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If my bank offers some protection do I still need an ID protection service?:

Bottom Line:  Today’s question comes from a listener that is wondering if a free bank offered ID protection service is sufficient or if he needs additional ID protection? 

I won’t bury the answer.  You should have upgraded (with that bank if they offer it) or separate ID protection for you and your family.  There is no better risk / reward insurance value available (I view ID protection as an insurance policy of sorts) aside from perhaps flood insurance for your house.  The biggest issue you’ll likely face if your ID is ever stolen, isn’t the initial financial loss, it’s the long term battle to regain control of your identity.  That could include dealing with financial companies that had accounts opened in your name, merchants chasing you for money, Government agencies, etc. 

You want an ID protection service that comes complete with legal assistance (typically up to $ 1 million in protection) so that you can move forward with your life while they track and fix the issues associated with your compromised identity.

If you’d like to ask a question for me to address on-air and online email me:  brianmudd@clearchannel.com

 

You may be eligible for free online tax prep software and free e-filing:

Bottom Line:  The odds are you’re eligible for free online tax preparation and the ability to e-file for free as well.  The IRS teams with several tax prep companies to enable this service.  The only requirement for eligibility?  Your adjusted gross income (AGI) needs to be $57,000 or less.  That’s the case for about 70% of Americans filing taxes.  Below is the direct link to the IRS to take advantage of the opportunity.

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Free-File:-Do-Your-Federal-Taxes-for-Free

 

Half way to recession – what to consider:

Bottom Line:  So the shot heard ‘round the world yesterday was the 4th Quarter GDP report that showed the economy actually recessing by .1%.  Or to put it another way…  Half way to recession. 

By definition a recession is 6 consecutive months (2 quarters) of negative economic growth.  Thus we’re half way.  While the unrealistically high growth estimates by economists and the National Retail Federation entering the 4th quarter of last year had progressively come down all the way to just above 1% growth for the 4th quarter (they were at 3%+ entering the 4th quarter when I suspended my financial guidance and said that growth would be less than 2% at best).  No pros expected a net decline. 

The prevailing wisdom is that a series of non-reoccurring events resulted in the decline:

  • Election uncertainty
  • Hurricane Sandy
  • The Fiscal Cliff debate / fears

And there is validity to that notion.  In fact in my resumed economic guidance I released last week I’m showing 2.52% growth for the first three weeks of January.  So the likelihood of an actual recession is very low.  However…  Here are risk factors:

  • Tax increases January 1st that leave us with less disposable income
  • Fear factor over this GDP report by businesses and consumers leading to a decline in spending
  • Sequestration 1st (the automatic Government spending cuts that could occur March 1st)
  • Debt Ceiling issues

So…  It’s not as though it’s implausible for a recession to occur.  I do think the risk remains low for the moment but I’ll stay on top of it…

 

If you want to upgrade to Windows 8 – do it today:

Bottom Line:  It’s as simple as this.  Today is the last day that downloading the Windows 8 OS will be $39.99.  At mid-night tonight the price will go to the normal retail rate for the product.  $199.99.  If you were planning to upgrade made time today to do so.

http://thenextweb.com/microsoft/2013/01/30/microsoft-offers-students-windows-8-pro-upgrade-for-70-in-50-countries-deal-starts-in-the-us-on-february-1/

 

A whole new Research in Motion (literally) a look at the company & the new Blackberries:  

Bottom Line:  So Research in Motion is no more – they officially changed their name to match their product.  So Blackberry presented the two new Blackberry smart phones yesterday.  So will these bring Blackberry back?  One certainly won’t.  One of the phones announced is just like the with the traditional keyboard of a Blackberry.  That one isn’t worth your attention.  The Z10 is interesting.  It’s comparable to the leading smart phones on the market.  For side by side spec comparison click the link below:

http://allthingsd.com/files/2013/01/phone-comparison-table.png