Category: The Buzz

Government and nonprofit Charity organizations assistance programs are designed to assist individuals and families in a variety of situations. Learn what type of assistance/benefits you may be entitled to.

Benefits.gov

Benefits.gov helps citizens determine their potential eligibility for more than 1,000 government-funded benefit and assistance programs. Benefits.gov uses a questionnaire that can take from 20 minutes or so to complete. The questionnaire will help you find the right benefits for you. At the end of the questionnaire, you will receive a detailed report with a list of government programs you may be eligible for and a link to detailed information about the program. The results can be printed out for later review.

211

2-1-1 is a nationwide service connecting millions of people to help every year. 2-1-1 is a special abbreviated telephone number reserved in the United States and Canada as an easy-to-remember three-digit telephone number meant to provide information and referrals to health, human and social service organizations. To use the 211 Nationwide Assistance Program, select your state to find information on just about any type of need you may have including housing for seniors and people with disabilities.

Good credit is essential to getting a business loan, bad credit comes back to haunt you when you need good credit to apply for a loan and the creditor says no way! Even if you have a negative credit report there are some things you can do to make it better when you know the facts.

Fact 1

The first step is to get a copy of your credit report. Under the law, everyone is entitled to a free annual report, and in certain situations, you are also entitled to a free report under federal law. You’re entitled to a free report if a company takes adverse action against you, such as denying your application for credit, insurance, or employment, and you ask for your report within 60 days of receiving notice of the action.

The notice will give you the name, address, and phone number of the credit reporting company. You’re also entitled to one free report a year if you’re unemployed and plan to look for a job within 60 days; if you’re on welfare; or if your report is inaccurate because of fraud, including identity theft. Otherwise, a credit reporting company may charge you a reasonable amount for another copy of your report within a 12-month period. You can get immediate access to your credit report, there are many different places on the net offering a free credit report, but according to the federal trade commission, only one is approved by the FTC!

Fact 2

 The credit agency must correct inaccuracies or incomplete information — in your credit report

Under the FCRA, both the credit report­ing company and the information provider (that is, the person, company, or organization that provides information about you to a consumer reporting company) are responsible for correcting inaccurate or incomplete information in your report. To take full advantage of your rights under this law, contact the credit reporting company and the information provider.

1. Tell the credit reporting company, in writing, what information you think is inaccurate.

Credit reporting companies must investigate the items in question — usually within 30 days — unless they consider your dispute frivolous. They also must forward all the relevant data you provide about the inaccuracy to the organization that provided the information. After the information provider receives notice of a dispute from the credit reporting company, it must investigate, review the relevant information, and report the results back to the credit reporting company. If the information provider finds the disputed information is inaccurate, it must notify all three nationwide credit reporting companies so they can correct the information in your file.

When the investigation is complete, the credit reporting company must give you the written results and a free copy of your report if the dispute results in a change. (This free report does not count as your annual free report.) If an item is changed or deleted, the credit reporting company cannot put the disputed information back in your file unless the information provider verifies that it is accurate and complete. The credit reporting company also must send you written notice that includes the name, address, and phone number of the information provider.

2. Tell the creditor or other information provider in writing that you dispute an item. Many providers specify an address for disputes. If the provider reports the item to a credit reporting company, it must include a notice of your dispute. And if you are correct — that is, if the information is found to be inaccurate — the information provider may not report it again.

Fact 3

A credit reporting company can report most accurate negative information for seven years and bankruptcy information for 10 years.

There is no time limit on reporting information about crimi­nal convictions; information reported in response to your application for a job that pays more than $75,000 a year, and information reported because you’ve applied for more than $150,000 worth of credit or life insurance. Information about a lawsuit or an unpaid judgment against you can be reported for seven years or until the statute of limitations runs out, which­ever is longer.

Fact 4

Creditors, insurers, employers, and other businesses that use the information in your report to evaluate your applications for credit, insurance, em­ployment, or renting a home are among those that have a legal right to access your report.

Fact 5

Your employer can get a copy of your credit report only if you agree. A credit reporting company may not provide information about you to your employer, or to a prospective employer, without your written consent.

Your credit report has information that affects whether you can get a loan — and how much you will have to pay to borrow money. It is situations like this you will want a copy of your credit report to:

• make sure the information is accurate, complete, and up-to-date before you apply for a loan for a major purchase like a house or car, buy insurance, or apply for a job.
• help guard against identity theft. That’s when someone uses your personal information — like your name, your Social Security number, or your credit card number — to commit fraud. Identity thieves may use your information to open a new credit card account in your name. Then, when they don’t pay the bills, the delinquent account is reported on your credit report. Inaccurate information like that could affect your ability to get credit, insurance, or even a job.

