Saturday, October 24, 2009

Lift the Spirits of Your Friend or Loved One Who is Deployed - Military Benefit Association May Be Able to Help!

Do you want to lift the spirits of your friend or a loved who is deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan? On November 1st, Military Benefit Association will launch a new contest to show our support for those deployed as well as those who are stateside. Tell us what you have in mind to lift the spirits of your friend or loved one who is deployed. We’ll choose one winner every month

Please see our website and Facebook pages for more details and check back here on November 1st, 2009.
http://www.militarybenefit.org
http://www.facebook.com/militarybenefit

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Financial Tips for Soldiers



Holidays are right around the corner, and this year, many of us are more worried about travel and gift costs than the joy that the holidays should bring. Military Benefit Association has a few tips to help you get through the next few months and protect your financial well-being.

1. Verify your charities.

Be sure you know if your donation is tax deductible for you. Also, be sure to know how far your generous dollars are going--some donation dollars end up going to professional fundraisers, mailings, and callers while some are volunteer-run. Check out the charities you give to on the internet and call to make sure the charity is registered at www.nasconet.org/agencies. Unfortunately, some charities don’t have the infrastructure to help their cause even if you give them money. Others end up being scam artists that take advantage of the generosity of others. Other great information on charitable giving can be found here: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/telemarketing/tel01.shtm

2. Register for online banking and overdraft protection.

Online banking is the easiest way to check your balances around-the-clock and make sure you're not overspending on gifts, travel, or other holiday necessities. Overdraft protection links credit cards to your checking account and bypasses $35-$50 overdraft fees in case you lose track.

3. Protect yourself from identity theft.

People lose and steal credit card information daily. One trick you can use to minimize damage is write "Ask for ID" on the back of the credit card in permanent marker (please avoid the magnetic strip and covering your signature). Cashiers will notice it and while you will have to show your id more often, it will protect you in case your card falls into the wrong hands. Many more helpful tips for avoiding credit and charge card fraud can be found here http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre07.shtm.

4. Protect and improve your credit score.

Many don’t know that it doesn’t take much to damage your credit score. This often happens around the holidays. It will be a new year, why not start it off with a fresh score? You get one free report each year from freecreditreport.com. If it is above 700, little needs to be done. Tips for improving your score are: pay off as much of your balance each month as possible, pay on time, and don't close old accounts. Part of a credit score is your available credit ratio, and an empty, paid off credit card is not a bad thing.

5. In debt? Pay attention to interest rates.

It would be silly to keep money in a checking account that is getting you only 1% interest when your credit card company is charging you 11% per month in interest. That's 10% you're losing on every dollar in your savings account. Pay off your debt before you start saving.

6. Plan for the future

If you're worried about what might happen to your family should you pass away unexpectedly, now is better than never to reconsider and enhance your life insurance plan. Visit www.militarybenefit.org to review life insurance available to military members, veterans, federal employees and their families.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

From Box Office to Military Base: Watch Favorite American Shows, Play American Games Overseas

It can be hard to stay entertained when overseas. The DVDs are in a foreign language. Your iPod freezes. Maybe you didn't have enough room in your bag to include all your favorite games and movies on your trip--and you know you miss classic board games from time to time. With the internet, it is now easier than ever to stay entertained away from home as long as you have internet access from time to time.

Hulu.com
For television shows, Hulu.com is great. You don't have to sign up and the clips are easy to view. The commercials are limited, so watching television shows on Hulu is easier than downloading it from the network's Web site--and it's free. Only drawback: not all television shows are on here, so you will have to download those shows elsewhere.

iTunes
You don't need an iPod to take advantage of iTunes. You can pay $1.99 for those television shows that are omitted from Hulu, and you can watch them on the easy-to-use iTunes program that keeps clips organized and ready to view.

Cinemanow.com
This site is the #1 movie download service in the world. Movies can be downloaded for $10-15 at the click of a mouse. Movies can be rented for $3.99 or pay-per-view if you don't want to own it forever and want to save a buck. New movies, old movies, and music videos are available on this site and will surely keep soldiers entertained for hours.

PublicDomainFlicks.com
This site is home to hundreds of oldies-but-goodies that are in the public domain. These full-length classic movies can be downloaded for free. Some of them star old Hollywood legends like Charlie Chaplin, Frank Sinatra and Shirley Temple.

Youtube.com
Always a favorite, and a great way to stay in tune with mainstream culture from home, is Youtube. The drawback of Youtube compared to the other video sites is the inability to download favorite clips, so you will need a good internet connection to take advantage of the site.

Pogo.com
This free gaming site is home to hundreds of games and thousands more gamers. Classics like solitaire, checkers, and poker (with fun money) are played around-the-clock with people from all over the world. There are single-player puzzles and card games that will keep your mind sharp for bootcamp or combat. You will also find favorites from home that you wouldn't expect to see on an internet site--like Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit.

AddictingGames.com
For simple but addicting games, this site is for you. This site is home to sports-themed computer games, puzzles, pong-type games, and skill games like Greyhound Tycoon. If you have internet access and are craving a cheap thrill, visit addicting games and get hooked on something for a few hours.

Military Benefit Association's Fan Box