: About Me

"There are two kinds of people in the world, those who believe there are two kinds of people in the world and those who don't." ... Robert Benchley

I am definitely one who believes there are more than two kinds of people. Maybe it was from growing up as a military brat and moving around the country as a kid. I was exposed to different places, different people, and different ideas. Maybe it was from moving back to the family's Midwestern hometown in 1972 when I was 12 years old and spending my high school years there. The town, which has changed significantly since the 1970's, was filled with mostly nice people - and a few who believed there should be only one type of person in the world.

I have taken the long route. It took me 20 years and 3 colleges to finish a computer science degree. I live in a slightly larger Midwestern town, now, writing computer programs for a living and enjoying middle age. With a little practice, I hope to get good enough at writing to express the view that life choices are rarely black or white, up or down.

Personal Finance > Personal Finance (Other) Consumer scams to be aware of

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You notice a small charge - maybe $12.95 - on your credit card statement. You don't recognize the merchant. Maybe you assume your spouse used the card and forgot to tell you, or you just chalk it up to your own forgetfulness. If you are like many consumers, you just pay the bill when it's due and don't give it a second thought. Now suppose you're the suspicious type. You look up the merchant on the Internet and find a website that offers a work-at-home plan, or some "web services." You know you never purchased anything from them, so you send an email to the address listed on their customer...

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