Ned's posterous

Right now is the only moment guaranteed to you. Right now is life. Don’t miss it.

Bargain Hunting for Books

viaLibri
Resources for Bibliophiles
 
 
Book search engine like ViaLibri.net -
20,000 booksellers around the world offering tens of millions of nearly new, used or rare books.
 

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Links to selected web sites and pages of interest to bibliophiles:

http://www.vialibri.net/links.php


 Reference and Research Sites

Multi-lingual Dictionary of Bibliographic Terms (English, French, German and Dutch). Courtesy ILAB-LILA.

ODLIS. Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science.

Latin Place Names.

ADB/NDB Online. Searchable German Biographical Data.

Book History Online. Searchable database of bibliographical reference sources.

CERL Thesaurus. Database of names of persons, places and printers/publishers recorded in books or other material printed during the hand-press era.

British Book Trade Index. Searchable database of the book trade in England and Wales before 1851.

Scottish Book Trade Index. Index of printers, publishers, booksellers, bookbinders, printmakers, stationers and papermakers based in Scotland before 1850.

BioBibData. Biographical and Bibliographical data.

American Libraries before 1876. Searchable database.

Library History, The British Isles - To 1850

Seven Roads "Gallery of Book Trade Labels."  'Illustrated catalogue of over 2100 BOOKSELLERS' labels from around the world. NEW

The American Bookbinders' Museum.  With database of early bookbinders, illustrated with examples of tickets. NEW

 General & Miscellaneous

Rare Books On The Web - A Brief Introduction by Albert Masters. Guide to internet searching for information on rare books.

Americana Exchange. Searchable auction database, monthly newsletter &other useful features.

AntiquarianBookNews.com.  News and current auction highlights.

BookThink. Newsletters, Forum, Links, etc. useful tobooksellers, collectors.

Independent Online Booksellers Association. Newsletter, Book Search, Resource Links, etc.

Books and Book Collecting - Steve Trussel. Links and other useful tools and information for book collectors.

Rare Book School. At the University of Virginia.

HoBo (History of the Book). "Dedicated webspace for History of the Book events and resources throughout the UK"

Studies In Bibliography. Back issues and searchable textbase.

A Simple Book Repair Manual. How to.

Finales de libro Exposición de colofones. Digital images of early colophons.

Images of Manuscripts at the Bodleian Library. Aproximately 1000 manuscripts arranged by century and country.

Hand Bookbindings: Plain and Simple to Grand and Glorious. Digital images and descriptive notes for 211 bindings.

Publishers' Bindings Online, 1850 - 1930. Digital Images and commentary.

Color Printing In The Nineteenth Century. University of Delaware.

Gallica. Collection survey from the Bibliotheque Nationale de France

100 highlights from the Koninklijke Bibliotheek. Collection survey from the National Library of the Netherlands.

 Links To Links

Rare Books On The Web. A List of Resources Compiled by Albert Masters.

Special Collections On The Web. From the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section of the A.L.A.

Directory of Web Resources For The Rare Materials Cataloguer. Also from RBMS.

Les Signets de la Bibliothèque nationale de France. Extensive, annotated and well organized. Especially useful for French internet sites.

Society for the History of Authorship, Reading & Publishing. Book History Links.

Bibliography On The Web. Compiled by the Bibliographical Society of America.

Book Arts Web. Includes links to many book arts sites.

Resources for Booksellers and Bookcollectors. U.K. links for booksellers and collectors.

Book Collecting and Book Buying. A Guide to Internet Resources. From Univ. of Delaware Library.

 Forums, Listservs and Discussion Groups

BIBSOCAN. Internet Discussion Group on Bibliography.

Bibliophile Mailing List.

ExLibris.

The Book Arts Web.

Book Think (Forum).

 Blogs

Le Blog du Bibliophile. NEW

le bibliomane moderne.

Notes for Bibliophiles.

Bookselling Online.

Confessions of a Bookplate Junkie.

Fine Books and Collections - The Blog.

Bibliophile Bullpen.

PhiloBiblos.

Book Patrol

Biblio-Technician.

Lux Mentis, Lux Orbis...all things books...

Rare Book News.

El bibliómano

Llogo

Uncle Jay Explains The News

It's been a whole year since Uncle Jay has SUNG an entire episode, and here's the reminder why! 

http://www.unclejayexplains.com/

It's the year-end review of the news, and maybe it'll seem a little better with music.

(download)

Uncle Jay’s First-ever DVD!

http://www.unclejayexplains.com/uncle-jays-first-ever-dvd/

 

 

Here’s the complete collection of Uncle Jay Explains the News from 2008 … plus some of the most popular episodes from 2007.  It’s almost 3 hours of fun, enlightenment and only a little bit of singing.


 

New Year 2009 ... You don't have to travel far to turn a new page in your life. The only important thing on New Year's is to wake up.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-iyer31-2008dec31,0,5475053.story

In search of New Year's

The celebration and timing of the holiday varies across the globe, but its meaning can be found within ourselves.
By Pico Iyer
December 31, 2008

Reporting from Nara, Japan --

 
New Year's Day is the hardest holiday to make sense of precisely because it's the easiest one to sleep through; as the most arbitrary of designations -- New Year's falls on different days in Nepal or Ethiopia or China or California -- it asks us, even compels us, to find its meaning within ourselves. Hanukkah, Christmas, Ramadan, Divali: They all follow a larger calendar and come with their own rites and duties. But what to do with a day that, in our Western culture at least, involves mostly snoozing through the bowl games and resolving to remember the resolutions that you know you'll forget by next Tuesday?

My answer is as arbitrary as anyone else's, but it is to see what "new" and "year's" might really mean, by taking myself off to see the grandfather cultures of the world. In Japan, where I live -- old enough to think carefully about new beginnings -- chic girls in kimonos, with stylish stoles around their necks, stream through the orange torii gates of a Shinto shrine soon after a bronze bell tolls in the new year, swains in rock-star suits beside them, to observe the ceremonial first sunrise and to gather sacred fire and pure water from the holy place with which to cook an auspicious first meal. To many in the Westernized nation, though, one of the most popular shrines to visit on New Year's Day is Tokyo Disneyland, where priestly duties may be performed by Mickey and Goofy.

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Yet the most crucial rite of what is the most important day of the year in Japan -- even if you begin it in Tomorrowland -- is to go pay your respects to Grandma and root your newness in the old. Like most traditional cultures in the world, Japan knows that "new" is not always the same as "improved" and that "old" does not quite translate as "outdated."

I am only a would-be Japanese, and more of a global being, so I don't have any grandparents nearby or a local shrine to which I can claim full allegiance. Thus, last New Year's found me visiting the global village's elders in Jerusalem, where ancient passions sob and flare through the thin stone passageways, reminding us that constant turmoil is not the same as change. The beauty of the Old City there is that its spiritual fervor hasn't diminished in 2,000 years or more; everyone has an acutely keen sense of what he or she believes in. The sorrow of the Old City is that its personal enmities do not seem to have abated much either; everyone knows just whom he or she doesn't trust.

A new year is a time to reflect on change and to see what endures beyond the flash and grab of the moment. At the turn of the millennium, therefore, I emptied my savings account to take my mother to Easter Island, where the 21st century looked to be mostly a matter of tall stone statues and ancestral taboos. Four years earlier, I spent New Year's Eve in Port-au-Prince, seeing the modern globe in miniature: All night long, the Creole elite danced the evening away in soigne French restaurants, stunning in that season's Dior and backless dresses. When the light came up on the new year, nearly everyone else had to awaken to a country with few schools or roads or hospitals or hopes.