Your Free Credit Report

Only one website is authorized to fill orders for the free annual credit report you are entitled to under law! Other websites that claim to offer “free credit reports,” “free credit scores,” or “free credit monitoring” are not part of the legally mandated free annual credit report program. In some cases, the “free” product comes with strings attached. For example, some sites sign you up for a supposedly “free” service that converts to one you have to pay for after a trial period. If you don’t cancel during the trial period, you may be unwittingly agreeing to let the company start charging fees to your credit card.

Some “imposter” sites use terms like “free report” in their names; others have URLs that purposely misspell annualcreditreport.com in the hope that you will mistype the name of the official site. Some of these “imposter” sites direct you to other sites that try to sell you something or collect your personal information.

How To Avoid a Scam:

Annualcreditreport.com is the only website authorized to fill orders for the free annual credit report you are entitled to under law!

As a nationwide credit reporting company, they will not send you an email asking for your personal information. If you get an email, see a pop-up ad, or get a phone call from someone claiming to be from annualcreditreport.com or any of the three nationwide credit reporting companies, do not reply or click on any link in the message. It’s probably a scam. 

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide credit reporting companies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months. The FCRA promotes the accuracy and privacy of information in the files of the nation’s credit reporting companies. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, enforces the FCRA with respect to credit reporting companies.

A credit report includes information on where you live, how you pay your bills, and whether you’ve been sued or have filed for bankruptcy. Nationwide credit reporting companies sell the information in your report to creditors, insurers, employers, and other businesses that use it to evaluate your applications for credit, insurance, employment, or renting a home.

How To Get Your Free Credit Report:

The three nationwide credit reporting companies have set up a central website, a toll-free telephone number, and a mailing address through which you can order your free annual report.

To order, visit annualcreditreport.com, call 1-877-322-8228. Or complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form and mail it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. Do not contact the three nationwide credit reporting companies individually. They are providing free annual credit reports only through annualcreditreport.com, 1-877-322-8228 or mailing to Annual Credit Report Request Service.

In the past, you could order your reports from each of the three nationwide credit reporting companies at the same time, or you could order your report from each of the companies one at a time. The law allowed you to order one free copy of your report from each of the nationwide credit reporting companies every 12 months.

As of 2020, everyone in the U.S. can get 6 free credit reports per year through 2026 by visiting the Equifax website or by calling 1-866-349-5191. That’s in addition to the one free Equifax report (plus your Experian and TransUnion reports) you can get at AnnualCreditReport.com.

The Type Of Information You Will Need To Provide:

You need to provide your name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. If you have moved in the last two years, you may have to provide your previous address. To maintain the security of your file, each nationwide credit reporting company may ask you for some information that only you would know, like the amount of your monthly mortgage payment. Each company may ask you for different information because the information each has in your file may come from different sources

How Soon Will I Get a Free Report ?

 If you request your report online at annualcreditreport.com, you should be able to access it immediately. If you order your report by calling toll-free 1-877-322-8228, your report will be processed and mailed to you within 15 days. If you order your report by mail using the Annual Credit Report Request Form, your request will be processed and mailed to you within 15 days of receipt.

Whether you order your report online, by phone, or by mail, it may take longer to receive your report if the nationwide credit reporting company needs more information to verify your identity.

 Financial Literacy equips us with the knowledge and skills we need to manage money effectively. The most successful entrepreneurs know how to manage their money both on a business and personal side. Knowing how to manage your money can make a big difference in your financial assets. Financial literacy helps individuals to make informed and effective decisions with all of their financial resources including but not limited to managing personal finance, money and investing.

Money Smart

 Money Smart Computer-Based Instruction provides financial education for Adults and Young Adults. The training covers topics such as the basics of borrowing money wisely, using a spending plan to achieve financial goals, and how to use banking products effectively.  The Money Smart Computer-Based Instruction consists of interactive modules that offer instruction to help people make informed financial decisions and take charge of their finances.

Beginners Guide to Investing

A great investor can money beyond their expectations! Investor.gov offers a beginner’s guide to investing. The site is filled with helpful resources. If you want to pay for retirement, college, or a home, investing may be the way to go. Before you invest, educate yourself so that you don’t fall victim to fraud or lose a substantial amount of money. Investor.gov is your online resource to help you make sound investment decisions and avoid fraud. … The Office handles investment-related complaints and questions from tens of thousands of individual investors and others every year.

