I was returning home from a trip last week. After picking up my luggage from the carousel and finding my car, I started my drive home from the airport. My stomach was growling as I had not eaten in several hours. I saw a McDonald's that was open and I ended up in the drive-through ordering a bottle of water and a small hamburger. What would follow would be one of the strangest experiences I have ever had in a drive-through. Although not common, PINs can sometimes be stolen electronically You Want My PIN? What? The young lady at the... Read more →

Of course, we are all aware of the financial collapse that has slowly taken place in Detroit over the last decade. The city has been left in the unusual circumstance of becoming the caretaker for thousands of abandoned houses. In some cases, the homes have been bulldozed - entire neighborhoods were simply demolished. The remaining empty homes are now being auctioned off with hopes that people will return to the city, stake their claim, and become part of its next chapter. As you will see pictured below, these appear (at least externally) to be decent looking houses. You can browse... Read more →

As real estate prices begin to go up again, look for sharp increases in property taxes to follow. It was interesting to watch a local county here in Central Florida actually double their county spending during a five year period in the last real estate boom. Property taxes are like a giant piggy bank for local politicians. Even if your tax bill is correct, it may be much too high already (even without any errors). Three weeks ago I was contacted by one of our readers in the Chicago area with perhaps one of the most bizarre stories I have... Read more →

As cell phones have morphed into portable computers, the cost has gone up over the years. What was once a 'throw away' device has become as costly as a laptop computer in many cases. What's more, major changes are taking place in wireless plans, moving away from 'free' devices with long term contracts. As consumers face more significant out of pocket costs when acquiring mobile devices, cost will become more of a consideration. That brings me to this week's topic - five places to sell your used smartphone. When you upgrade to a new device and end up with the... Read more →

The Internet is changing yet another industry - taxi cabs. Ridesharing, as it is called, allows individuals in need of a ride to access a pool of drivers through a social media platform (mobile app). The concept has its critics, chief among them professional taxi drivers who are realizing that they may go the way of record stores and the phone book if this trend is not stopped soon. The truth is that the horse is already out of the barn, or as one writer put it, 'the car is already out of the garage.' Consumers love ridesharing, and those... Read more →