Wherever I am, whether Egypt or Ethiopia, I observe my own makeshift rites on New Year's Day, as if superstition might be the first step toward sacrament. I wake up early and compile lists of the cultural highlights of the year just past. Then I begin writing out a swelling catalog of all the moments that moved and astonished me, annual proof that even the emptiest-seeming year is rich.

I take care, as my Japanese neighbors do, over my first thought, my first sentence, my first meal; the day itself is for me like the folded white paper that the Japanese collect from shrines outlining their future for the year to come. When, four years ago, New Year's Day found me barreling down a narrow mountain road at 12,000 feet in southern Bolivia and then bouncing and banging around as my taxi rolled over and over -- the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel, a victim of New Year's Eve -- I had the distinct impression that the year that followed might not be entirely happy. (I survived with just a scar, though the driver and the only other passenger ended up in the hospital.)

But my most haunting New Year's in recent times -- walking through the Cambodian jungle at four in the morning, surrounded by Khmer Rouge ghosts and the towers of Angkor -- taught me that the calendar's arbitrary markings are really just asking you how much you define yourself by what's shifting or what's still.

This year, as it happens, I plan to mark the new year in California, wondering how much our fresh young president will draw on the ancestral wisdom of Kansas and Kenya to guide him -- and us -- into a new century.

 
You don't have to travel far, my Japanese neighbors remind me, to turn a new page in your life.
 
The only important thing on New Year's -- I should have reminded my Bolivian taxi driver -- is to wake up.

Pico Iyer is the author, most recently, of "The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama."

His previous book, "Sun After Dark," describes New Year's Day around the globe.

How to Fix Your Life in 2009

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123068308029744121.html
 

Whew!

Last year at this time, we were wondering if it could get any worse.

It did. Trouble in the subprime market exploded into an across-the-board rout. The credit crunch evolved into a global financial crisis. Markets tanked. Mighty institutions fell. Recession took hold. Layoffs began to mount just as the holiday season got under way. Few people have been left untouched. And still, we don't know if we're through the worst of it.

If you're living in a house worth less than you owe on it, you aren't alone. Ditto if your retirement savings are down by double digits. Or if you're earning nearly zero interest on your savings, and yet unable to borrow at historically low rates. Or if you're looking for a job or worried about keeping the one you have.

[Fix Your Life] Lisa Haney

All of which has given rise to the newest new normal. Exuberance and excess have made way for prudence and pragmatism. Frugality is, once again, a virtue. To help you settle into this strange new world, our reporters have dug deep into their beats. Modeled on Personal Journal's regular Quick Fix feature, the advice here covers a lot of ground, but shares a common theme: helping you make your dollars work harder.

Problem: You have a load of beaten-down stocks in your portfolio.
Solution: Consider giving some of that stock to your kids. There's a silver lining to stock prices' descent: You can give away more shares tax free. In 2008, an individual can give as much as $12,000 to each gift recipient before getting hit with gift taxes. That amount will rise to $13,000 in 2009. The gift helps reduce the size of your estate -- probably a good idea since the estate tax isn't likely to go away soon, financial advisers say. It also may allow the recipients to enjoy a nice rebound from today's depressed stock prices over the long haul.
Another approach: Consider a grantor retained annuity trust, or GRAT. You can put your beaten-down stock in the GRAT, name your children as beneficiaries, and receive an annuity from the trust based on a percentage of what you contributed. As long as you survive the trust term, often just a couple of years, any stock appreciation beyond a "hurdle rate" set by the government passes to the beneficiaries tax-free. That hurdle rate, currently 3.4%, is at historically low levels, and it's set to move even lower.

"If you ever thought of making lemonade out of lemons, this is the time to actually do it," says Bill Forsyth, senior fiduciary counsel at wealth-management firm Bessemer Trust.

—Eleanor Laise

Problem: Your older-model computer sucks up electricity.
Solution: Energy-management software lets you put your computer on a schedule to reduce the amount of electricity it uses.

Verdiem, a Seattle-based company that makes energy-management computer software for businesses, recently released a consumer-grade version of its software called Edison. The free software lets you set your computer on working and nonworking schedules. It also provides estimated savings reports that show how much carbon dioxide has been saved. It works on computers running Windows XP and Vista. (www.verdiem.com)

The Environmental Protection Agency (www.energystar.gov) also has a free energy-management program called EZ Wizard for computers running Windows 2000 or Windows XP. Google Desktop users can download a free plug-in called Energy Saver that works on Windows XP and Vista, but to use it you must first download Google Desktop at www.desktop.google.com/plugins.

—Joseph De Avila

Problem: You want to apply for new credit, but aren't sure if your credit is good enough.
Solution: Get a free credit score. Several Web sites -- Credit.com, CreditKarma.com and Quizzle.com -- allow consumers to check their credit scores free. Although CreditKarma and Quizzle offer scores developed by the credit-reporting companies, including TransUnion and Experian, and not the widely used FICO score developed by Fair Isaac Corp., they can still provide users with a quick snapshot of where they stand. At CreditKarma.com, consumers can estimate how certain actions -- such as applying for a new card, being late on a payment or paying on time -- will change their score.

It's also a good idea to check your detailed credit reports at least once a year, which you can do free of charge at annualcreditreport.com.

—Jane J. Kim

Problem: You're drowning in credit-card debt.
Solution: Consider working with a nonprofit credit-counseling agency. Consumers seeking help with debt need to tread carefully. As Americans' credit-card bills have spiraled out of control, the airwaves have filled with advertisements for "debt-settlement" services that say they'll help consumers settle debts for a fraction of what they owe. But they often charge high up-front fees, and their strategies can drag down clients' credit scores and even make their debt burden balloon.

Nonprofit credit-counseling agencies offer a different approach. After reviewing your financial situation, the agency may offer you a debt-management plan, which will help you steadily pay down the full amount owed over a period of roughly three to five years. Creditors will often reduce interest charges or waive fees for consumers participating in these plans.

A good place to start looking for a nonprofit credit counseling agency is www.debtadvice.org, a Web site maintained by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. The NFCC sets guidelines on fees that member agencies can charge consumers and requires agencies to provide services free of charge if a consumer can't afford to pay. To find NFCC member agencies, click on "find a counselor now."

—Eleanor Laise

Problem: Those four-inch heels that cost a mint are too high to walk in.
Solution: Trim down those heels. Ask any veteran stiletto wearer. She most likely has a few pairs of high heels that she hardly ever wears because they hurt too much. An expert shoe-repair shop might be able to cut heels down to size. Shoe-repair specialists say that with few exceptions, they can shorten most stilettos by up to half an inch, the maximum amount allowed to maintain the shoe's original pitch and alignment.

"Even one-fourth inch can make a big difference to reduce the pressure on the ball of your foot," says Randy Lipson, owner of Cobblestone Quality Shoe Repair in St. Louis, which charges between $8 and $15 to cut down high heels. He does this by taking the heel apart, removing the metal rod inside the high heel, shaving it down and reattaching the heel to the shoe.

—Teri Agins

Problem: Your job hunt is hitting a dead end.
Solution: Start by researching your online reputation. Enter your name into search engines to see what employers might find. If you have a profile on a social-networking site, such as Facebook or MySpace, be sure to remove any inappropriate photos or comments. Invest time in networking: Studies show that most jobs are filled through referrals. Inform friends, family, former colleagues, alumni, fellow parishioners and others that you're looking for work and that you'd welcome their help. Attend business events, such as industry conferences and seminars that cater to your career field. Create profiles on career-related networking sites, such as LinkedIn, ExecuNet and Plaxo, and participate in discussion boards to develop online relationships.

