are guaranteed to get someone who has been checked. There is no current law requiring mandatory background checks for in-home caregivers in California

2. Keep an inventory of all jewelry
Jewelry is the number one item that is stolen from homes occupied by elders. Not only should your jewelry be kept in a locked drawer, you should have photographs of rare, valuable, or sentimental items in a separate location. In the event of theft, such photographic evidence will be useful in tracking down the missing jewelry at a pawn shop.

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What is the Difference between a Will, Living Will and a Living Trust?

A Will is a legal document that describes how your assets should be distributed in the event of death. The actual distribution, however, is controlled by a judge in a legal process called probate.

Upon your death, the Will becomes a public document available for inspection by all comers. Once your Will enters the probate process, it’s no longer controlled by your family, it is now controlled by the court and probate attorneys. Probate can be cumbersome, time-consuming, expensive, and emotionally traumatic during a family’s time of grief and vulnerability. Con artists and others with less-than-pure
financial motives have been known to use their knowledge about the contents of a Will to prey on survivors.

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When Key Tax Documents Will Arrive

Employers must provide employees with a W-2 by Jan. 31.

Businesses that hire independent contractors will have to give them their 1099-MISC by that date.

Retirees should also pay attention to their mailboxes in January. That’s when the Social Security Administration sends beneficiaries an SSA-1099, which will detail what they received during the previous year.

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Tax season starts on Jan. 29. Here’s What You Need to Know

  • Certain refunds won’t be available until late February.
  • The IRS expects nearly 155 million individual tax returns for 2017.

For those of you who like to get your taxes done at the beginning of the season pay attention to your mail. All the documents and statements you will need to prepare your tax return are on the way.

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