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Well, apparently there’s some news going around that TransUnion, a credit reporting company, has apparently sold confidential credit information to target marketing companies in the United States illegally between the years of 1987 and 2000.

Yikes, any time there’s a chance that your personal data is out there is pretty scary to me, so if you live in the US and applied for credit from them during the years i question, you just might want to check it out and see if you could be eligible for a Transunion Settlement from them. Not that it’s going to undo the harm done but it’s better than nothing.

Maybe I’m a little paranoid but I feel rather self-conscious if I were to wear gold. Gold is really pretty and I mean, for centuries, it’s been a symbol of much pomp and pride, right? Don’t get me wrong, I love how it glitters on other people, it’s just that I wouldn’t wear it myself, well, not unless I have other choices.

My friends have this joke that while other folks are investing in gold bullion, I’d probably be the only one opting for silver, hahaha. So what’s wrong with silver? If I could afford buy silver bullion, I sure don’t think it’s anything to laugh about, eh?

You know how it gets really boring waiting in line at the bank and sometimes your ears just perk up and tune into other people’s conversations? Unintentionally, of course but some people talk so loudly you just can’t help it. So the latest bit of advice I overheard is to  buy gold bullion which is a more stable investment.

Easier said than done, I’m thinking. Don’t you have to bring in a briefcase of cash, handcuffed to your wrist, and watch while ten men load up your truck with gold bars? Yeah, yeah, too many movies. But wait, they say gold now comes in ingots and coins, not bars?!

Looking at Steev, my firstborn, it’s hard to imagine he was a baby in my arms just yesterday and he’s a strapping young man today about to go off to university. We reckon it’s time to give him a credit card. Apparently there are even prepaid credit cards these days. I didn’t know that so that’s an option I have to consider as well. The bottom line though is that if he’s old enough to have a card, he’s old enough to be responsible for managing it. Think I can trust his cheeky grin ?

I always forget to bring a book along to read when I go on my errands. That’s why I always end up overhearing other people’s conversations when I’m waiting my turn in line. Recently I heard someone saying they think it’s a good time to buy gold bullion and I’m sitting there thinking, sure, why not if indeed you have the extra cash. What the guy said is true, stashing precious metals is better than keeping money in a bank where they throw you some piddly interest every now and then. Think Uncle Scrooge sitting in his vault counting his gold all day .

As everyone is busy gobbling mandarin oranges (the homonym for ‘gold’ in Chinese), I guess we can expect more talk about the benefits of buying gold and how profitable it can be.

In these days of financial uncertainty, I’m told that it’s safer to hoard gold than money. That is, if you have the money to buy gold bullion in the first place.

I guess people are more comfortable with cash because they’re more familiar with it than with precious metals. But hey, like the saying goes, you can always learn, and I believe there are always people willing to teach you a few tricks.

The economic downturn is getting to be quite scary and if anyone out there is still in denial, it’s time to wake up and smell the bad air! The malls are much quieter than ever before even on the weekend, and the sales are still on or just starting again which is very strange.

At the bank the other day, I overheard some people asking the bank officer about investing in precious metals. With interest rates almost a big fat zero now, I guess many people are seeking out alternatives. If you don’t have time to get to a bank, you can find investment information online at Monex Deposit Company.

The other day while running my endless errands, I drove past the building where our insurance company is located. Quite frankly, with school just having started and Chinese New Year coming up in about a week, it’d completely slipped my mind that I have some outstanding insurance premiums to pay.

I was stuck in traffic that day in front of the building and that jolted my memory. Duh! So many things to remember and one more errand to add to my list. Luckily there’s a grace period so I think I’ll wait till the festivities are over and I have a little more breathing space.

But you know, having life insurance is something that’s very important especially for people with families and kids. You want to be sure they’re well taken care of in any event so you can enjoy them without having to worry about the future.

We bought our policies years ago when we first had our kids. But if you’re a new parent and want to explore your life insurance options, you can get an expert appraisal at USA Life Insurance where a consultant will provide you with all the expertise and resources you need to make an informed decision on which policies are best suited to your specific expectations.

Prior to that, if you want to do your own homework first, there’s lots of information on their site that you can browse through ahead of time, so that when you do contact their experts, you’ll already have some questions in mind to ask.