Meanwhile, consider hiring a career coach who can critique your résumé and interviewing skills and suggest ways to improve them.

—Sarah E. Needleman

Problem: Your health plan refuses to cover a medical treatment.
Solution: Appeal the rejection. Start out by calling the insurer to see if the problem is a simple billing or procedural mistake that can be easily corrected. If not, appeal the decision. Most disputes center on one of two issues: whether your care is medically necessary, or whether it is something that's covered under your plan.

Either way, you'll want to secure copies of key insurance documents, including the denial letter and a full explanation of your plan's benefits, often called the "Evidence of Coverage." That will help you understand what's supposed to be paid for by your insurer. If your appeal centers on medical necessity, enlist the help of your doctor, who can write a letter explaining why you needed the treatment. You should also try to find medical studies backing your case.

If the health plan upholds its denial, you may have other places to turn. Most states have an outside review process for health-insurance appeals, though not all appeals are eligible. For more detailed advice about filing a health-insurance appeal, try the Web sites of the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Patient Advocate Foundation.

—Anna Wilde Mathews

Problem: You want to buy organic and name-brand foods without breaking the bank.
Solution: Take advantage of coupons. For those who don't want to go through the hassle of coupon-hunting through circulars, there are a number of Web-based services that offer them. Smartsource.com, coolsavings.com, and ppgazette.com link to the same coupons -- primarily for snack and personal-care products, such as Totino's Pizza Rolls and Bausch & Lomb ReNu contact lens solution -- and allow users to print them directly from the site. But with no search tool, locating the coupons you want may be time consuming. Also, coupons usually print only one or two to a page, so you may end up wasting a lot of paper.

Sites such as thecouponclippers.com, grocerycoupons.com, and centsoff.com, clip the coupons from newspaper inserts and mail them to you. They tend to have coupons on a wider assortment of items, including green cleaning products, brand-name goods and health foods. But the service comes at a cost. Some sites take a percentage of the savings offered by the coupons, while others charge a flat membership fee. Make sure the coupon bargains outweigh the cost of the service.

Several manufacturers offer coupons for new and popular products on their Web sites. Organic Valley, for instance, offers free and printable $1-off coupons on organic milk, cottage cheese and butter on organicvalley.com. But these sites may still require you to register with your email and mailing address in order to access the coupons.

—Anjali Athavaley

Problem: You need affordable health insurance, fast.
Solution: Comparison-shop online. Healthinsurance.com and eHealthinsurance.com give you detailed estimates of multiple health-insurance plans in your state and what's covered under them. You can apply online -- without having to fork over any medical records -- and in some cases hear back from providers in minutes. Healthinsurance.com also gives estimates for travel insurance and dental coverage. And eHealthinsurance has information on health savings accounts (HSAs) and options for small-business owners. The eHealthinsurance portal for student health insurance is also good for the budget-conscious undergrad or graduate student not covered under a parental policy. Discount cards are offered through the site.

—Mary Pilon

Problem: Your 529 college-savings account has been wiped out, and your teenager will soon head off for college.
Solution: Switch to more-conservative 529 investments, such as money-market mutual funds and CDs, to preserve what you have. Investors have typically been allowed to make one investment change per calendar year, but if you've already made one change this year, you can change it immediately if you change the plan's beneficiary or roll over the money to another 529 savings or prepaid plan. For 2009, the IRS issued a special rule that allows investors to make investment changes in their 529 plans twice a year. There is a risk, however, that people might tinker too much with their investments, says Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org. "If you pull out now, you're locking in losses," he says.

If possible, wait until your teenager is in his third or fourth year of college before you tap the plan so that you give the investments time to recover. If your plan is under water, you can also cash out without penalty or taxes (though you may have to pay state taxes if you got a state tax deduction for contributions) and possibly count the loss as a miscellaneous itemized deduction.

—Jane J. Kim

Problem: You're getting hit with overdraft and late fees at your bank.
Solution: Sign up for alerts from your bank. Many banks, including Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Citibank, will offer to send you email or cellphone text alerts when your balances fall below a specific threshold. PNC Bank's new checking account, called "Virtual Wallet," combines checking, savings and high-yield-savings accounts and lets users program "Danger Days" that warn them when too much money has been drawn out. Another option is to sign up for a transfer service that will automatically tap a savings account or a line of credit or a credit card in case there is an overdraft in the checking account. You may pay a fee, plus interest on outstanding loans, for each transfer, although the costs should still be lower than an overdraft or bounced-check fee.

Consumers can also take advantage of free personal-finance Web sites, such as Mint.com, Wesabe.com, and QuickenOnline.com, that will break out the fees you pay in your checking account and offer tips on how to avoid those fees. Or, for those who ditch the bank altogether, brokerage firms can offer a lower-cost checking-account alternative. Account holders at Fidelity, for example, can link their checking-account held there to their brokerage account; any overdrafts will automatically pull money, as needed and without fees, from the cash portion of your brokerage account.

—Jane J. Kim

Problem: Your Individual Retirement Account has plummeted in value.
Solution: Convert what's left to a Roth IRA. When you roll over traditional IRA assets to a Roth, you have to pay the income taxes up front on the account's value -- but those values, and income-tax rates, are both relatively low at the moment, says Ed Slott, an IRA consultant in Rockville Centre, N.Y.

With a Roth account, there are generally no taxes on withdrawals or any future earnings, unlike with traditional IRAs. There's also no mandatory distribution schedule -- again in contrast with traditional IRAs, from which account holders must begin taking minimum distributions by April 1 of the year following the year they turn 70½ years old.

Converting to a Roth could work well either as a year-end fix or as a way to plan ahead: Legislation approved by Congress earlier this month waives any required withdrawals from traditional IRAs for 2009. That means you could roll over assets from a traditional IRA to a Roth without having to first take a mandatory distribution. So more of your assets could wind up protected from future taxes and withdrawal requirements, Mr. Slott says.

One other advantage: You can leave a Roth account intact for your heirs. Heirs other than your spouse would have to take required withdrawals each year, but they generally wouldn't owe tax on those withdrawals.

To be eligible to convert traditional IRA assets to a Roth, your modified adjusted gross income must be no more than $100,000 a year, either for an individual or a married couple filing jointly. Neither a required IRA distribution nor the converted amount would count against that limit, but they still count as taxable income. See IRS Publication 590, at irs.gov, for more information about traditional and Roth IRAs.

—Kelly Greene

Problem: Someone posted embarrassing photos of you on Facebook or MySpace.
Solution: "Untag" your photo or block who can see your photos.

Tagging is used in Facebook to tell users who is in a photo. If someone posts and tags you in an unflattering photo, you have some options. One thing you can do is de-tag the photo. You do this by going to the page that has the photo and clicking on the "de-tag" link next to your name. The photo can still be viewed in the photo album of the person who uploaded it, so if you are really worried about the photo, you should contact the person who posted it and ask them to take it down.

Another option is to tweak the settings on your profile's privacy settings. Under the section titled "Photos Tagged of You," specify which groups or friends can view your photos. If you use Facebook for professional networking, you may want to limit who can see your private photos.

On MySpace, if one of your friends tags you in a photo, the site sends you a message asking for your permission to allow it. If you decline to be tagged, your name won't be associated with the photo. But friends of the person who posted the photo will still be able to see it. If you do accept to be tagged, you can de-tag yourself later by going to the photo's page and clicking on the red "X" next to your name.

