1.切莫貪心，天上不會掉餡餅。在購買商品或者簽訂合同之前，如果認為這筆交易好的出乎意料，最好先詢問家人或者朋友的意見。多花一點時間確認，可以免去之後很多令人頭疼的麻煩。
2.使用直接存款方式支付社會保險，安全又便捷。百分之九十以上的社會保險支付問題都出在郵寄過程中。電子支付方式一方面保證支付過程更加安全，另一方面也可以使自己所得的款目立即到賬。
3.個人債務個人償還，生不帶來，死卻可帶去。當您死亡時，債權人不能夠強制您的家人去償付您的債務。他們只能從您遺留下的財產中獲得償付。除非家庭成員與您共同簽署債務合同，否則債權人無權要求他們用個人財產償付您的債務。
4.生活發生重大變故時，記得更新遺囑。無論是家庭中有成員誕生、死亡、結婚、離異或者發生了任何其他變故時，務必記得更新您的遺囑，以免有部分成員被無意剝奪繼承權利。
5.慎防詐騙，當心個人資訊被盜。如果有熟悉的公司打電話來要求提供重要個人資訊，最好不要立即提供。可以先撥打該公司的電話號碼，詢問清楚之後再提供。一定要當心，有人會通過這種手段進行詐騙。
6.不要隨意兌現意外支票。有些公司會發放一些帶有付款承諾條款的支票，當您兌現這種支票時，您將會被自動加入一種每月付款的服務。當收到寄來的支票時，記得確認支票上或者隨同寄來的材料中沒有相應的付款說明，然後再去兌現。
7.定期檢查信用記錄。至少一年一次，定期檢查您的信用記錄。有時候您的信用卡帳戶會被人竊用，這種情況下會影響您的信用記錄，進一步影響到您找工作、租房、賣保險或者借貸等一系列問題。可以撥打1-877-322-8228，免費查詢您的信用記錄。
8.申請全國或者密蘇裡地區的防騷擾服務。您可以通過申請註冊防騷擾服務，過濾掉不希望接聽的電話號碼或者推銷服務。需要註冊全國範圍內的服務，請撥打電話1-888-382-1222；若需要註冊密蘇裡地區的服務，請撥打電話1-866-662-2551。
9.仔細閱讀禮品卡的使用規則。禮品卡的使用規則並非全部相同，有些卡盡在一定期限內有效，還有一些禮品卡在交易或者登出時會收取一定的費用。確定瞭解禮品卡的使用規則之後，再進行購買。
10.遇到困難時，知道向誰求助。遇到商業問題或者身份資訊被盜用，請撥打密蘇里州律師協會消費者保護熱線：1-800-392-8222。需要投訴投資或者證券公司，請撥打密蘇里州投資保護熱線：1-800-721-7996
Top 10 things every senior should consider
1. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. This saying is timeless. Unfortunately, the fine print often exposes such offers as a bad deal. Check all the terms before you purchase an item or sign a contract. If you still feel uneasy, check with your family and friends. Taking a little time to check out an offer can save you big headaches later.
2. Use direct deposit for your Social Security payments. Having your Social Security check electronically deposited guarantees that the bank receives your payment safely and securely. More than 90 percent of the problems with Social Security payments are associated with mail delivery. Electronic deposit also means you get your money immediately. Direct deposit is safer, faster and secure.
3. At your death, your debts are your own. When you die, your creditors cannot force your family to pay for your debts. The creditors you owe can take assets from what is left in your estate, but they cannot force family members to pay out of their own pockets unless they co-signed the debt.
4. Update your will when your life changes- a birth, death, marriage, divorce or other life changing event. Be sure to update your will when your family circumstances change so that someone is not inadvertently left out. Death may be uncertain, but you can be more certain about how life after your death will affect your family if you plan for it now.
5. Don't be a victim of identity theft. Identity thieves may call you and pretend to be with a company you have a relationship with. If someone from a company you do business with calls you on the phone and asks for important personal information, do not provide it. Instead, call the company's number in the phone book or on the statements they mail you and ask if someone called you. Chances are, it was a scam artist.
6. If you get an unexpected check in the mail, read all the fine print before cashing it. Some companies now send out checks with fine print attached. When the check is cashed, the person named on the check is enrolled in a service with a monthly charge. If you receive a check in the mail, make sure there is no fine print on the check or other materials mailed with the check that will cost you money.
7. Check your credit report (free!). Request your free credit report at least once a year to check for identity theft. Thieves sometimes open credit card accounts in seniors' names, charge up large amounts and do not pay. This affects your credit report, which influences whether you can be employed, rent an apartment, buy insurance or get a loan. Check your credit report free by calling 1-877-322-8228. Don't fall for free credit report services advertised on TV that actually enroll you in a monthly service before you can get your ※free§ report.
8. Consider signing up for the national and Missouri do-not-call registries. Registering your phone number with the do-not-call registries will reduce the number of unwanted calls you receive. To register your phone on the national registry, call 1-888-382-1222. To register your phone on the Missouri registry, call 1-866-662-2551. You can still be called by charities, political parties, pollsters, and businesses with which you have a relationship, but telemarketing calls will stop.
9. Read the fine print on gift cards. Gift cards are not all the same. Some cards expire after a certain amount of time. Other gift cards charge fees for transactions or inactivity. If you are going to give someone a gift card, be sure that you understand the fees associated with the card.
10. Know who to contact when you need to complain. You can file a complaint with the Missouri attorney general's Consumer Protection hotline at 1-800-392-8222 about problems with businesses or if you are the victim of identity theft. If you have a complaint about a securities or investment company, you can call the secretary of state Investor Protection hotline at 1-800-721-7996. |
