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July 2, 2009

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: The hallmark of a person

Abe Novick: Up, up, and aliya

July 1, 2009

Rabbi Avi Shafran: The Road Taken

The Kosher Gourmet by Marialisa Calta: Get into the holiday spirit with these Star-Spangled desserts

June 30, 2009

Rabbi Binyomin Ginsberg: What makes a great parent?

Caroline B. Glick: Ideologue-in-Chief

June 29, 2009

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Beware of 'Caveat Emptor'

Steven Emerson: ACLU pushing for more money for Hamas

June 26, 2009

Rabbi Yoni Posnick: Learn the secret to a healthy marriage from a scriptural villain

Caroline B. Glick: Barack Obama vs. International Law

June 25, 2009

Rabbi Shimon Apisdorf: The Absurd Power of Truth

Jordan "Gorf" Gorfinkle's strip: Everything's Relative

June 24, 2009

Rabbi Yonason Goldson: Advancement of technology is a wake-up call for humanity

The Kosher Gourmet by Andrea Weigl: Summer on a stick: Making frozen treats can be easy, creative and fun

June 23, 2009

Martin M. Bodek: 'On Surnames': And so, We Begin

Caroline B. Glick: The Obama Effect

June 22, 2009

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Working for a corrupt firm

N. Richard Greenfield : Where are American Jews?

June 19, 2009

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: Emotion v. intellect

Caroline B. Glick: Israel's rare opportunity

June 18, 2009

Jonathan Rosenblum: Sometimes it is more essential to define the nature of evil than good

Jordan "Gorf" Gorfinkle's strip: Everything's Relative

June 17, 2009

Rabbi Yonason Goldson: The Language of Confusion

The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: Nothing pleases Dad more than a thick, juicy onion-smothered steak. Add home-Baked Potato Chips and …

June 16, 2009

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Career v. Careersism

Caroline B. Glick: Obama's losing streak and Israel

Richard Z. Chesnoff: ‘Palestinians’: Never Missing an Opportunity …

June 15, 2009

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu: How Judea and Samaria can become 'Palestine'

Daniel Pipes: Where Netanyahu's speech failed

June 12, 2009

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: Some big thoughts about not acting so big

Caroline B. Glick: Obama's High Commissioner

June 11, 2009

Victor Davis Hanson: Our historically challenged President

Mitch Albom: Beware the True Believers

Lewis Grossberger: What we learn from the new Hitler photos

June 10, 2009

Mort Zuckerman: What Obama and his advisors won't -- or refuse to -- grasp about Israel and the Muslim world

The Kosher Gourmet by Steve Petusevsky Lotsa pasta: Tips, techniques and (amazing) taste

June 9, 2009

Anne Bayefsky: Obama's stunning offense to Israel and the Jewish people

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: America's first Muslim president?

June 8, 2009

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Merchant must take responsibility for careless shopper?

Mark Steyn: A superpower that feeds on mediocrity cannot survive for long on leftovers from the past

Richard Z. Chesnoff: How do you say 'kumbaya' in Arabic?

June 5, 2009

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: In quest of spirituality

Caroline B. Glick: Obama's Arabian dreams

Charles Krauthammer: The Settlements Myth

June 4, 2009

Paul Greenberg: The War Comes to Little Rock

The Kosher Gourmet by Judy Hevrdejs: Splash it on! Tap your inner jazz musician and improvise when stirring up a vinaigrette

June 3, 2009

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Q. Should terrible teacher be exposed?

Jonathan Rosenblum: The Israel Lobby: Missing in Action

June 2, 2009

Dennis Prager: The Speech President Obama Won't Dare Give in Egypt

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Pressure on Israel raises war risk

Oct. 29, 2003
Mortimer B. Zuckerman: Graffiti On History's Walls (MUST-READ!)

Jewish World Review

Six tips for overdraft-proofing your account

By Marshall Loeb


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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT) Many banks and credit unions routinely allow debit and check transactions to go through even if there isn't enough money in the user's account. Then they slam their customers with overdraft fees, usually without a warning, at the time of purchase, claiming this "service" protects people from bounced checks and declined transactions.

If you have been on the receiving end of this practice, you know that a single $5 transaction can trigger a $30 to $35 overdraft fee, while a series of overdraft purchases in a single day can rack up hundreds of dollars in fees. The people most at risk are consumers who routinely have low balances or who don't monitor their account balances regularly.

If that describes you, MSN Money columnist Liz Pulliam Weston offers six ideas for things you can do to overdraft-proof your account:

  • Stop writing checks. They either clear too quickly or too slowly, says Weston. So those who write checks against money that isn't there - say, a day or two before their checks are deposited - are likely to bounce more transactions. At the same time, you have little control over when a person or business actually deposits your check, which can in turn delay the time it takes to clear. To avoid running this risk, use online bill-payment systems, which allow you to specify when the money leaves your account.

  • Don't trust your balance. The balance that shows at the ATM or on your cell phone may not include recent transactions or may be inflated by the amount of "bounce protection" your bank offers. To get a better idea of where you stand, you need online access to your account so you can check which transactions have processed. If you stop writing checks and use your debit card only with a PIN, as opposed to with a signature, you'll have fewer "pending" transactions to remember as well.

  • Create a "cushion." You'd be wise to make sure there's always at least a small cushion of cash in your account. Don't let your balance drop below $100, and keep at least $400 in your savings account for emergencies.

  • See if you can opt out. Some credit unions and banks will let you set up your checking account so that overdraft transactions are declined rather than processed. If you opt out, though, you really want to avoid writing checks or using signature-based debit-card transactions, since merchant fees on those returned charges are typically even higher than those from banks.

  • Set up true overdraft protection. Under that option, your bank links your checking account to a savings account, credit card or a line of credit. You'll probably pay an annual fee of $10 to $50 and you may also incur a small fee each time the overdraft protection is tapped, but the total is likely to be far less than you'd pay under bounce protection.

  • Sign up for alerts. Most major banks will alert you via e-mail or text message when stuff happens in your accounts: when your balance drops below a limit you set, for example, or when certain transactions post to your account. Such alerts, along with keeping a pad of cash in savings accounts, can help you transfer money into your checking account in time to cover pending transactions.

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