Shannon Harvey

Is it possible that a simple click of the mouse can help those in need? Apparently so.

A friend told me about one of her favorite websites that allows her to feel that she's helping others, no matter how hard that may be now with everyone watching their budgets closely. Are you seeking ways to support specific causes that are dear to your heart? A daily click on some the the below websites provides funding to various worthy causes...and it doesn't cost you a dime.

You can visit the website of your choosing daily to get involved in many worthwhile endeavors, such as breast cancer awareness, animal welfare, hunger relief, rainforest preservation, children's health, and literacy.

Here are a few of the websites:

www.TheHungerSite.com Giving food to people in need around the world.

www.TheAnimalRescueSite.com Funding food and care for rescued animals.

www.TheRainforestSite.com Funding preservation of endangered habitat and forestland.

www.TheChildHealthSite.com Funding health services for children in developing nations.

www.TheBreastCancerSite.com or www.PinkRibbonStore.com Funding mammograms for women in need.

www.TheLiteracySite.com or www.MuseumShop.com Funding free books for underpriveleged children.

So, feel free to visit any of those sites. A simple click on their homepages is paid for by their advertisers and 100% of the revenue generated will go directly to support the work of their charity partners. Not to mention, you may grow to feel strongly about a specific site and decide to become one of their donors sometime down the road.

Perhaps Og Mandino said it best: "Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug."

I get questions like this frequently. While car insurance is something we all pay for regularly, it seems to be something we know very little about...until it's too late. This particular question struck a nerve as I wondered how we would be affected if our babysitter (Sunny) needed to use our car since that's where Jackson's & Lawson's car seats regularly reside.

Automobile insurance is designed to follow the car, which means that the coverage we purchased for our vehicle will cover the car regardless of who's driving it.

That said, in order to be fully covered by our policy (under what's called the non-owned auto provision), Sunny must have permission (verbal or written) to drive our insured vehicle.

Sunny must be an occasional driver only, not a regular driver or user of the vehicle. If she gets into an accident while driving our car (and considering she had our permission to drive the car at the time of the accident), our auto insurance will be considered the primary coverage in any accident-related claim that's made. Sunny's car insurance coverage (if she's covered under her own policy, or that of a parent) will be considered a secondary coverage, and will only activate if damage claims exceed the limits of our own policy.

I was happy to help my friend with the answer to his question, and felt a littler better knowing where we stand if Sunny should ever need to use our car while babysitting for us.

In reading The State paper recently, I noticed an article entitled "ID Theft, Fraud Rising, Report Says." The article highlighted that Identity Theft is on the rise in South Carolina and across the country, and it remains the top reason for consumer complaints for the 9th year in a row. A consumer advocate indicated that these types of crimes tend to INCREASE during a recession. Also, during 2008 in SC, ID Theft/Fraud cost consumers $14.2 million.

But the news isn't all bad. The 3 main steps to protecting yourself from identity theft are simple and I will summarize them in a 3-part series. Make them a habit to lower your risk for Identity Theft.

Step 3 of 3: Defend yourself as soon as you notice a problem.

If you think you might be a victim, it's important to act fast!

· Put a "fraud alert" on your credit reports. This alert tells creditors to follow certain procedures before opening any new accounts in your name or making certain charges to accounts that are already open. The initial fraud alert lasts for 90 days. Call any of the bureaus below to begin:

o Equifax: 1-800-525-6285

o Experian: 1-888-397-3742

o TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289

· Once you place the alert, you'll be able to get a free credit report from each bureau. Review them carefully, looking for any account, inquiry, debt, or charge that doesn't sound familiar.

Next, close any accounts that have been tampered with or established as part of the identity theft. Keep detailed records (even of conversations) and ask for verification that the accounts have been closed. Download the Federal Trade Commission's ID Theft Affidavit (PDF) to support your statements.

For full information on how to respond to identity theft, visit the FTC's "Deter, Detect, Defend" website.

Do you ever find yourself at the end of a long day of hard work only to feel like you haven't accomplished much? I'll climb out on a limb and guess that you occasionally have. Whenever I get that feeling I recall a story I read about Andrew Carnegie, who built the Carnegie Steel Company and amassed one of the largest fortunes ever in the United States.

The story goes that Andrew Carnegie was at a crossroads in his personal and business life when he met with a business consultant who had a system that he guaranteed would offer success to anyone who applied it consistently. Carnegie was skeptical of the claim, but the consultant pressured him into trying the system free for a year and if it was successful he would accept whatever fee Carnegie considered appropriate. Carnegie agreed and applied the system, enjoying exponential results in both his personal and business life. At year's end, Carnegie is said to have sent the consultant $20,000--a vast sum considering this would have been shortly after the end of the Civil War.

Upon hearing the story it's easy to assume the said system must be too complex for most people to implement in their own lives. On the contrary, the system is quite simple and you've likely heard it before. Carnegie was advised to: a) sit down each evening and list the activities to be done the next day which would move him toward his life goals; b) prioritize the activities in order of importance; c) begin the next day with the most important activity and stick with it until finished; and d) then move on to the next activity and repeat. This system, Carnegie was told, would allow him to focus on the most important activity and even if that was the only thing he worked on, his energies would be applied in the best direction.

Stories like this one get passed around for so long that it's easy to dismiss them as fiction. But the funny thing is this system works. (Ever heard of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the best-seller written by Steven Covey? Probably so, considering it has sold more than 15-million copies. When you get a chance take a look at Habit #3.) It works well enough for me that it's what I fall back on when I feel as though I'm spinning my wheels or when things are becoming disorganized in my life. I sit down, make a list and start working on the most important one. The way I see it, if it's good enough for Andrew Carnegie then it's good enough for me.

In reading The State paper recently, I noticed an article entitled "ID Theft, Fraud Rising, Report Says." The article highlighted that Identity Theft is on the rise in South Carolina and across the country, and it remains the top reason for consumer complaints for the 9th year in a row. A consumer advocate indicated that these types of crimes tend to INCREASE during a recession. Also, during 2008 in SC, ID Theft/Fraud cost consumers $14.2 million.

But the news isn't all bad. The 3 main steps to protecting yourself from identity theft are simple and I will summarize them in a 3-part series. Make them a habit to lower your risk for Identity Theft.

Step 2 of 3: Be on the lookout for problems.

No matter how careful you are, there's always some risk of identity theft. Keep an eye on your accounts so you can spot suspicious activity right away.

· Look out for mail or bills that don't arrive when you expected, which might mean someone has taken your mail.

· Pay close attention to credit card or account statements that you didn't expect to receive, which could be a sign that someone has opened an account in your name.

· If your credit is denied and you don't know why, check your credit report right away to look for problems. (Visit AnnualCreditReport.com for three free reports each year.)

· Pay close attention to your monthly statements, double checking that all the charges and activity are accurate.

· Check your credit report several times a year. Under federal law, each of the three major credit bureaus is required to give you your credit report for free once a year.

For full information on how to respond to identity theft, visit the FTC's "Deter, Detect, Defend" website.