As a last resort, you can ask MySpace to take down a photo. Each photo page has a link to report a photo. MySpace will remove photos on a case-by-case basis. Facebook only removes photos that violate its terms of service.

—Joseph De Avila

Problem: You don't know how much money to stash away for your child's future college tuition.
Solution: Develop a savings plan. The encyclopedic financial-aid Web site FinAid.org has a section with more than 50 calculators, but the "savings plan designer" is among the most useful. It shows exactly how much you should plunk into an interest-bearing account each month in order to reach a certain savings goal. It also asks how much you've already saved and what the interest rate on those savings has been. Then you punch in how many years you have before your child enrolls, and how frequently you want to contribute.

Experts say parents who are financially able should generally expect to pay at least half to two-thirds of their children's college costs through a combination of savings, current income and loans. According to the calculator, someone with $20,000 saved up already and with 18 years to go before the child graduates should aim to contribute $818.25 a month to cover half of projected costs at a private college, making certain assumptions.

—Anne Marie Chaker

Problem: You're too nervous to invest in the stock market, but your bank is offering paltry yields on CDs.
Solution: Auction your cash to the highest bidder. At MoneyAisle.com, more than 100 small and midsize banks compete for consumer deposits through live auctions. When a customer comes to the site and asks for the terms of a CD or high-yield savings account, the banks bid against one another -- through automated auction software that runs on the Web site -- to win the deposit. The cost is free to consumers, and you don't have to commit to investing anything before you see the results of an auction. Participating banks, which are all FDIC-insured, are screened by an independent bank-rating agency to filter out the riskiest banks.

Savers can also find high-yield CDs with brokered CDs, which are offered by banks and brokerage firms around the country, and typically sold through brokerage firms and financial intermediaries. As the big brokerage firms expand their deposit business, many -- including Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch -- are offering attractive yields to lure buyers. Keep in mind that brokered CDs have different rules. If you cash out before they mature, you may lose some of your principal.

—Jane J. Kim

Problem: You need to find a new job but haven't updated your résumé in more than five years.
Solution: Use a professional résumé writer -- but take the time to shop carefully. Ask for sample résumés, making sure they look customized and not like cookie-cutter templates. Contact previous customers to verify claims of professional prowess. If you would rather save money and do it yourself, consider starting with an objective statement that specifies what kind of work you're seeking. Then outline your work history by showing accomplishments for each assignment that demonstrate how you've benefited your past employers. When applying for specific positions, tailor the document by highlighting relevant qualifications. For example, if an ad says that the ability to work well in teams is required, make sure to list any group projects you were involved in.

Finally, have someone you trust proofread the document to ensure that it is clear and correct.

—Sarah E. Needleman

Problem: You want to curb medical costs without jeopardizing your health.
Solution: Research what care and preventive measures are truly necessary. While you can skip unnecessary scans and forgo elective plastic surgery, it is important to get the recommended screening tests for cancer and other diseases, as well as immunizations that can prevent illnesses like the flu.

Go to www.ahrq.gov/consumer/index.html to download the government's recommendations, including how often to get your blood pressure checked and when to have a colonoscopy. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's recommended tests are generally covered by insurers.

Keep immunizations up to date. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommend that all adults over age 60 get vaccinated against herpes zoster, or shingles. You can download its 2008 recommended adult immunization schedule at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/adult-schedule.htm.

Skipping medications can be especially dangerous, so talk to your pharmacist about whether a cheaper generic brand is available, or whether it is safe to split pills. There are also medication-assistance programs for which you may qualify; check needymeds.org.

—Laura Landro

Problem: You work indoors, live in a cold climate and wear sunscreen to protect your skin -- and you wonder if you're getting enough vitamin D.
Solution: Have your vitamin D level checked. Experts think many people aren't getting enough these days, and that can put you at higher risk for a variety of problems, including osteoporosis, heart attacks, high blood pressure, multiple sclerosis, macular degeneration, mental illness, chronic pain and many cancers. Your doctor can check your D level with a blood test, which costs about $100 and is usually covered by insurance. Make sure the test measures 25-hydroxyvitamin D, not 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D. A concentration of less than 20 nanograms per milliliter is considered deficient, and more than 30 npm is healthier.

If you are low, you can boost your level with inexpensive supplements. Current U.S. guidelines call for 200 international units per day from birth through age 50; 400 IUs from 51 through 70 and 600 IUs from age 71 on. Many medical organizations now think that's too low. The American Academy of Pediatrics says children should have 400 IUs a day, and the National Osteroporsis Foundation thinks adults over age 50 should have at least 800 to 1,000.

In most of the U.S., being in the sun for at least 20 minutes a day can boost your D level nicely but also raise your risk of developing skin cancer.

—Melinda Beck

Problem: Your produce spoils before you can finish it.
Solution: Optimize how you choose and store your food. How long produce lasts depends on the shape it's in when you buy it, experts say. Be careful not to pick fruits and vegetables that are bruised or damaged. And make sure the supermarket is the last stop on your trip home, so that groceries don't get warm sitting in the car.

Storing produce correctly makes a difference in shelf life. Fruits and vegetables, for example, should be stored separately in a refrigerator so that ethylene gas released by certain fruits doesn't accelerate the ripening of the vegetables. Items such as tomatoes and bananas are best kept at room temperature. Food-science experts say it is also a good idea to rotate the food in your fridge so that the items that are more perishable are at the front and get consumed first. If you notice fruits or vegetables growing mold, toss them out immediately so that they don't contaminate other foods in your produce bins.

—Anjali Athavaley

Problem: You need more money for college quickly and don't know where to turn.
Solution: Look for scholarships. Peruse the scholarship offerings online from the College Board (collegeboard.com), Scholarships.com and Fastweb.com. Many have grants that have rolling deadlines and easy, online applications.

If you're maxed out on lower-interest federal loans, consider comparison shopping with SimpleTution.com or StudentLoanMonkey.com. The sites allow prospective students to shop around for student loans and avoid a hard inquiry on their credit reports. As the credit crunch has crimped student borrowing and increased interest rates on private loans, SimpleTuition and StudentLoanMonkey will show you available offers from a wide swath of lenders, not just ones that market heavily.

—Mary Pilon

Problem: You need to find more ways to tighten your budget.
Solution: Check out new Web sites that help reduce your monthly bills. BillShrink.com helps consumers save money by finding tailored deals on cellphone plans and credit cards based on their individual needs. The site, which will analyze a consumer's spending patterns, credit score and any existing credit-card balances, will suggest the best credit card to maximize rewards or lower fees and interest rates. If you're looking for a lower-cost cellphone plan, the site searches through plans from all the major carriers and returns the best matches, based on how many minutes you use each month and where you live and work. Another recently launched site, ratesurfer.com, will alert you when rates change on your credit-card accounts and, if you let it, will move your balances between accounts to make sure you're paying the least amount of interest. At SmartHippo.com, homebuyers can review and rank lenders and compare mortgage rates with rates that other people with similar risk profiles have obtained.

Other free personal-finance Web sites and many banks will provide consumers with a snapshot of all of their bills in one place while also providing budgeting tools to help them keep track of their spending.

