Chapter 6

ARE YOU BEING TRICKED INTO BUYING?

Posted on April 29, 2023 by Melissa Hart

Retailing and marketing strategies are designed to encourage you to spend more than you plan. You can avoid these tactics by being aware of the tricks used to make you buy.

  • “5 for $5” implies that you must buy five to get the deal. However, you most likely can buy one for $1.
  • Taller, narrower packages are often viewed as holding more product. Be sure to check the actual weight. Also beware of smaller packages for the same price as before, or even higher.
  • “Up to 50% off” usually means many items in the store are being sold for a discount of less than 50 percent.
  • “A small $5 fee,” instead of “A $5 fee,” may influence you into thinking that is more reasonable than it really is. Also beware of prices that exclude shipping and taxes.
  • Rebates attract customers, but not everyone submits the needed paperwork to receive the refund.
  • Many prices end in 9 to create the impression of a lower price.
  • Beware of promotions that emphasize low payment; be sure to calculate the total price.

Remember: items may not always be “on sale,” but they are always “for sale.”

For additional information on avoiding marketing tricks, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students talk to others to obtain suggestions for wise buying.
  • Have students create a visual summary (slide presentation or video) with tips for wise buying.

Discussion Questions 

  1. What actions can a person take to prevent spending money unwisely?
  2. Describe actions you use to make wise buying decisions.    
Categories: Chapter 6, Purchasing Strategies, Wise Shopping | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Personal Finance Simulations for Budgeting and Investing

Posted on December 17, 2022 by Melissa Hart

Question:  What is a Personal Finance simulation? 

Answer:  A Personal Finance simulation allows students to fine-tune their decisions when they encounter real-life scenarios while taking a Personal Finance course. 

The authors of Personal Finance, 14e and Focus on Personal Finance, 7e have partnered with StockTrak.com to provide students with an interactive learning experience before they leave the classroom.   

The simulation that accompanies the Kapoor Personal Finance texts includes two components–a personal budgeting simulation and an investing simulation.

The Budgeting Simulation

  • Students assume the role of a full-time employee or part-time employee living on their own.
  • Over a virtual 12-month period, students review their estimated income and expenses, create monthly budgets and savings goals, and try to build an emergency fund. Each month takes about 20 minutes to complete.
  • Each month students manage their checking, savings, and credit card accounts as they deal with life’s expected and unexpected events that affect their budget.  
  • Within the simulation, additional personal finance tutorials are available to make sure students are learning about budgeting, banking, credit, employment, taxes, insurance, and more.
  • A class ranking based on net worth, credit score, and quality of life keep the students fully engaged and professors informed of each student’s progress.

The Investing Simulation

  • Students receive a virtual $25,000 in a brokerage account.
  • They can research U.S. stocks, ETFs, bonds and mutual funds and create their own investment portfolio.
  • All investment trades are based on real-time market prices.
  • Within the simulation, interactive tutorials help students get started and provide additional information during the simulation.
  • Students can monitor their performance versus their classmates.  At the same time, professors can track each student’s progress.

And BEST of ALL, with the new partnership between Stock-Trak and McGraw Hill, classes using the Kapoor Personal Finance textbook get a 50% savings when students register for the simulation – only $9.99 per student instead of retail price of $19.99.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Visit StockTrak.com/kapoor to learn more about the Personal Finance Budgeting and Investing Simulation.  You can learn even more by watching a short video or accessing the Kapoor demo materials located toward the bottom of the above site. 
  • It’s easy to get started.  All you need to do is access the above site, register your classes for Spring 2023, and indicate the dates you want your student to have access to the Personal Finance Simulation.  The site will generate a unique link for you to give to your students.
Categories: Budget, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapters, Chapter_10, Chapter_11, Chapter_12, Chapter_13, Chapter_14, Financial Planning Topics, Teaching Tools | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Conned on Social Media? It’s not just you

Posted on May 7, 2022 by Melissa Hart

In 2021, more than 95,000 Americans told the Federal Trade Commission that they’d been scammed with a con that started on social media. In fact, more than one in four people who reported to the FTC that they lost money to any scam said the transaction started with a post, an ad, or a message on a social media platform. And the losses amounted to about $770 million.

