There’s no correlation between academic achievement and common sense. So here are five random but essential skills to share with your kids to prepare them for life away from home.

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This semester, think before you flip the light switch. You may not need to turn on the lights every time you enter a room.

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Binghamton University in New York encourages students to compete to save energy.

Do it in the dark. This semester, think before you flip the light switch. You may not need to turn on the lights every time you enter a room. That’s just one of a number of simple strategies to consider if you want […]

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1. Activation: The process of enabling a payment card for use, usually by calling an 800-number.
2. Annual Fee: Some credit card issuers charge an annual membership fee for the use of a credit or charge card.
3. Annual Percentage Rate (APR): […]

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Is anybody watching the road? Many teens ignore laws against cell phone use while driving. But they aren’t the only ones chatting it up in the car-and researchers say all that talk time is slowing traffic and lengthening your commute. If you’re wasting more time in traffic, you’re probably wasting gas. So isn’t that enough […]

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Most people who care for young children lack even basic knowledge of potentially toxic household products. According to a new study from the Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, less than one-third of primary caregivers for children under the age of six could correctly estimate the toxicity of household poisons. Caregivers older than 23, […]

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What’s the Worst that Can Happen?
Lender errors can transform consumers with perfect credit to questionable borrowers in record time. Just last month, the nation’s leading provider of student loans incorrectly coded as many as one million accounts on a file it downloaded to a major credit reporting agency.
The error by Reston, VA-based Sallie Mae […]

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Planning can minimize student travel risks.

What Do I Need to Know?
For many students, traveling abroad during summer vacation is a once in a lifetime opportunity. And while the experience can be rewarding, it takes planning to minimize both the risks and potential problems.
Obviously, anyone traveling overseas needs a valid passport. But many travelers forget to […]

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What if someone else borrowed the card to make a purchase?
Owning a credit card has its advantages. However, ownership also creates liabilities. The card owner, for instance, is responsible for paying the full balance on the account. That includes payment for purchases other people may have made–a fact many consumers misunderstand.
New Yorker Mike Ruskin, for […]

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Is It My Fault If I Couldn’t Read the Contract I Signed?
Some consumers have transformed making excuses to a fine art. When asked to explain the circumstances of a misleading deal or dubious transaction, they invariably shift the focus to someone else.
In reality, they probably made a mistake, failed to read the fine print or […]

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