Have you got a little tech tyke in the family? I’ve got some neat news for you: there’s a new product out to encourage your kids to save their money: the Ekomini interactive money box. This is really nifty! Ekomini is a unique little gadget that connects to your computer via USB. The child creates an account at the Ekomini website (registration is free, and the website directs the child to register with the assistance of the parent) where he can monitor his money that is placed into the Ekomini money box. It’s very, very cute, and incredibly useful! Here’s a video about the Ekomini money box:
The concept is extremely impressive. Through the cartoon characters at Ekominiville, your child learns how to save money, spend money wisely, invest, and give to charity. The website allows parents to follow and customize their child’s progress– it’s really a terrific tool for parents and children. Plus, Ekomini has special partnerships with various charities, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada and the Children’s Miracle Network.
The Ekomini money box is being launched in North America, and is available at the Ekomini website. Cost is very affordable: $40 and it includes free shipping. This is a great way to teach children about saving, and since children love to play games on the computer, it’s enjoyable for the child, as well. Check out the website, there’s a lot to see about Ekomini and how it was developed. This is just perfect for homeschools, schools, and even as thoughtful gifts for the holiday. I hope this toy really takes off in the United States; I wish the company success for creating such a terrific and helpful tool. Great job!
This post is sponsored by the wonderful folks at Ekomini, who asked me to review their website and product. All opinions are completely mine! See my About Page for more information about my blog policy.
I got the following in my email from Clark Howard e-zine:
RIP-OFF ALERT: We’ve gotten several calls from listeners complaining about being ripped off while checking out at many otherwise legitimate Internet selling sites.
Typically, our callers report seeing a message during checkout asking if they’d like to save X amount of dollars on their purchase. Clicking through on the message and agreeing secretly enrolls you in a subscription service that is billed to your credit card or debit account on a monthly basis. And there’s no real notification — other than some mice-type that’s too small to read.
The Wall Street Journal reports New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo suspects 22 companies of being involved with this rip-off. Among the companies he’s subpoenaed are Staples, Barnes &Noble, Avon, GameStop, 1-800-Flowers and Orbitz, just to name a few.
No need, however, to wait and hear their side of the story. You know all you need: That supposed instant discount will cost you big-time. Cuomo alleges that three of these discount programs pulled in more than $1 billion annually.
The real question is how will trusted brands that take advantage of this suspect sales ploy gain their reputations back with customers??
You can read the full post here. The comments are really, really enlightening, I think. I had no idea that such reputable companies would do such STUPID things!
When checking out [at CVS], there is a ‘donate $1′ to some so called charity which is very difficult to say no and get this off my bill. If cvs wants to donate, don’t scam me and everyone else for all these dollars that add up to millions. It is quite a scam and has to be illegal. It is very difficult to remove this.
As you check out of VisionDirect, there is a checkbox already checked for coolsavings.com. i did not notice it and began getting charged a monthly fee immediately. I caught it five months later and contacted coolsavngs.com. They reimbursed me all except one month worth – I would have had to fill out some form. Just wanted to be done with the company. Complained to VisionDirect about this and to date no response. Will take my business to a competitor from now on, even if they charge a few dollars more.
In my case, the charges started to hit twice a month for around $33 (each) when I purchased an airline ticket from Travelocity.
I’ve been a victim of this for the past 7 months from freeshipping.com without knowing about it. My wife purchased flowers from Proflowers.com and was enrolled in this service, they make it seem like part of the checkout process so you have no idea what you are signing up for.
For a few pennies per customer, companies are ripping people off by allowing third-parties to scam customers. It’s just insane. Watch the fine print!
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of eSmart Tax. All opinions are 100% mine.
Every year, more and more people take advantage of the convenience, speed, and ease of online filing for taxes. Fling the taxes is painful and stressful. Doing ALL that paperwork makes the task absolutely onerous. I know, I am self-employed and am slammed with tons of paperwork (not to mention, tons of taxes)! There’s a website that will make filing your taxes a little easier– it’s eSmartTax.com, and you can file for free at their website! Moreover, they have a very neat deluxe version geared specifically for people who have the surname Johnson: Johnsons file free! Actually, the new spokesman for eSmartTax.com, Daryl Johnson, may find it helpful! Did you know that there are over 2 million people in the United States named Johnson?! That Johnson is the second-most common name in this country?! (I assume the most common is Smith). eSmartTax.com wants to make filing taxes as painless and quick as possible, for people named Johnson and those with other names. eSmartTax.com also offers a more extensive deluxe version that you can purchase, as well. It’s very affordable– under $10! See the website for more information on filing taxes with eSmartTax.com.
Doing your income taxes is painful enough. Alleviate some of the discomfort with the convenient eSmartTax.com.
Got a business, need to keep track of time and billing and/or project management for your business? BillQuick2009 is the recently released version of the very popular BillQuick software. I’ve seen a few videos about the product, and it looks very impressive! BillQuick2009 has over 200 new features added (with much emphasis taken from customer feedback for the newest developments), and there’s a lot of helpful graphic interfaces to show at a moment’s notice how a business or project is performing. If you have a business, small or large, you may want to check out BillQuick2009; it’s being marketed primarily for such professionals as architects, engineers, attorneys, CPAs, and others, but the software is very versatile. It’s receiving rave reviews from media like FOXNews’ FOX Business show and others. To experience BillQuick 2009, download a fully-functional 30-day trial here:
BillQuick2009 gives you the ability to, among other things, link scanned documents, PDFs, graphic files and other files directly to time, expense, project, and client records. It also has a convenient mobile phone interface and more. Very nice! And BillQuick2009 will work with QuickBooks, Microsoft Office Accounting, Peachtree Accounting, and others. Check this out! You can check the site for a “free guided tour,” a very informative video, and other media to help you.
It’s just amazing how you can do EVERYTHING online these days: working, banking, investing. And did you know that you can trade stocks online? You no longer have to retain a broker, now you can manage your investments and tradings with an online stock broker, with TradeMONSTER.
TradeMONSTER is a state-of-the-art, customizable trading platform, rated 4-star by Barron’s. At TradeMONSTER, you can trade stocks, options, mutual funds, bonds, and more with ease, all within a fully personalized trading screen tailored to your interests. There is no software or downloading required– you register and set up your profile online. It’s an extremely classy interface, too– much better designed, intuitive, and faster than other trading platforms. I love the Watchlist capability of the website– very classy and speedy. Financial market data streams in real time! This is far superior to other trading platforms! There are also very helpful articles, educational resources, FAQs, tips, and tutorials about the software and more.
TradeMONSTER is not new, actually– it spawned from the successful optionMONSTER.com, a financial think tank of sorts. From that grew the idea of an online brokerage program, fully customizable and in tune with clients’ needs. There’s a short flash video demo on the homepage, and TradeMONSTER looks very impressive. Check out the website, TradeMONSTER.com, for more information. If monitoring your investments, and buying and selling stocks online with low brokerage fees and high quality useability is important to you, TradeMONSTER is what you are looking for.
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eSmartTax.com also offers a more extensive deluxe version that you can purchase, as well. It’s very affordable– under $10! See the website for more information on filing taxes with eSmartTax.com.