—Jane J. Kim

Problem: You're lost, you don't have a map, and you need directions.
Solution: Use your cellphone to get directions by text message. There are several free services available that will send you directions, and you don't need a fancy phone like a Blackberry or an iPhone. To use Google's service, send a text to 466-453. (It spells "Google.") In the body of the text, include your starting location followed by your destination. (for example Second St. and Third Ave. NY NY to 45th St. and 8th Ave. NY NY) You will then receive multiple text messages with driving directions to your destination. The number of texts that you will receive depends on how many steps are included in the directions.

If you are already behind the wheel, avoid texting and call 347-328-4667 (It spells "directions."). With this program, you tell an automated service where you are and where your destination is. After this, you'll get several text messages with your directions. While these services are free, you may incur charges under your cellphone plan.

—Joseph De Avila

Problem: Your employer just suspended its 401(k) matching contribution.
Solution: Save more, and consider an individual retirement account. Companies slammed by the economic downturn, like General Motors Corp., have been suspending their 401(k) matching contributions. While the match may have been a major force motivating you to contribute to the plan, your employer's cost cutting doesn't give you an excuse to cut back on your own saving.

First, make sure you've established an emergency fund outside the 401(k). It's always a good idea to have about six months' worth of living expenses stashed away in cash. And since the match suspension may be a sign that your employer is in financial trouble, that emergency fund can help ease anxiety over sudden layoffs.

Ideally, you should also boost your own contributions to the 401(k) to make up for the amount your employer is no longer contributing. "The employee's need to save for retirement doesn't go away just because the match does," says Trisha Brambley, president of Resources for Retirement, a retirement-plan advisory firm in Newtown, Pa.

Explore other tax-deferred savings options as well. The lack of a match puts the 401(k) and IRA on a more equal footing. You might want to save first in the account that gives you the best investment options and lowest fees. But keep in mind that any tax deduction you get for an IRA contribution may be reduced or eliminated if you're covered by an employer retirement plan, depending on your income and tax filing status.

—Eleanor Laise

Problem: You want to minimize those annoying fees that jack up the cost of travel.
Solution: Consider signing up for hotel and airline loyalty programs or credit cards that let you travel without paying some fees. Wyndham Hotel Group, owned by Wyndham Worldwide Corp., and Omni Hotels both let members of their free loyalty programs access wireless Internet at many of their hotels free. (Non-members are charged a daily access fee.) Continental Airlines waives its $15 first-checked bag fee for Continental Chase credit and debit cardholders, and waives its second-checked bag fee for the highest-tier Chase cardholders, though the credit cards have annual fees of up to hundreds of dollars.

Also, some airlines offer a discount on checked-bag fees that are paid in advance on their Web site. For example, United Airlines is offering customers a 20% discount until Jan. 31. on the fee to check a first bag if it's paid for in advance on United.com. Spirit Airlines gives $10 off the first checked bag to those who prepay on its Web site.

—Sarah Nassauer

Problem: You're overwhelmed by unpaid hospital bills.
Solution: Your hospital may be willing to give you a discount on the bill in exchange for your agreeing to set up a payment plan or pay some costs up front. If you're uninsured, appeal to your hospital's sense of fairness, noting that the uninsured are frequently charged far more than the insured for the same services.

Also, request a copy of your hospital's financial-assistance policies and look into charity care. If you qualify for Medicaid, the program often pays for care retroactively. Seek help from consumer groups. Some organizations include the Medical Billing Advocates of America, Access Project and Patient Advocate Foundation.

Try to avoid putting medical bills on credit cards or using home loans to pay them off. The consequences of not paying credit-card companies or home lenders -- such as high interest rates or even foreclosure -- can be greater than those from not paying hospitals.

If collection agencies come calling, promptly send the collector a letter requesting verification of the debt. Then, the collector can't resume collection activities until it sends you confirmation of the debt. You can also write collectors a letter telling them to stop contacting you, though this doesn't mean your debt has gone away. The Federal Trade Commission explains your rights: www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre18.shtm.

—Sarah Rubenstein

6 Ways to Protect Your Medical ID

Don't be a medical ID theft victim!

 
 
http://www.rd.com/advice-and-know-how/6-ways-to-protect-your-medical-id/article30235.html
 
 
1. Treat your insurance card like a credit card. Don't lose it or loan it, and don't show it to anyone except a trusted health care provider.

2. Watch out for "freebies." Be suspicious of offers for free medical care. Avoid clinics that advertise aggressively, promise to waive co-payments, provide free transportation, or similarly entice you.

3. Read the EOB. Carefully review the "explanation of benefits" letters sent from your insurance company, and call about claims for services or drugs that you don't understand.

4. Check your benefits yearly. Once a year, request a listing of benefits paid out by your insurer. That way, you'll discover fraudulent payments even if the thief has changed your billing address.

5. Request an accounting of disclosures. You have a right under HIPAA to get this document from every health care provider you visit. The accounting will detail what personal information was released and whom it was sent to. It's a good way to catch and track theft, because any fraudulent medical information will probably be passed along to other providers.

6. Review your credit report. If someone has stolen your medical identity and racked up unpaid hospital bills in your name, the charges could turn up on your credit report.

For more information, go to worldprivacyforum.org

World Privacy Forum's Top Ten Opt Outs

World Privacy Forum's Top Ten Opt Outs

http://www.worldprivacyforum.org/toptenoptout.html

As privacy experts, we are frequently asked about "opting out," and which opt outs we think are the most important. This list is a distillation of ideas for opting out that the World Privacy Forum has developed over the years from responding to those questions.

The list below does not contain all opt outs that are available.

Rather, it contains the opt outs that we believe are the most important and will be the most useful to the most consumers.

Many people have told us that they think opting out is confusing. We agree. Opting out can range from the not-too-difficult (the FTC's Do Not Call list is a fairly simple opt out) to the challenging (the National Advertising Initiative opt out can be tricky). Our hope is that this list will clarify which opt out does what, and how to go about opting out.

In this list, some opt outs can be done by phone, some have to be sent in a letter via postal mail, and some can be accomplished online. Some opt outs last forever, some have time limits, and others can be changed at will. If an opt out is on this list, it is because we thought it might be important enough to be worth whatever annoyance it may pose.

Not every opt out is right for everyone, and not everyone will necessarily want to opt out. It is a personal choice. Take a look at the list below, and see if any of the opt outs appeal to you, or might make a difference to you in some way. And if you know of an opt out that has been important to you that we didn't include here, please send us your personal "top opt outs." We'll consider them for the next revision of this list.

Top ten opt outs:

1. National Do Not Call Registry

2. Prescreened offers of credit and insurance

3. DMA opt outs

4. Financial institution opt outs

5. CAN SPAM

6. Credit freeze

7. FERPA

8. Data broker opt outs

9. Internet portal opt outs

10. NAI opt out

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1. National Do Not Call Registry

What it does:

The National Do Not Call Registry is a national list of phone numbers that telemarketers are not supposed to call.


If you put your home phone number on this list, telemarketers are not supposed to call you. The Federal Trade Commission manages the Do Not Call Registry. Home and mobile numbers can be on the Do Not Call list, but you can't opt out a phone at your place of business (unless you work from home using your home phone number.) Also, the Do Not Call opt out does not stop you from being called by anyone you have done business with in the last 18 months. If you make an inquiry of a merchant, the merchant can call you for six months. Charities and politicians are not covered by the Do Not Call list rules.

