Tag Archives: Featured

Brainfood

EXTRAenlightenment 9/14/12

Leave a comment

We are always searching for enlightenment to share. Here’s some enlightenment we found on the web this week:

  • Traveling soon? You’ll start seeing a traveling series on UE next month. But if you’re headed to San Francisco soon, we think these 7 things to understand are a good place to start.
  • If you ever ventured into FAO Schwarz as a kid, think giant human piano keys are AWESOME, or just generally love stairs, you should watch this.
  • We just really want to know where this girl learned to do this. (Can she teach us too?)

Read some good enlightenment this week? Tweet it to us @UNDERenlightend 

Home

Protect Your Shit: Renter’s Insurance

3 Comments

Congratulations, you signed your lease on your new apartment! You moved in all your furniture, your PlayStation 3, your MacBook Pro, and your collection of Christian Louboutins. Three weeks later, you arrive home to find that your downstairs neighbor didn’t realize blocking the built-in wall heater with a wooden cabinet was a bad idea. Your apartment is scorched, and your belongings have been reduced to ash. But don’t worry—your landlord has insurance, so you’ll be ok… Right?

Actually, no. Your landlord has insured the building but not your personal property within the apartment. Stories like this are why you should consider getting renter’s insurance.

What is renter’s insurance?

Renter’s insurance covers your personal property within your apartment. In the event that it is damaged or stolen, the insurance company will give you the money to replace the lost belongings. (Just like your parents’ house insurance.) Renter’s insurance also provides liability coverage, which can help you if someone gets injured in your apartment.

How much is it?

Most renter’s insurance plans run $10-$35 per month and the price is determined by the size of your apartment, the value of your belongings, and your deductible. Personally, I’d rather pay a little more per month for a lower deductible—to avoid shelling out $500 before the insurance kicks in—but it’s your choice.

But do I really need it?

That really depends on you. One way to determine if you need renter’s insurance is to add up the costs of all your belongings and decide if that cost merits purchasing insurance. (Try using a rate calculator like this one offered by State Farm.) If not, consider less expensive options, such as getting a safety deposit box at a bank for any priceless treasures.

Another thing to consider is the location of your apartment. What’s the crime rate in your area? Have there been a lot of break-ins? Do you live on the ground floor?  Do you live in a town where frozen pipes are common? Are you (or your roommate or your upstairs neighbor) likely to flood your apartment?

Finally, if you are a pet owner, and your pet was to bite another person, your renter’s insurance may be able to protect you from a liability lawsuit. (There is such a thing as pet insurance but it’s pet health insurance, similar to your medical insurance.)

How do I get it?

Progressive, AAA, Geico—any major insurance company—will offer renter’s insurance. I recommend trying to get a plan with the same carrier as your car insurance because they might offer a sweet multi-plan discount.

Am I missing anything?

Be sure to read the fine print for each plan and know exactly what your plan covers. For example some plans only cover damage on particularly valuable objects—such as musical instruments, electronics and fine jewelry—to a certain value. Others may have additional costs for liability coverage. Some policies will still cover stolen or damaged items even when they’re not at home (for example: in your car or hotel room).

But wait: you’re not done yet. Do you live in an area prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and/or floods?

You might have to purchase additional insurance to protect yourself. These plans have varying costs and restrictions. For example, residential insurance policies in California no longer cover damage sustained during an earthquake due to the losses sustained during the 1994 Northridge earthquake. You have to purchase additional insurance for this and other natural disasters, outside of your standard renter’s insurance plan. How this insurance is administered is regulated on a state-by-state basis.

In some cases, you may need multiple policies to cover one disaster. There was a lot of controversy after Hurricane Katrina as certain hurricane insurance policies only covered damage due to wind—despite the fact that hurricanes often bring rain and, therefore, floods. Many people were not covered since they had not purchased additional flood insurance.

I’m still not sure, where else can I get information?

Sites like this one from Allstate or this one from Insure.com have explanations of renter’s insurance that can help.

In the end, whether or not you purchase renter’s insurance is a personal decision. Just remember to make sure you know exactly what you’re getting. Nothing is worse than buying into a policy and, when it’s time to cash in, discovering you aren’t covered the way you thought you were.

rentersinsurancecropped

Photo by Michelle White

Brainfood

Your Guide to Voting in All 50 States

2 Comments

It is common knowledge that, statistically, young people don’t vote. Whether it’s because we’re not registered, we don’t care, we don’t know how, or we need a refresher in civics (because we were too busy watching a bumblebee out of the window during Government class), people under the age of thirty-five, given the right to vote, often don’t exercise it.