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Unclaimed money is not a scam or promotional gimmick! Unclaimed money could actually be owed to you for a variety of reasons. Before you say oh no, not me! I have spoken to many people about unclaimed money and some have actually found their names on the list, including some of my close relatives and friends. Before I told them about it they were unaware of the different types of unclaimed money lists there are.

Long before the Internet, unclaimed property lists were published in the local newspapers. If you were lucky enough to find your name on the list among the many other unclaimed property owners. In those days you would simply contact the Government office which was holding your unclaimed property and apply for it. For those who were unaware of the list, business services popped up all over the place asking for finders fees. They would give you information about the fact that you have unclaimed property being held somewhere. Then they would charge a finders fee to assist you in recovering your unclaimed property.

Government Warning

Beware of people who pretend to be the government and offer to send you unclaimed money for a fee. These scammers use a variety of tricks to get your attention, but their goal is the same: to get you to send them money. Government agencies will not call you about unclaimed money or assets

What is Unclaimed Money?

Unclaimed money can come from banks, credit unions, pensions, and other sources which have been turned over to the government as unclaimed.  The government’s job is to find the owner of the unclaimed money, by making this information public knowledge. If the government owes you money and you do not collect it, then it’s unclaimed.

I have shared information on unclaimed money with many different people, leading them to find unclaimed money they were unaware of. I have not been so fortunate, but have seen my father, 2 sisters, and a few cousins names on the list.

Where Do I Look for Unclaimed Money?

State Search

You should search in every state where you have lived. Start with your state’s listing of unclaimed funds and property. You can conduct a free multi-state search by going directly to Missing Money, the NAUPA-sponsored search engine, or search state-by-state on individual unclaimed property programs by clicking the appropriate jurisdiction on the map or dropbox below.

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Unclaimed Back Wages

Unpaid Wages – If you think you may be owed back wages from your employer, search the Wage and Hour Division’s (WHD’s) database of workers for whom it has money waiting to be claimed. WHD (Wage and Hour Division ) is a part of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). You search by the employer’s name.

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Life Insurance

Search the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for unclaimed insurance funds that are owed to certain current or former policyholders or their beneficiaries. 

Note: This does not include funds from Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI) or Veterans’ Group Life Insurance (VGLI) policies from 1965 to the present.  

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Unclaimed Retirement Money

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)a US Government agency, protects the retirement incomes of more than 37 million American workers in private-sector defined benefit pension plans. A defined benefit plan provides a specified monthly benefit at retirement, often based on a combination of salary and years of service.

You can use their online database to search for unclaimed pension money from former Employers companies that went out, of business or ended a defined plan.

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Bank Failures

Bank Failures – Search the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) for unclaimed funds from failed financial institutions.

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Credit Union Failures

Credit Union Failures – Find unclaimed deposits from credit unions. When a credit union with federal insurance is liquidated, the NCUA’s Asset Management and Assistance Center is responsible for paying the share accounts to the members.

On rare occasions, the liquidation of a credit union may result in surplus funds. If a surplus remains, a distribution to the shareholders is required. This may occur several years after the credit union is liquidated and it is sometimes difficult to locate these members. The claim list is in pdf format.

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Mortgages

FHA-Insurance Refunds – If you had an FHA-insured mortgage, you may be eligible for a refund from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

To search the HUD database, you will need your FHA case number (three digits, a dash, and the next six digits—for example, 051-456789).

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Tax Refund

The Internal Revenue Service(IRS) may owe you money if your refund was unclaimed or undelivered.

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Money Owed Investors

SEC Claims Funds – The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lists enforcement cases where a company or person owes investors money.

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Damaged Money

Damaged Money – The Treasury Department will exchange mutilated or damaged U.S. currency.

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Beware of work at home opportunities that sound too good to be true they usually are. A legitimate job shouldn’t ask you for any money to get started, some may require you to pay a small fee for a background check.  Even with a background check, you should not expect to pay any more than $30 or $40.00 give or take.

You may also be required to have or purchase certain products needed to run the business from your home. If the company you would like to work for is looking for you to purchase items from them other than a background check, to start a job with them,  I would look elsewhere, it sounds like a scam, run.

Some popular scams.

