Cheese Grits, College Savings, Black Holes, and HELOCs

For most parents, saving for their child’s education is always a priority. With the volatility and uncertainty in today’s market, it has become a priority that is not so easy to fund. Most would agree that a hundred dollars here or a hundred dollars there, while not providing a full ride, would definitely help out. Even better, what if you could contribute a couple hundred dollars a year to your child’s education without having to spend any extra money?

Sound pretty good? Well that is exactly what Upromise.com does. Upromise is a website that has partnered with many online retailers, grocery stores, and other businesses. They offer to contribute anywhere from 1% to 5% of your purchase to a 529 plan for your child’s education. All you have to do is register your customer loyalty cards or credit cards with the Upromise website and shop from their participating partners. From their website you can also find restaurants by zip code that participate. If you register as a preferred diner, the 4% contribution can turn into as much as 8%. This is free money, and it is money that you are spending anyway! Why not let it help you fund you or your child’s education?

As you may recall a few weeks ago, a friend of mine wrote in telling us of how his Home Equity Line of Credit had been frozen by his bank causing two checks to bounce. In the show today, I share a readers email that explains how this practice may actually be illegal! According to the Offic of Thrift Supervision, banks may no longer freeze credit lines based on blanket assumptions by zip code. In the show I share the entire email as well as information from comments of Clark Howard’s website.

Finally, because I’m a geek and I can relate to these scientists over in Switzerland, I address what could either be an unbelievable feat for science, or an event that could create a black hole and destroy the world as we know it. There are many differing opinions on what could possibly happen with CERN’s $4 billion dollar atom smashing experiment. Check out this YouTube rap, and it may put your mind at ease. If easing your mind isn’t what your looking for, then check out this YouTube clip.

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