Americans reported losing the most money to investment scams (particularly those involving bogus cryptocurrency investments) and romance scams. More than a third of the Americans who lost money to romance scams said it started on Facebook or Instagram.

The largest number of reports came from people who lost money trying to buy something they saw marketed on social media. Most said they didn’t get what they paid for, while some reported ads that impersonated a real online retailer. Reports of social media fraud increased for all age groups in 2021, but people 18 to 39 were more than twice as likely to report losing money than older adults.

Scammers trying to get your money are always looking for new ways to reach people. And they’ll use whatever they know about you to target their pitch. Here are a few actions you can take to protect yourself, no matter which social media platform you use:

  • Try to limit who can see your posts and information on social media. Of course, all platforms collect information about you from your activities on social media, but visit your privacy settings to set some restrictions.
  • Check if you can opt out of targeted advertising. Some platforms let you do that.
  • If you see urgent messages from a “friend” asking for money, stop. It could be a hacker behind that post pretending to be your friend.
  • Don’t deal with a vendor that requires payment by cryptocurrency, gift card, or wire transfer. That’s sure to be a scam.

If you see or experience scam on social media, report it to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

For More Information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Ask students if they, their friends or relatives have been scammed on social media.  If so, what have been their experiences?
  • Ask students to make a list of actions they might take to protect themselves from social media scams.

Discussion Questions

  1. Why do many people fall victims to scammers?  What can they do to protect themselves?
  2. What can the federal, state, and local governments do to protect consumers from scams?
Categories: Chapter 6, Frauds and Scams | Tags: | Leave a comment

Tips To Avoid Internet Scams

Posted on January 1, 2022 by Melissa Hart

Each day, more and more scams surface through computers, tablets, cellphones, and other smart devices. To protect your personal information and to avoid being a victim of fraud, the following actions are recommended:

  • Keep operating systems, browsers, programs, apps, and security components up to date.
  • Be aware of the latest scam techniques being used by fraudsters. Search online to learn about current scams.
  • Enable firewalls for your computer and router.
  • Install an antivirus program for your computer, tablet, and smartphone that updates automatically.
  • Create a guest network for visitors to your home to use, to avoid them having to access your home network.
  • Don’t click or respond to emails, phone calls, or text messages from strange addresses and those with unusual subject lines.
  • Update passwords often with a random, complex series of letters, numbers, and symbols; don’t use the same password on different sites. Consider use of a password manager. 
  • Use only reputable sites when shopping online. Use a credit card instead of a debit card for greater financial protection. Don’t click on links or pop-ups, which can be a fake, look-alike website; instead, go directly to the shopping website.
  • Adjust privacy settings on your devices, and for websites you visit for your best protection.  
  • Regularly back up your data in case of a malicious attack, so you don’t lose access to your information and files. If you encounter a ransomware attack, file a report with the FBI.
  • Avoid use of public Wi-Fi to prevent potential fraud and identity theft.
  • Be cautious with your social media posts, especially information about children and teens. Don’t post personal information, vacation plans, work and home schedules, address or other contact information. Don’t “check in” at the locations you visit. 
  • Be cautious about online gaming, which can result in identity theft, bullying, harassment and online predators. Children should use an avatar or nickname.

For additional information on avoiding online scams, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students search online for examples of recently-created online scams.
  • Have students create a video, poster, or slide presentation with common email scams and actions to avoid those situations.

Discussion Questions 

  1. What are some reasons that a person might become a victim of an online scam?
  2. Describe actions to learn about new online scams. 
Categories: Chapter 4, Chapter 6, Frauds and Scams, Identity Theft | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

ARE YOU AN IMPULSE BUYER?