Important update: On Dec. 1, 2008, some new amendments made to the Do Not Call rules went into effect. The new requirements impact pre-recorded telemarketing calls. Under the new rules, telemarketers are required to give consumers an easy and interactive way to opt out of pre-recorded telemarketing calls, for example, an opt out through a voice command or a keypress. If the telemarketing calls are left on an answering machine, the pre-recorded message must contain a toll-free number that allows you to call the number and opt out immediately. Any types of telemarketing calls already subject to the Federal Trade Commission's rules for telemarketers are subject to the new amendments. HIPAA-covered businesses, like doctors and hospitals, are still exempt, as are political calls, and some calls made by banks or telephone companies. When would this new rule impact you? If you have already signed up for the Do Not Call List, this new rule would impact you in particular with businesses you have an established relationship with. Even if you have an established relationship with a business, if they leave you a pre-recorded message, they have to offer you an opt out, as long as they are not exempt from the rules.

How to opt out:


You can get on the Do Not Call List by phone (call from the number you want to get opted out) or you can sign up online. We prefer the phone opt out, not the online service. To opt out online you must provide an email address for verification, and your email address will be kept and can be shared with other federal, state, or local agencies "for any regulatory, compliance, or law enforcement purpose."


  • To opt out of pre-recorded telemarketing calls from companies who already have a business relationship with you, you should be able to activate a voice or keypress command to opt out. If the pre-recorded telemarketing call is left on a voice mail service or machine, the message should include a toll-free number to call where you can then use an automated system to opt out immediately.

More about the Do Not Call List:

See the FTC info page: http://www.ftc.gov/donotcall

See the FTC page on prerecorded telemarketing calls: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2008/12/tsramendments.shtm

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2. Opt out of prescreened offers of credit and insurance (five years or permanently, at your choice)

What it does:

Opting out of prescreened offers will stop you from receiving offers for credit and insurance.


Prescreened (sometimes also called "preapproved" or "prequalified") offers come in one of two ways from credit reporting files maintained by credit bureaus:


  1. A creditor or insurer may ask a credit bureau for a list of consumers who meet certain criteria, for example, a minimum credit score.

     

  2. A creditor or insurer may submit a list of names to a credit bureau to screen for consumers who meet certain criteria.

     

The result of the opt out is that you will not receive prescreened credit card or insurance offers. Many of these offers come in the mail. If you do not want these offers, or if you are concerned about someone else picking up your prescreened offers, you may want to opt out. If you do want the offers or don't receive many, you may not find this opt out important.

How to opt out:

(Note: you will be asked to give your Social Security Number to complete this opt-out.)

  • Opt out by Phone: 1-888-5OptOut (1-888-567-8688). This is an automated phone system. You will have three choices: you can remove your name for 5 years, add your name back in, or permanently remove your name. When you call in, you will be asked to verify and provide some information such as your name and home phone number. You will also be asked for your Social Security Number.
  • Opt out online: https://www.optoutprescreen.com/?rf=t Note: If you have previously opted out of pre-screened offers, you can also opt back in through this web site.

More about opting out of pre-screened offers of credit:

See FTC Privacy Choices for your Financial Information: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/privchoices.shtm#whatstop

See FTC Prescreened Offers of Credit and Insurance page:http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre17.shtm

See FDIC Financial Privacy page: http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/privacy/faqs/index.html

See Privacy Rights Clearinghouse: http://www.privacyrights.org/ar/FTC-OptOutPrescreen.htm

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3. Direct Marketing Association Opt out Services (DMA opt outs)

What it does:

The DMA is the largest U.S. association of marketers , invoking DMA opt outs can diminish receiving marketing mail and catalogs.

Only businesses that are members of the DMA will comply with an opt out request through the DMA programs. The DMA offers several flavors of opt outs. It offers a Mail Preference Service opt out, an email list opt out, and an opt out that lets you remove the names of deceased people from mailing lists. The Mail Preference Service should not affect your receipt of mail and catalogs from companies that you already do business with.

How to opt out:


You can opt out of the DMA lists by visiting the DMA web site. One of the lists requires a $1.00 fee if you mail in the opt out via postal mail.

  • Mail Preference Service, usable by anyone. This list reduces mail such as catalogs, etc. It also gets your name off of some prospect mailing lists. Online form: https://www.dmachoice.org/MPS/proto1.php. If you use the DMA online form, opting out is free. If you opt out via postal mail, you have to send a $1.00 check.
  • Email List Opt out. This list will get you off of some mailing lists and may help reduce some unwanted commercial email. Online form: http://www.dmachoice.org/EMPS/. Good for five years. This list will not act as a total cure for spam.

     

  • Deceased Do Not Contact List. By signing up for this list, you will remove the names of deceased individuals from marketing lists. Online form:

     

    https://www.ims-dm.com/cgi/ddnc_form.php.

     

    There is no fee for the list, but you will be asked for a credit card number to verify your identity.
  • DMA Do Not Contact Service for Caregivers: For those seeking to remove the names of individuals in their care from commercial marketing lists. Online form: https://www.ims-dm.com/cgi/dncc.php.

More about DMA opt outs:

If you opted out and are still getting mail or email from DMA members, you can file a complaint with the DMA by emailing them at privacypromise@the-dma.org. However, remember that it can sometimes take one month or more until putting in an opt out will have an effect, depending on the type of list. Be patient.

See information about all DMA lists: http://www.dmachoice.org/consumerassistance.php

See Information about the DMA mailing list, detailed: https://www.dmachoice.org/MPS/mps_consumer_description.php?reg=C#how_to.


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4. Bank/Financial Institutions opt out
(This section applies to banks, credit card companies, brokerage firms, insurance companies, and other financial institutions.)

What it does:

If you opt out, you limit the extent to which a financial institution can provide your personal financial information to non-affiliates.

The financial institution opt outs are among the most important to understand, but they can also be challenging to understand. If you don't opt out, the assumption is that the financial institution can share your data in some circumstances. To quote from the FDIC:

Unless you opt out, your financial company can provide your personal financial information (for example, information on the kinds of stores you shop at, how much you borrow, your account balances, or the dollar value of your assets) to non-affiliates for marketing and other purposes. (FDIC Privacy Choices page, http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/privacy/privacychoices/index.html#yourright)


A non-affiliate is generally defined as a company that is unrelated to your financial company. The FDIC notes that a non-affiliate may include "Service providers ...., joint marketers--companies that have an agreement with your financial company to offer you other financial products or services, or other third-party non-affiliates--which could include companies that may want access to your financial companys mailing list to tell you about other products and services." (FDIC Privacy Choices page.)

There is a great degree of variability between financial institutions. Some do not share customer information with non-affiliates, so they do not offer an opt out. Some take an extra step and offer customers the ability to opt out of both unaffiliated and affiliated marketing. Because the type of available opt outs vary from institution to institution, you will need to read the privacy notice closely. Financial institutions are required to provide privacy notices. These notices can sometimes be difficult to understand. The opt outs are controlled in part by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, a federal law that provides some privacy protections for customers of financial institutions.

How to opt out:

You may have received a privacy notice in the mail from your bank or other financial institution. If you missed it, simply ask for a copy of the company's privacy notice. They are required to have one. The privacy notice may also be posted on the financial institutions web site. Read the notice closely, and follow the company's directions for opting out. You can opt out at any time. By law, you are required to opt out in the way the financial institution determines you should, whether by letter or phone or online. We have not listed all financial institutions here, just some of the largest.




More about financial institution opt outs:

See FDIC's Your Rights To Financial Privacy Page, includes information about opt outs: http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/privacy/yourrights/index.html

See FTC's Privacy Choices for your Personal Financial Information: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/privchoices.shtm

See FDIC's Privacy Choices page, this page has an excellent section on opt out: http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/privacy/privacychoices/index.html#yourright

See FDIC's Financial Privacy Page FAQ: http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/privacy/faqs/index.html

See Privacy Rights Clearinghouse How to Read Opt Out Notices page: http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs24a-optout.htm.


