It’s that time of year again. The leaves have turned, twinkling trees line the streets, and the stores are calling us in with their holiday displays. For so many of us, the holiday season can be a somewhat hectic period with social and family gatherings, or maybe trying to track down that special gift for a loved one.

And in avoiding the holiday crowds, you might decide to do a lot of your holiday shopping online. But while online shopping can be fast and convenient, don’t let a scam ruin your holiday fun. As always, be careful when entering your personal information online or placing any orders over the phone. Continue reading Protect Your Personal Info During The Holidays »

As a parent of a high schooler, you’ve probably had a conversation about illicit drug use with your kid. The teenage years are the time during which substance abuse typically begins, and it’s important to talk to your child early on before they encounter a situation where are getting the wrong message on drugs. In 2008, approximately 1.64 million teens between the ages of 12 and 18 tried drugs for the first time, so it’s important that they get facts before it’s too late.

But when you talk to them about stuff like marijuana, cocaine and psychedelics, you shouldn’t forget about the dangerous drugs you might be keeping in your medicine cabinet at home. Marijuana is still the top choice among experimenting teens, but prescription drugs are in a steadily growing second place. And in many situations, these pills are often obtained for free from their own homes. Nearly 7 million Americans are abusing these drugs — more than the total who are using cocaine, ecstasy, heroin, inhalants and hallucinogenics combined.

Some kids think prescription drugs are safer or less addictive than street drugs, because they come from a doctor and maybe they see a family member take them. But prescription drugs are only meant to be taken by those to whom they are prescribed and can be very dangerous if abused. An overdose is possible, but they can also be dangerous if used in bad combinations or if they cause a dangerous reaction.

Taking these drugs without a prescription is always against the law, and when taken recreationally, they can lead to death. Even certain over-the-counter drugs can be harmful if taken inappropriately.

For parents raising young children, you will face plenty of challenges as you guide your kids through growing up. One long-standing concern relates to television, particularly, what sorts of programming and how much television is appropriate for your kids to watch. By the time your child is 9 years old, they could be spending as much as 20 percent of their waking hours watching television.

But what are they watching? There’s no doubt that there’s a wide range of programming available and much of it may be very inappropriate for young eyes, but television can also serve as an effective teaching tool for kids as well with the right programming. Ultimately, it’s up to you the parent to make the decisions on what you find acceptable for your children to be exposed to on television, but just saying “yes” or “no”, or even simply turning it on or off will not be enough in shaping healthy habits. Here are a few helpful tips from PBS to help you establish some healthy TV habits in your kids from an early age.

• Be an active television viewer. Try to encourage your child’s curiosity with programming that sparks a conversation, such as educational programs that show how things work and what they look like. Get your child in the habit of talking about what they see and hear on television, rather than simply watching passively.
• Socialization comes first. Talking, playing games and engaging in social activities are some of the most important aspects of a child’s development. Keep the television in a communal area in your home, rather than in a child’s bedroom.
• Have a specific reason for turning on the TV. Avoid keeping the set on as background noise. Turn it on only when you want to watch a show and turn it off after the program ends. Parents can set a positive example for their kids by watching TV in this way as well.
• Know what to do when your child has a strong reaction to something on TV. If your child is frightened, acts aggressively, or demanding of some advertised toy, talk to your child about their behavior. Try blocking access to programming that is having adverse effects or that may be depicting characters acting in an undesirable fashion.

Check out PBS’s Children and Media pages for more tips on teaching your child to be an active television viewer.

There are countless scams floating around out there with the aim of separating you from your hard-earned money, and you may feel you’ve heard warnings against them all. But many of these scams are successful when you start feeling comfortable and let your guard down. Anyone can become a victim, no matter how savvy you feel you are.

More than 9 million Americans are falling victim to various types of fraud each year, from phishing and online dating scams to credit card fraud and identity theft. And in these times of economic uncertainty, with each of us more conscious over our finances, scammers are taking advantage of folks in a financial bind with credit repair schemes, promises of foreclosure relief or quick money work-at-home scams. And no matter what specific form these scams may take, often times they are the same old tricks dressed up in new clothes.

In fact, according to the National Consumers League, the most reported types of fraud were fake check scams, and were on the rise over the previous year’s numbers. And of these types of scams reported, more than 86 percent consisted of fraudulent mystery shopper, fake sweepstakes and overpayment scams. If you are ever offered payment but asked to send some of the money back, this arrangement is a surefire sign of a scam. The checks look real enough for your bank to process them, and by law your bank must make the money available to you quickly. But just because the money appears in your account does not mean the check was good. It can take weeks for a forged check to be discovered, and when it bounces, you are responsible for the amount deposited.

So many of us are looking for financial opportunities that might help us get through tough times. But letting your guard down could make matters much worse. Check out the NCL site for more information on the different types of fake check scams and other types of fraud, and learn about what you can do to take a stand and avoid falling victim.