Posted on November 27, 2021 by Melissa Hart

During the COVID quarantine, online buying became an addiction for many.  During this time, impulse spending increased by an estimated 18 percent.  Unplanned buying occurs when you purchase more than intended.  Or, buying extra grocery items while shopping when you are hungry. Or, a bad day at work results in a purchase to overcome anxiety.

Most spending occurs to make a person feel better. A survey reported that 72 percent of respondents reported a positive mood from an impulse buy, while 65 percent reported that an impulse buy can reverse a bad day. Others reported that they buy things to help loved ones feel better.

Three personality types are often associated with impulse buying:

  1. Sensation seekers may not consider the risks of impulse buying but desire the spending experience when they feel guilty, bored, or disengaged.
  2. Impulse buying tendency buyers are those who are aware of their behavior but don’t necessarily see it as a problem.
  3. Consumer-driven self-identity is a desire to be part of emerging trends and high-end brands to present an image of status, style, and good taste. 

To take advantage of in-person shoppers, stores make use of sensory environments, bold and graphic signage, associations between brand and positive feelings, checkout line “bonus” items, and price discounts and markdowns. Online retailers encourage buying with the use of time-based and quantity-based deals, heavily targeted social media ads, abandoned shopping cart emails, and free shipping.

Symptoms of impulse buying include:

  • you shop to feel better, which can be dangerous; find other ways to channel your energy
  • you shop to compete with buying to stay up or ahead of others
  • you’re bored; plan something else to do–go for a walk, read, write, draw, email a friend
  • your finances are suffering; track spending to avoid unnecessary purchases   
  • you have too much stuff, much of which you will never use

To reduce your impulse buying…

  • avoid temptations by unfollowing your favorite brand, unsubscribing from marketing emails, clearing browser cookies, blocking favorite sites, deleting shopping apps from your phone, and unsaving credit card information on your browser.
  • create a “fun” budget item as therapy
  • save to buy a “big” item to avoid unneeded spending
  • wait 24-48 hours before buying an item
  • try a no-spend challenge in which you buy nothing for a set number of days, weeks, or months to save money and change past habits. 
  • ask yourself: “Do I need this today or tomorrow?” If not, don’t buy it.

For additional information on impulse buying, click here

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students talk to others to ask about any actions they take to avoid impulse buying.
  • Have students create an in-class presentation or video that dramatizes actions to avoid impulse buying.

Discussion Questions 

  1. What types of impulse buying situations have you experienced or observed?
  2. How might impulse buying affect long-term financial security? 
Categories: Chapter 6, Wise Shopping | Tags: | Leave a comment

VIN Check When Buying A Used Car

Posted on September 25, 2021 by Melissa Hart

Every motor vehicle has a unique Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), which can be used to check the registration, title, and any insurance claims. The numeric characters in the VIN indicate: the country of origin; manufacturer and division; vehicle description, safety and type of engine; the manufacturer’s security code; vehicle’s model year; assembly plant; and vehicle serial number.

Several no-cost VIN-check services are available to identify potential vehicle problems when buying a used car. This service is especially important when purchasing a vehicle online through Craigslist or eBay. A VIN-check service may also be used to obtain information on your current vehicle.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (http://www.nicb.org/vincheck) has a basic VIN check search tool that will tell you if a vehicle has been reported as lost or stolen, salvaged, or declared a total loss after an accident. 

VehicleHistory.com offers a more complete VIN check, such as fuel economy, ownership costs, and a price analysis. Also included are the selling history, recalls, manufacturer warranties, and price estimates for the best time to buy a certain make and model.

iSeeCars.com/VIN consider 200 data points to create a car history report with a price analysis, price history, projected depreciation, and the best times to buy and sell.