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5. Use the CAN-SPAM Opt out

What it does:

The federal CAN-SPAM Act requires that a commercial emailer give each email recipient an opt out method.

A commercial emailer must provide a return email address or another Internet-based response mechanism that allows a recipient to ask the emailer not to send future email messages to the recipients email address. The law requires that commercial email be identified as an advertisement and include the sender's valid physical postal address. The message must contain a clear and conspicuous notice that the message is an advertisement or solicitation and that the recipient can opt out of receiving more commercial email. It also must include a valid physical postal address.

The federal spam law doesn't work very well to deter most spam. However, any legitimate company using email for advertising is likely to comply. If you receive an email from someone you recognize as a legitimate company and it has an opt out, you can stop that company from emailing you again. This is a very powerful tool because it flatly prohibits more commercial email from that sender to your email address.

How to opt out:


Check to make sure the email is a CAN-SPAM compliant email. Some emails offer opt outs, but the opt outs are fake. How to tell the difference?

  • First, a CAN-SPAM compliant email will be labeled as an advertisement.

     

  • Second, it will include a valid postal address for the sender.

     

  • Third, it will include a workable opt out link of some type.

If all three elements are present in the email, then there is at least a chance that the opt out is offered in good faith. You have to use your own judgment about each email. Transactional emails are not required to offer an opt out. For example, if you place an online order with an Internet merchant, the message confirming your order, informing you of the shipping date, etc., need not offer an opt out. But if you get a message a month later announcing a sale, that commercial email should include an opt out.

More information about CAN SPAM:

See the FTC CAN SPAM page http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/canspam.shtm.


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6. Credit Freeze (also Security Freeze)

What it does:

A credit freeze (sometimes called a security freeze) lets you stop the disclosure of your credit report by a credit bureau.

The result of a credit freeze should be that neither you nor anyone else can open a new credit account in your name. (A freeze will not stop your existing credit cards from working.) A credit freeze can also prevent insurance companies or employers from obtaining your credit data. That's why if you are actively seeking new employment or insurance, you may want to think carefully about enacting a credit freeze unless you are currently a victim of identity theft.

The credit freeze is widely considered by consumer and privacy advocates as a potent measure to prevent some forms of identity theft. A credit freeze can be especially helpful to individuals who are having persistent problems with identity theft. Credit freeze is not for everyone, and not everyone has the right at this point to set a credit freeze.

The way a credit freeze works is that access to your consumer credit report and your credit score are locked when you put a freeze on the files. A lender or merchant will normally not issue new credit if it cannot access your credit report or score. The benefit of a freeze is that you can stop thieves from getting credit in your name. The downside is that you are also stopped from getting credit unless you "thaw" the freeze. You can unlock your security freeze by using a PIN to unlock access to the credit file. Some states require the "thaw" to take no longer than 15 minutes. Some allow longer times.

The ability to freeze your credit is available nationwide through the credit reporting bureaus. There is some variability in cost and details state-by-state due to variance in state law. (For information about which states have a freeze law, see "More about credit freeze" below.)

How to opt out:

Here are two ways to find out how to opt out for your state:

  • 1. The World Privacy Forum's Credit Freeze page has a list of states that either have a credit freeze law, or have passed a law. Each state links to the official state information page about how to place a credit freeze, or to another information source for that state. Many of the official state information pages are excellent, and provide tips and sample letters. Even if you are not in a state with a law, as of Nov. 1, 2007, you can still set a security freeze. http://www.worldprivacyforum.org/creditfreeze.html

More about credit freeze:


See the FTC Credit Freeze page: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/credit-freeze.html

See Consumers Union frequently updated page on all current state freeze laws and requirements, with a link on how to opt out for each state and sample letters. http://www.consumersunion.org/campaigns/learn_more/003484indiv.html

See the PIRG state freeze page: http://www.pirg.org/consumer/credit/statelaws.htm Links to the state laws.


See California Office of Privacy Protection. Even if you don't live in California, this is an excellent page to learn more about how credit freeze works. If you are a California resident, you will find sample letters ready for you to print out. http://www.privacy.ca.gov/sheets/cis10securityfreeze.htm



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7. FERPA opt out (students)

What it does:

The FERPA opt out stops schools from releasing student directory information (Name, home address, date of birth, and other information) without consent, with some limitations.


FERPA stands for Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. If you are a K-12 student or a college student, or the parent or guardian of a student under 18, you should know about the FERPA opt out. While some parts of school records may be given out only with written consent, schools still have the right to give out what is called "directory information" without student consent, including potentially giving the information out over the phone.

Directory information includes the students name, school and permanent address, school and permanent home telephone number, school mail box address, major, dates of attendance, degree(s) received and dates of conferral, and other personally identifying information. There is some variability; some schools also consider the weight and height of athletes, the school email address, and participation in officially recognized activities to be directory information.

If there is a FERPA opt out form on file for the student, the student can prevent the public disclosure of his or her directory information. Then, only legitimate employers or law enforcement professionals or others with a legitimate interest should be able to access that sensitive directory information. Victims of domestic violence may find filing a FERPA opt out to be crucial to them.

How to opt out:

FERPA opt outs are often done with a FERPA form supplied by the school. Usually school records offices will have FERPA information for you, or will know where to send you to find that information. Colleges and some other schools may post the form online. For students under 18, parents have to sign the FERPA forms. This will limit how students' home address and other directory information can be released.


If you search the web for "FERPA" plus the name of your school, you may find detailed information about how to file a FERPA opt out for your school available online. FERPA opt outs may also be called "Restriction of Directory Information" at some schools.

More about FERPA opt outs:

See the U.S. Department of Education's FERPA site: http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html You can find more information about FERPA here, and you can find information about filing a complaint if you have opted out of FERPA and you believe the school violated the opt out.


See the World Privacy Forum FERPA tips for jobseekers: http://www.worldprivacyforum.org/resumedatabaseprivacytips.html Scroll to tip #8.


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8. Data Broker opt outs

What it does:

Some commercial data brokers allow some categories of consumers to opt out of some limited uses and disclosures of personal information.


Commercial data brokers acquire, purchase, accumulate, and sell information about consumers. Many data brokers have large data files with some information on most Americans. The data brokers have multiple lines of business that use consumer data in different ways. Data brokers offer some very limited opt outs, and not all data brokers offer opt outs. If you are a victim of identity theft, a law enforcement professional, or a victim of domestic violence, the opt outs may be important for you. Opt out policies can be challenging to find on the data broker sites. If these links below are stale, please let us know and we will locate the new links for you.


We have mixed views on data broker opt outs. On the one hand, we think that a consumer who opts out does a good thing by exercising those few options that are available. Each consumer opting out helps to preserve opt outs for all consumers. However, the data broker opt outs are generally quite limited, and it is nearly impossible to tell just what effect an opt out will actually have. When you read the opt out offerings carefully, you will see that they are often qualified. Consumers who are victims of identity thieves, victims of domestic violence, public officials, and others may have the greatest interest in seeking what opt out options are available.

How to opt out:

Note: of the data brokers in this list, Acxiom, Choicepoint, and Lexis Nexis are the largest. If you are an identity theft victim, a law enforcement professional, or have a strong safety need to opt out of data broker databases, start with these three companies first.

  • Choicepoint:

    You can opt out of some of Choicepoint products, with limitations.

