Personal Finance News

Seniors are one of scam artist's favorite targets. More than 25 million seniors were victims of fraud last year according to the Federal Trade Commission. Seniors become targets because they are easy to reach by phone, are often home during the day, often live along, and are often more willing to talk to strangers. Here, Ken and Daria Dolan expose seven top scams that target seniors. Even if you aren't a senior yourself, keep reading and warn the seniors in your life about these scams.

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Sure, everyone has a story, but more often than not, they also have a pitch -- a money-making idea, a personal plea, a pet cause or even just a message to get out there. In today's world of Twitter, iPhone video and instant Internet infamy, everyone with something to push should be ready at a moment's notice to get the word out.

That's why WalletPop has started to put people to the test. Our challenge: Can you pitch in 30 seconds or less? We've been gathering up some of the results so that you can judge for yourself. Who would you give money to or follow or even just find out more info about? See for yourself and then give us your feedback.

This is the home of our Black Friday LiveBlog, where our correspondents from across the country will be reporting in on the action, the mayhem and the bargaineering. For the latest news up until the doors open, check out these links, and then watch our new video report from Toys R Us on the scene of Black Friday to get yourself in the mood:



Black Friday Deals Scorecard

Black Friday breaking news

Download our Black Friday toolbar

Holiday spending poll results

The ads are in! While this info is gathered in a lot of places, we thought you might like a handy list of where you can find the actual circulars from your favorite stores. So peruse away!

Our own Jane Tuv put FedEx, UPS and the US post office to the test for the latest savings experiment to find out how to best get your gifts to their intended recipients this holiday season. Her results may surprise you -- watch below and see how waiting it out in line at your local post office may not be the best option. For the details of her experiment, click here.


For more savings experiments, click here.

Does Chris Brogan not want to do business with you? Does he think you are not worthy? Maybe you just offended him by trying to poke him in the chest with your business card after he spoke at an event that you attended.

If you're in the new media business, you've probably crossed paths with Brogan, the co-author of New York Times Bestseller "Trust Agents," but your success in getting him to remember your name and maybe do business with you depends on knowing what he thinks about business card etiquette, which we learned when we stopped him at the hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center after his keynote address at Blog World '09.

The dismal viewer numbers facing TV networks and advertisers this fall are leading them to do all sorts of tricks to keep putting dollars in the pockets of the entertainment companies and products in front of the eyeballs of consumers. One ramped up approach this season is the integrated product placement that goes so far into the story that shows are weaving story lines around the items.

Of course, this is nothing new. Millions of people have been staring at Coke glasses in front of the judges on American Idol for years, and it was more than 25 years ago that E.T. parceled out Reese's Pieces on the big screen for big bucks. But this year's efforts, as detailed in the L.A. Times, go much further, creating side shows (pun intended) -- like Desperate Housewives extra scene involving Sprint and a Heroes subplot about a Palm Pre.

Now that they've gone through all the states, the US Mint is gearing up to release 56 new commemorative quarters called the "America the Beautiful" series starting in 2010 and running through 2021. The coins will go in date order of when the various parks, memorials and destinations were established, which means the first one up is Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas (which was actually designated before Yellowstone).

No doubt collectors will abound and you'll soon find collector's boards on As Seen on TV commercials. The AP reports that U.S. Mint Director Ed Moy has said 147 million people collected state quarters ranging from Delaware in 1999 to Hawaii in 2008, making the program very popular. But Vance the Coin Specialist from Marblehead, Mass. says it's going to be "a very, very long time" before any of these commemorative quarters are worth anything more than 25 cents. "Think about it as if you were living in 1850, and it's going to take until now before your coin is considered rare," he says.

The mint has yet to release the designs of the quarters (there will no doubt be much fanfare for that...), but in the meantime, we offer you photos of the first ten locations to be honored, to spark your imaginations. Send us your suggestions for designs (either your flowery prose or attach a sketch). And we'll see if we can influence the government for you!

Depending on the state you live in, your wheels may be more likely to be stolen. In Arizona, the most stolen vehicle is a Dodge Ram Pickup. In Washington, it's a Honda Accord. Based on a study from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), we take a look at the 10 most stolen vehicles overall, and by state.

Click through our photo gallery and see which cars the thieves in your state fancy most.

Not all piggy banks are bad, but the old-fashioned kind with one slot for putting in coins have had their day. "Think about it – what does a one-slot piggy bank ask a child to do? Save? I don't think so," says Susan Beacham, founder and CEO of Money Savvy Generation, a company set up to teach financial education to children. "Nowhere on a one-slot bank is the word 'save'. Ah, you say, it is implied. Really? Ask a child the next time he or she places a newly acquired coin in the slot why they are making that deposit. Get ready for a blank stare."

Give a kid a one-slot piggy bank and they may actually save when you ask, but Beacham's theory is that they aren't actually aware of what they are doing when they are putting money into that slot. And they have no concept why they are doing it or what they are saving for. The money goes in the slot and you get a blank stare.