As always, when buying a used car have an ASE certified mechanic of your choice inspect the vehicle. Remember, nearly every used car is sold “as is.”  Also be cautious of vehicles with flood damage that were rebuilt and had their titles “washed” after a hurricane or other major storm. These cars often encounter failed electrical systems.

For additional information on VIN checks for used cars, go to:

3 Ways To Get a Free VIN Check Before Buying a Used Car

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students talk to others to learn about actions to take when buying a used car.
  • Have students create a visual proposal (poster or slide presentation) with mistakes a person should avoid when buying a used car.

Discussion Questions 

  1. What features of VIN-check services might help people improve the car-buying process?
  2. Describe situations in which a VIN check may be appropriate.  
Categories: Chapter 6, Wise Shopping | Tags: | Leave a comment

How to protect yourself from social media identity theft

Posted on September 11, 2021 by Melissa Hart

If you use social media, you could be a target for identity theft. You can buy identity theft insurance – or it might be included in your homeowners or renters policy. But taking simple steps to protect your social media accounts can help you avoid most scams.

  1. Don’t post ID cards

It might be tempting to post a photo of a new license or ID card, but it may include your birthday and other identifying data.

  • Question quizzes and surveys

Watch out for quizzes that ask for personal information. Scammers ask questions with answers you might use for security login questions, such as the model of your first car, your first pet’s name, or your hometown.

  • Don’t overshare

Most social media sites and apps ask you about yourself, then display that information on your profile. Be careful what you give them. The more a scammer knows about you, the easier it is to create a fake account with your information. If an app allows it, keep your profile private.

  • Limit app sharing

Many apps let you sign in with a more popular app. But when you do, you usually agree to let the new app use data from the old one. If one app is hacked, scammers can get data from every app linked to it.

  • Close old accounts

Scammers look for old, unused accounts with outdated passwords that are easy to hack. If you don’t use an app, delete your account.

  • Protect family members

Teens are the most likely to overshare. They usually have clean credit histories, which makes their identities valuable. Seniors don’t use social media as often but might not know when they’ve been hacked. It’s a good idea to check the accounts of family members in those groups.

For more information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions:

  • Ask students how they protect their social media accounts.  What precautions are particularly useful to protect their identity on the Internet?
  • Why are teens more likely to overshare their personal information on the social media?

Discussion Questions:

  1. What can regulatory agencies, such as, the Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, do to protect your social media accounts?
  2. Should Facebook, Instagram, Whats App, etc. provide clear guidance on what to post (or not to post) on social media sites?  How it might be done to protect consumers?
Categories: Chapter 6, Frauds and Scams, Identity Theft | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Do you need identity theft insurance?

Posted on August 28, 2021 by Melissa Hart

Victims of identity theft can be left with a bad credit record that can take months to correct. Here’s what you need to know about identity theft insurance and how to protect yourself.

  1. You may be covered

Some homeowners policies include coverage for identity theft. Check your policy or ask your agent to see if yours does. Other companies can add it to your homeowners or renter’s policy or sell you a stand-alone policy. These typically cost $25-$50 a year. Some credit monitoring services also provide identify theft protection or help with recovery.

2. What it includes

Identity theft insurance pays you back for what you spend to restore your identity and repair your credit. These costs can include fees, phone bills, lost wages, notary and certified mailing costs, and sometimes attorney fees. Some policies include credit monitoring and alerts and help you start the process to restore your identity. As with any insurance policy, make sure to know exactly what you’re purchasing and be sure to ask about deductibles and policy limits.

3. Is it worth it?

The U.S. Department of Justice reported recently that 7 percent of Americans were the victims of identity theft. Of those, half said it cost them less than $100, and 14 percent said they lost $1,000 or more. Banks and credit card companies already cover most or all losses due to fraud so most victims’ spend more time than money restoring their identity. However, complex cases can mean attorney’s fees and lost wages if you need to take off work, which could be covered by an identity theft policy.