    All consumers can opt out of the Choicepoint Marketing database. To opt out, go to Choicepoint's online form at http://www.privacyatchoicepoint.com/optout_ext.html#optout and then fill out the form.

    Some consumers can opt out of other Choicepoint products. Here is what Choicepoint says about this particular opt out:

    Certain states allow their public and elected officials to prohibit dissemination of certain public records. In addition, ChoicePoint may allow public and elected officials, including law enforcement officers, to opt out of certain PFG products and services in cases where the official is working undercover, on a high-profile assignment, or under threat of death or serious bodily harm. Public and elected officials must submit their opt out requests, in writing on official government letterhead, to: ChoicePoint Inc. Office of Privacy Compliance 1000 Alderman Drive MD 71-A Alpharetta, GA 30005 Email: privacy@choicepoint.com Also, ChoicePoint may allow certain private individuals who are facing a substantial risk of physical harm or who are victims of Identity Theft to opt out of certain PFG products and services. Individuals who may qualify for this opt out must submit their request, in writing. Such requests must include documentation substantiating the risk of physical harm or the individuals status as an Identity Theft victim. Accepted documentation must include a properly filed police report, or a letter from a law enforcement agency, or a law enforcement contact familiar with the issue necessitating the request. Requests must be submitted to: ChoicePoint Inc. Office of Privacy Compliance 1000 Alderman Drive MD 71-A Alpharetta, GA 30005 Email: privacy@choicepoint.com For more on Choicepoint optouts, see http://www.privacyatchoicepoint.com/optout_ext.html#optout

  • Intelius:

    This company's opt out policy is difficult to evaluate. They say they will opt you out as a "courtesy," "temporarily." We do not know exactly what either courtesy opt out or temporarily specifically means, or how long exactly this opt out will last. Nevertheless, to opt out, go to http://find.intelius.com/privacy-faq.php#5 . Intelius directs consumers to fax or mail their name and address as it appears on its website to opt out.

    Intelius fax number: (425) 974-6194

    Intelius mailing address: Intelius, Inc. Attn: CUSTOMER SERVICE 500 - 108th Ave NE #1660 Bellevue, WA 98004

  • Lexis Nexis:

    If you fall under three categories, you can opt out of some Lexis Nexis non-public information databases. (These categories include you if you are a state, local or federal law enforcement officer or public official and your position exposes you to a threat of death or serious bodily harm; or you are a victim of identity theft; or you are at risk of physical harm.) There is a detailed process for you to go through to opt out. If you are a victim of identity theft of have been the victim of domestic violence, this opt out could be helpful.

    See this web site for the Lexis Nexis process: http://www.lexisnexis.com/terms/privacy/data/remove.asp.

  • US Search Profile Opt Out:

    You can opt out of part of the US Search record profile. Specifically, you can opt out of information culled from non-public record sources. An example of this is information compiled from magazine subscriptions, many people do not realize that magazine subscription information is often available for sale through data brokers, mailing list vendors, and others.

    If you would like to opt out, you will need to mail in a signed request with the following information - your full name, e-mail address, mailing address, social security number, date of birth, past addresses and aliases to: US SEARCH, Opt out Program 600 Corporate Pointe, Suite 220 Culver City, CA 90230. More on US Search opt out: <http://www.ussearch.com/consumer/commerce/about/privacy.jsp;jsessionid=0WgYmX6nG96xwxsPoXhG9A**.node4?adID=10002101>

More about data broker opt outs:

See the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse Info Brokers Opt Out page: http://www.privacyrights.org/ar/infobrokers-optout.htm

See the CDT Opt Out Site: http://optout.cdt.org/ The CDT Opt out site was last updated in 2002, but it is still useful.


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9. Internet Portal Opt Outs

What it does:

Some large Internet portals allow some limited forms of opt outs. These opt outs can have varying effects, for example, some opt outs spare you from receiving unwanted email.

How to opt out:

We have not listed every portal that you could potentially opt out from This is a selection of opt-outs that some large Internet portals offer.

  • Ebay:

    After you have signed in to your Ebay account, you can make choices by finding the Preferences link under My Account.

  • MSN:

    At the MSN.com site, click on the MSN privacy link at the bottom of the main screen. Then look for Communications Preferences. You will be offered a series of links that allow you to exercise choice about the types of communications that you will receive.

  • Yahoo:

    Sign in to your Yahoo account and look for the Options Link. Click on that link and then click on YAHOO! Delivers. You can then select or unselect what types of advertising email that you want by checking or unchecking boxes with descriptions. Note: if you don't uncheck the boxes, all boxes will be automatically selected, so watch this closely.

More about Internet portal opt outs:

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of Internet web portals. The opt outs can make a difference, and one of the best ways to find out about the opt outs that are available to you is to read the privacy policy for that web site.

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10. Network Advertising Initiative opt out (NAI opt out)

What it does:

The Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) offers a centralized opt out system that allows Internet users to avoid some types of tracking of their web activities.

Some online ads appear on multiple web sites -- these ads are generally called network ads. If you browse with cookies turned on (as many people do) at a couple or more of web sites with network ads, or make some purchases or register at those sites, then your activities may in some situations be tracked. In some cases, things you do online can be linked back to you personally by name or email address and then merged with other information about you.

If you opt out of NAI tracking, it means that companies that have tracking ads at multiple web sites will no longer assemble a file of all of the places you have visited, will no longer link your web activities with you personally, and will no longer merge the web activities connected with their ads with other information about you. This is how the NAI describes it:

While advertising networks do collect data on consumers who view their advertising, this data is often anonymous. However, profiles derived from tracking consumers' activities on the Web can be linked or merged with "personally identifiable information" (PII). It can also be combined with offline purchase data or information collected via a survey, census, or registration form. These activities are most often invisible to consumers. (http://www.networkadvertising.org/managing/faqs.asp)


The NAI opt out uses what is called an "opt out cookie" to tell advertisers not to track you. This opt-out can seem counter-intuitive: you accept a cookie on your computer to make sure you aren't tracked using cookies.

How to opt out

  • Step one: You must accept third party cookies for this opt out to work. Open your web browser and check the cookie settings to accept all cookies.

  • Step two: Open the following page: http://www.networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp. You will see a prominent Consumer Opt Out button. After you click this button you will see an opt out page listing network advertisers with a checkbox next to each. This page is supposed to allow you to check and uncheck boxes, then click a button and automatically opt you out of all NAI tracking. In our tests of the opt out system, we found that the page can exhibit variable results based on the system used to access it, and does not always function at 100 percent for all systems, or at least it did not in our tests. Using computers running Firefox or IE on MS Windows and Safari on Mac OSX, our tests found that only some of the checked boxes successfully opted out. (The page has a feature that will tell you whether the opt out was successful or not.) Using a computer running Mozilla on a SUN Ultra, and computer running Firefox on Mac OSX, our tests found that all boxes did opt out.

  • Step three: If the page did not automatically opt you out of everything you wanted to opt out of, you can follow the individual links listed under each advertiser on the NAI opt out page. You may have to click through a number of pages before you can actually opt out. The NAI provides a phone number and an email for you to call if you are having trouble opting out: phone 207-351-1500, x110 or send an email to membership@networkadvertising.org.

  • Note: After you have opted out, if you remove the opt out cookies from your computer, the opt out must be repeated. We reiterate: this opt out may be helpful and useful, but it also can be challenging.

    More about the NAI opt out:

    See the NAI Frequently Asked Questions Page: http://www.networkadvertising.org/managing/faqs.asp