• Internet businesses. You’re told you can earn thousands of dollars a month starting your own internet business. The company says that no experience is necessary because they have experts to coach you. You’re pressured to pay for the opportunity right away. Once you pay, the company says you won’t succeed unless you pay for more pricey services. Many people who pay for these “businesses” are left with a lot of debt and not much else
• Envelope stuffing.
  Promoters advertise that for a “small” fee, they’ll tell you how to earn big money stuffing envelopes at home. After paying the fee, you find out there is no work. Instead, you’ll receive a letter telling you to get other people to buy the same envelope-stuffing opportunity or some other product. You’ll earn money only if those people respond the same way you did. But the promoters rarely pay.
• Mystery shopping.
  Ads for mystery shoppers say they want people who are willing to shop at certain stores or dine at certain restaurants, and then report on their experience in exchange for money. To begin, you must register and pay a fee. Often, your first job is to evaluate the effectiveness of a money transfer service. You will unknowingly be given a fake check, told to deposit it in your bank account, withdraw the same amount in cash, and send it by wire transfer to a third party. The check will bounce and you will be on the hook for the full amount.
• Rebate processing.
   An ad or email claims you can earn big money by helping to process rebates. The fee for training, certification, or registration is nothing compared to what you’ll supposedly earn processing rebates from home. What you get is poorly written and useless training material. There are no rebates to process and few people ever make any money.
• Medical billing.
  The ads promise a substantial income for full- or part-time work processing medical claims electronically – no experience needed. When you call the toll-free number, a sales representative tells you doctors are eager for help. In exchange for your investment of hundreds or thousands of dollars, the representative says you’ll be provided everything needed to launch your business. Few customers who pay for medical billing opportunities ever find clients or make money.

Tips on How to Avoid Work-at-Home Scams

It’s not always easy to figure out if a company is legitimate. Try these five essential tips from the Attorney General of the State of New York:

1. Check with the Better Business Bureau in your area and the area in which the company is located.
2. Ask questions, including what specific tasks you’ll have to perform; whether you will be paid by salary or commission; and who will pay you. Also, ask about the total cost to you, including supplies and equipment.
3. Be wary of overstated claims of product effectiveness, exaggerated claims of potential earnings, and demands that you pay for something before instructions or products are provided.
4. Be wary of personal testimonials that never actually identify the person so you can’t investigate further.
5. Contact your state Attorney General’s consumer helpline if you believe you’ve been victimized by a work-at-home scheme.

Concentrix

According to Concentrix, their Customer Service Representative team member can be an exciting, fast-paced career where you can go as far as your ambitions will take you.  Concentrix is looking for people who LOVE making customers happy.  They are looking for people filled with high energy a willingness to put the customer’s needs first. 

In this position, you’ll be fielding questions from customers of a large leading-edge, nationally recognized technology company.    As a Customer Service team member, you get to hear the satisfaction from your customer after you help them. Starting salary $10.00 per hour.

• Website

American Express

They hire travel virtual agents and also customer care reps, as well as other positions. Sign up for their Talent Community to learn about new openings and keep up with the latest happenings at American Express.

• Website

Amazon

Sometimes, Amazon has virtual (or “work-from-home”) positions available to qualified individuals who live in some areas. So if you aren’t near a physical Amazon location, or just want to see if there are virtual opportunities in your area, you’re in the right place.

Virtual opportunities are not available in all areas–specific questions about virtual positions can be discussed during the interview process with your recruiter.

• Website

Apple

If you love exploring the ways technology helps you do all your favorite things, you’ll probably be great at sharing your knowledge with others. That’s what you’ll do every day as an Apple At Home Advisor. And with each customer conversation you have, it becomes clear: You’re not just supporting technology. You’re supporting people. Apple also provides training.

• Website

Foundever

No commute, all the convenience – that’s the value of working for Foundever from Home while earning income and building skills. As part of the Work At Home team, you will connect with people from around the world and help them through customer service.

• Website

CenturyLink

Commitment. Professionalism. Positivity. If you’ve got these qualities, you’re going to love it here. Our call center team members provide world-class customer service and expert sales advice. They answer billing questions and resolve back-office tasks. We consider them our superstars on the front line of the business.

• Website

Hilton

Your Hilton journey begins with an online orientation offered at a variety of times on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The base pay for this position is $11.00 per hour. Upon successful completion of training, you will also be eligible for our incentive programs. Incentives are paid monthly and, once you are fully up to speed after training, can expect an average incentive payout of $250 per month in the first year.

• Website

Transcom

You’ll be the friendly voice of our Telecommunications clients to support their customers with smartphones, tablets, and computers. You’ll listen to the caller and use your technical expertise, and passion for outstanding customer service, to answer questions about products and services, or troubleshoot technical issues to find solutions.  