So for those of you who are just now eligible, haven’t registered since the last election, have recently moved, or are lost in an existential crisis about the meaning of a vote, I give you our quick and dirty instructions on how to register to vote:

1) Figure out the state where you are registering

This is the state where you have your driver’s license/pay your taxes. Even if you do not live there, it is where you vote. If you’re travelling, away at school, etc., you can vote absentee (more on that later).

2) Look up your state’s process

Unfortunately, every state is a bit different, but it’s usually a very simple process. You need to do a quick search on your particular state’s rules, how long before the elections you need to register, and what registering requires. In nearly all states, there’s a registration deadline (and no, it’s almost never Election Day). You can check your state’s deadline on this handy list. (Note: A few lucky places do allow same-day registration or election-day registration, but it’s pretty uncommon.)

If you’re not sure if you’re registered, where you’re registered, or how you are registered (absentee, party preference, etc.), try one of the following:

    • Can I Vote.org can help you find out if you’re registered and where your polling place is.
    • County Registrar: Google “county registrar” with the name of your city. You should be provided with the name of your county’s “Registrar of Voters” and the website, address, and phone number of his or her’s office. Their website can help you check your registration status and/or re-register (this includes changing your address, changing your name, changing your party, or changing your vote-by-mail status). But if that gets confusing, give them a call, or take a quick drive over (they are in your county).

If you just need to register:

    • See above for your County Registrar.
    • State Election Board: You can also get a voter registration form from your State Election Board. You can find a complete list of all of the State Election Boards here.
    • State Registrar: If your state doesn’t provide an easily accessible form, you can use this national registration form and send it to your state Registrar’s office (follow the Googling procedures above with “state registrar” and your state).
    • If all this online stuff is super confusing and you just want to fill out a paper form, visit your nearest local library or post office.

On all of these websites, look for any “Register to Vote” buttons or FAQ that can help you navigate the process.

You CAN register online, but remember you still have to print out the form, sign it, and mail it to your state Registrar.  Make sure you leave time to mail the form before the registration deadline!

3) Register!

Don’t worry, I’ll wait…

4) Find out if your state has early voting / Apply for an absentee ballot

Many states/counties allow you to vote up to a few weeks early to avoid the sometimes-crazy lines that amass on Election Day. Early voting is often significantly more convenient, so go ahead and see if it’s an option for you through your State Election Board.

If you are going to be out-of-state for the election, apply for an absentee ballot. Again, you can check your State Election Board’s website to find out the specifics. Just remember, this will take more time, as it requires mailing and such, so don’t wait too long. Double check if your state will allow you to drop off your ballot at a polling place on Election Day (allowing you to both procrastinate and get a super awesome “I Voted” sticker).

5) Find your polling place

Usually the address of your polling place will come in the mail with your voter registration card (if your state doesn’t send cards, check the back of your sample ballot, or see step #2) a few weeks after you register or a few weeks before the election.

6) Do your research

Once you are registered, you might receive a Voter Information Guide from your Registrar with information about the candidates as well as propositions, initiatives and referendums.

If you tend to not keep up with local news and politics, you may want to do some research on your local elections as well. Often a good place to start is your local news, as they tend to profile local candidates and run stories on them close to the election.

If you don’t get the newspaper  (or it doesn’t show up in an easy Google search) and local TV news isn’t your thing, smartvoter.org is also a very useful, nonpartisan site for information on local, state, and federal elections.

7) Vote!

We’ve reached the most important step. Don’t forget! The next election is November 6th—mark your calendar now.

Now you are all set to influence the laws of our land. Even if it doesn’t feel like it, everyone’s vote matters in the end. You can help to change the statistics. After all, you likely pay taxes and possibly student loans, you may own a home or have kids, and eventually you could decide to retire. Today’s lawmakers influence all of this and more. Do something to influence them.

Go. Vote.

voting

Photo by Meaghan Morrison

Money

FML: My Stolen Wallet

2 Comments

It was like any other Saturday—I got off work, ate a snack, then flopped into bed. This particular evening, I was dozing off when my phone buzzed with a text from Chase Fraud, “Did you purchase $300 at a shoe store?” Uh, no.

Getting your wallet stolen is a bitch.

The damage: a hundred dollars cash, my driver’s license, a debit card, my birth certificate (with my social security number written on the back), a sticky note with both my checking and savings account numbers scribbled on it, and various other cards (including my car insurance/registration, my voter registration card, my AAA card, several gift cards, and an old student ID).

