Finding an apartment with RentSocial.com

RentSocial.com is a new website using social networking to search for an apartment. Similar to the consumer-reviewed site Yelp, users can leave remarks of buildings they currently or used to live in. You can also create your own RentSocial profile using your info from Facebook. The site gives an "activity feed," where building owners, friends and neighbors can post messages. It's all free of charge to users (the site makes money by charging building owners a monthly fee to be listed).

Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP)

 The Illinois Department of Insurance site provides information on the Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP). SHIP is a free statewide health insurance counseling service for Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers. A Medicare Supplement Premium Comparison Guide is available, as is Medicaid Related and Long Term Care Information

Interested in State Spending?

The Illinois comptroller's office has launched a data website that gives users a daily snapshot of the state's finances, employee salaries and contracts.
Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka unveiled what her office calls "The Ledger" on Monday. She says it's a user-friendly site that sets a new standard for transparency.
Topinka says much of the information on the new site was already available online. But it hasn't been pulled together in one place or hasn't been complete.

Illinois Tax Rate Finder

Interested in where your sales tax goes when you make a retail or food purchase?  The Illinois Tax Rate Finder tracks the breakdown of state, county, and municipal taxes for all cities and towns in Illinois. Additional definitions for what specific taxes mean are in their online glossary.

Treasury to End Over-the-Counter Sales of Paper U.S. Savings Bonds in 2012

The Bureau of the Public Debt announced this summer that as of January 1, 2012, paper savings bonds will no longer be sold at financial institutions. This action, which supports the U.S. Department of the Treasury's goal to increase the number of electronic transactions with citizens and businesses, will save American taxpayers approximately $70 million over the first five years.

But savings bonds, introduced in 1935, are not going away. Electronic savings bonds in Series EE and I will remain available through purchase in TreasuryDirect®, a secure, web-based system operated by Public Debt – where investors have been purchasing savings bonds, available 24/7, since 2002.

Those currently holding paper savings bonds can continue to redeem them at financial institutions. Bonds, which have not matured, but were lost, stolen or destroyed, can be reissued in paper or electronic form.

Series I paper savings bonds remain available for purchase using part or all of one's tax refund. For more information on this feature, visit www.irs.gov.

For more information about the elimination of paper savings bonds and how to enroll in TreasuryDirect, visit http://www.treasurydirect.gov/.

 

FTC Warning on Imposter Credit Reports

The Federal Trade Commission has important information on how to obtain a free credit report, and how to spot “imposter” sites.

Free rides for most seniors to end on CTA, Metra, Pace on 9/1/11

A vast majority of the 440,000 senior citizens who registered to receive free transit rides over the last three years will lose the privilege on Sept. 1.  The Chicago Tribune posted this article which discusses the income caps of seniors who will qualify.

Home Repair and Remodeling: Know Your Consumer Rights on 5/11/11

The Village of Mount Prospect is hosting a seminar on the Illinois Home Repair and Remodeling Act. The hour-long seminar, titled “Home Repair and Remodeling: Know Your Consumer Rights,” will be presented by the Office of the Attorney General Lisa Madigan-State of Illinois and will be held on May 11, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. at the Mount Prospect Village Hall, 50 S. Emerson Street, Mount Prospect.

The seminar will focus on the Home Repair Remodeling Act and will review the resources that the Attorney General’s office provides on the topic.  Information will include:

How to avoid home repair scams
Tips for finding a contractor What a contract should include
Protecting yourself during the project
What to do if you are the victim of a home repair scam

Attendance is limited so RSVP by May 5, 2011 to building@mountprospect.org or 847-818-5289.
Additional Links from Office of the Attorney General Lisa Madigan-State of Illinois:

Home Repair and Construction
Home Repair: Know Your Consumer Rights
Home Repair and Remodeling Act (effective January 1, 2000)

Live Customer Service

Frustrated when you can't reach a live customer service representative at Company ABC?  There are two online sources to retrieve mostly toll-free phone numbers for many of the major companies and service organizations, as well as the steps to expect in the automated attendant's menu, average wait times, and user ratings.

GetHuman: http://gethuman.com/

Dial A Human: http://dialahuman.com/

Both sites are monitored by actual callers who share their experiences and tips to reach a live staffperson.  Other suggestions to keep your waiting times low and receive quality service were noted today in the Chicago Tribune. 

Value of the Dollar

Interested in how the U.S. dollar has changed in value over the centuries?  Check out MeasuringWorth to gauge how the dollar has changed since 1774 using a variety of benchmarks.