• Website

Disclaimer Statement

The information contained herein is provided as a public service with the understanding that eperdazzlepress.com makes no warranties, either expressed or implied, concerning the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or suitability of the information. Nor do we warrant that the use of this information is free of any claims of copyright infringement.

Help for  Americans with disabilities to find part-time, home-based work. There is no charge for services for people with disabilities. The organization matches job seekers with employers in customer service, technical support, sales and medical transcription.

NTI@Home has provided trained work-at-home employees both to the largest U.S. government agencies and Fortune 500 companies, and to smaller businesses who want to outsource customer service and technical support operations in order to reduce costs. In particular.

Who should apply?

If you’re an American who is disabled and would like to work from home, you may qualify for an online job in customer service, technical support, quality control, or many other types of work.

Apply now

According to NTI New job openings are arriving all the time. You must Apply  to be a part of NTI’s database of pre-screened, pre-qualified applicants. They  follow up to identify what jobs you’re interested in and try to match you with a suitable work-at-home opportunity.

Learn More..

With so many people out of work right now, and their future employment situation uncertain, what better time than right now to prepare for your ideal job utilizing free Internet resources!

Step: 1 – Career Assessment Testing:

Career assessment testing helps identify your interests and matches them to careers, it can also help you determine what types of careers your skills and experience will transfer to.

Skills Matcher

The Skills Matcher helps you identify careers that match your skills. You answer 40 questions to rate your level in a range of skills. Then you see a list of careers that are good matches for your unique set of skills. From there, you can explore the careers on your list of matches. You can learn about average pay, typical education, and the outlook (new job opportunities expected) for jobs in that field. You can use your list of occupation matches to explore career ideas that may be right for you. At a glance you can see some important information about each of these careers:

• Career: Click on the name of any career to find more detailed information about that career.
• Annual wages: See the median salary for each career. Median wage means one-half of all workers in this occupation earn less than this wage and one-half earns more.
• Education: See the level of education usually needed to enter this career.
• Outlook: Here you can see whether the career listed is expected to be in demand. Each career is either:
• Bright (new job opportunities are very likely in the future)
• Average (a small number—less than an 8 percent increase—of new job opportunities are likely in the future)
• Below average (new job opportunities are less likely in the future)

MySkillsmyFuture enter your previous occupation into my skills in my future to see types of careers your skills and experience will transfer to.

MySkillsmyFuture enter your previous occupation into my skills my future to see types of careers your skills and experience will transfer to.

Additional Career Assessment Testing Tools

 The Interest Assessment– is a quick 30-question assessment that identifies your interests and matches them to careers.

Use the O*Net’s tool for career explorationand job analysis! O*NET OnLine offers detailed descriptions of the world of work for use by job seekers, workforce development and HR professionals, students, researchers, and more! O*NET’s Interest Profiler a 60-question assessment that measures your interests and shows how they relate to careers

Step: 2 – Research Potential Job Qualifications and Pay Rate:

The Occupational Outlook Handbook: Use the Occupational Outlook database offered by the US Department of Labor to do more detailed research on what type of duties will be expected of you, education, Skills or training you will need, the pay rate, and the outlook for the occupation you are interested in pursuing

Step 3 – Create a Resume and Cover Letter

A successful job search begins with a carefully planned resume and cover letter. The following tutorials as listed on your-tube are compliments of Goodwill Industries a non-profit organization.

Step 4- Follow the Steps to Apply for a Job Online

Step 5 – Submit Your Resume To Online Job Sites:

What Is IRS Free File?

The IRS Free File Program is a public-private partnership between the IRS and many tax preparation and filing software industry leaders who provide their brand-name products for free. It provides two ways for taxpayers to prepare and file their federal income tax online for free:

Guided Tax Preparation provides free online tax preparation and filing at an IRS partner site. The partners deliver this service at no cost to qualifying taxpayers. Only taxpayers whose AGI is $73,000 or less qualify for a free Federal tax return using IRS Free File guided tax preparation.

Free File Fillable Forms are electronic federal tax forms, equivalent to a paper 1040 form, you fill out online for free. If you choose this option, you will need to know how to prepare your own tax return. It is the only IRS Free File option available for taxpayers whose income (AGI) is greater than $73,000.

How to Access The Free Tax Programs:

To take advantage of the free federal tax return, you must select an IRS Free File provider from the Browse All Offers page or your Online Lookup Tool results.

To prepare and file your return, you need to create an account at the IRS Free File provider’s website that you accessed via IRS.gov. 

Please note that an account created at the IRS partner’s commercial tax preparation website does NOT work with IRS Free File: unless you access the provider’s Free File site as instructed above.