4. How to protect yourself

You can take the following steps to protect yourself from identity theft:Be aware of your setting when you’re entering a credit card number or providing one over the phone. Make sure strangers can’t see or hear you.

Always tear up applications for “pre-approved” credit cards you get in the mail. Criminals may use them and try to activate the cards.

Never respond to unsolicited email that requests identifying data.

 For more information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions:

  • Ask students if they ever thought of purchasing identity theft insurance?  If so, did they purchase it or not?  What have been their experiences?
  • Ask students to make a list of steps to take to protect themselves from identity theft.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why purchase identity theft insurance if it is already covered by your homeowners insurance policy?
  2. Under what circumstances is identity theft insurance necessary?  Is it worth it?  Explain.
Categories: Chapter 6, Frauds and Scams, Identity Theft | Tags: , | Leave a comment

New IRS imposter scam targets college students and staff

Posted on August 14, 2021 by Melissa Hart

If you’re a college student, faculty, or staff member, pay attention to this scam. IRS imposters are sending phishing emails to people with “.edu” email addresses, saying they have information about your “tax refund payment.” What do they really want? Your personal information.

Scammers are sending emails with subject lines like, “Tax Refund Payment” or “Recalculation of your tax refund payment.” The email asks you to click a link and submit a form to claim your “refund.”

What happens if you click the link? The website asks for personal information, including your name, Social Security number (SSN), date of birth, prior year’s annual gross income (AGI), driver’s license number, address, and electronic filing PIN. Scammers can use or sell this information for identity theft.

The emails can look really real and include the IRS logo. But no matter what the email looks like or says, one thing stays true: the IRS will not first contact you by email. They will always start by sending you a letter. And, to confirm that it’s really the IRS, you can call them directly at 800-829-1040.

If you clicked a link in one of these emails and shared personal information, file a report at IdentityTheft.gov to get a customized recovery plan based on what information you shared.

If you spotted this scam, the IRS is asking you to forward the email as an attachment to phishing@irs.gov and at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

For more information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions:

  • Ask students if they, their relatives or friends have received such scam emails.  If so, how did they respond to the scam?
  • Why have imposter scams increased so rapidly in the last few years?  What, if anything, can consumers do to avoid such scams?

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why is it important not to click on the links, even if they seem to be legitimate?
  2. If you clicked on such a link, what steps should you take to protect yourself and others from being scammed?
Categories: Chapter 3, Chapter 6, Frauds and Scams | Tags: , | Leave a comment

SCAM TRACKING MAP

Posted on April 17, 2021 by Melissa Hart

Not everyone will be a victim of fraud, but everyone is a target. The AARP Fraud Watch Network offers a scam-tracking map to report fraud activity based on user-submitted information.

To help protect yourself and others, people are asked to report a scam they encounter.  The online form requests your zip code, method of contact (advertisement, door-to-door, Internet, e-mail, U.S. mail, or other), the type of scam, and the amount of money lost to the con artist. The list of scams includes more than 50 types, ranging from debt collection and charities to contests and online auctions.

Further assistance in reporting a scam is available at 1-877-908-3360.  AARP warns that it does not independently verify scam reports, nor guarantee the accuracy of reported scams.

Commonly suggested actions to avoid being taken by a scam include:

  • Only do business with reputable companies.
  • Understand contracts or other documents you sign.
  • Beware of impulse buying; con artists often tell you this is your last chance.
  • If it sounds too good to be true…it probably is!
  • STOP…WAIT…THINK…DON’T!

For additional information on the scam tracking map, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students locate examples of current scams that have surfaced in their area.
  • Have students create a video with suggested actions to take to avoid being taken by a scam.

Discussion Questions 

  1. What are reasons that some people are easily deceived by frauds and scams?
  2. Describe actions that might be taken to avoid scams and fraud.
Categories: Chapter 6, Frauds and Scams | Tags: , | Leave a comment

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