The Bank

My first step was to report the fraudulent charges to Chase. The cool thing about their fraud service (which might be true for other national banks) is when they text you about a possible fraudulent charge, if you say, “Yes it’s fraudulent,” they automatically call you. If your bank is not this fancy, you can find customer service numbers online or on your bank statements.

At first, I got the standard pre-recorded voice (wanting either my card number or my account number for verification) but after about a minute I was directed to a real human being. The woman asked me for my address (more verification) and then to confirm which charges were fraudulent. She listed off the last five or so, but I had to log into my online account to see exactly what she was talking about. There were three fraudulent charges: $50 at a gas station, $300 at FootLocker, and $30 at a nail salon. She flagged the charges, canceled my card, and informed me that a new one was on its way.

As for reversing the charges, she told me it would only take about 12 hours for a refund to be posted to my account, but this was not entirely true. The two smaller charges were credited to my account the next morning, but the $300 charge from FootLocker was not. Now this delay isn’t necessarily the banks fault, they have to work with the stores (who may or may not be open and/or challenge the charges). So, if you’re making a claim on the weekend, don’t be surprised if the credits/debits don’t clear until Monday or Tuesday. Overall, the call took about 15 minutes and was pretty painless.

Now if you’re smarter than I am, you won’t put your actual account numbers in your wallet. If the thief had just gotten my debit card, I could have reported it stolen and just waited for a replacement in the mail. But, since we’ve established I’m kind of an idiot, I had to go to my local branch and switch over all my accounts instead.

The guy who helped me told me that my situation was not uncommon and was very helpful. He created new checking and savings accounts for me and transferred over all my money. He kept the old accounts open, but frozen, so only deposits could be made. (This is so that you can be reimbursed for the fraudulent charges.) It shouldn’t cost any money to do this and, if you have one, bring your passport (or some form of identification, i.e. your social security card or birth certificate etc.) Or better yet, call ahead and find out what identification they need.

The Police

After I got off the phone with Chase, I called the police to file an incident report. This meant, about an hour later, an officer showed up at my house to take my statement and give me an identity theft packet with lots of helpful (and scary) information. I gave him a copy of my bank statement (printed off the Internet) because I had noticed that all the purchases were made at local stores. The officer told me this would help tremendously. Now a detective had specific stores to check, along with the exact purchase amounts. But, because my work place (which is where we’d determined the theft had occurred) doesn’t have cameras, getting the thief on camera, at one of these stores, was the only way to identify him or her.

The Credit Bureaus

Next up, I checked my credit report with each of the three major credit bureaus—Equifax, Experion, and TransUnion. (Did I know there were three credit bureaus before this fiasco? I did not.) Luckily, I discovered that www.annualcreditreport.com allows you to check all three bureaus at once, which eased the pain a little. I put in my name and social security number. Then I was prompted to answer really random yet oddly specific questions that only I should know. Things like “Where did I live before 2000?” and “How much money did I make in 2010?” Don’t worry, it’s multiple choice.

You should not have to pay to get your credit report. (There could be a fee if you’ve already checked your report in the past year, but if it’s been more than 12 months, you should be fine.) Credit scores typically cost, but reports should not. Reports are mostly for record keeping purposes and so that you can see if anyone’s stolen your identity in the future. I gave the reports a once over, everything checked out so I saved a digital copy and printed another one out for good measure.

Technically you should call each credit bureau and let them know your information has been stolen. I didn’t do this because the credit bureaus can’t stop identity theft and I was 99% sure that this was a punk kid who just wanted my money, not my identity.

The DMV

Getting a new license is like getting your old one, you wait in line, fill out a piece of paper, and get your picture taken—which I still had to shell out $9 for. Replacing my voter registration card was free. Fortunately, I did not need another copy of my car registration, but if you do, just have your license plate number with you.

The Rest

Cash and gift cards are just gone, they’re never coming back.

I don’t have credit cards, but if you do, approach it like you’re dealing with the bank. Also, I can’t speak for getting new insurance documents (because I had duplicates), but I would suggest calling your provider and going from there.

The document that continues to keep me up at night is my short form birth certificate. It’s the size of a credit card, and contains my name, birthday, and the city I was born in, embossed with a government seal. This document alone could do some serious damage, but I also wrote my social security number on the back of it because I’m a genius. If someone really wanted to be malicious, they’d have everything they needed (driver’s license, birth certificate, SSN) to steal my identity. I know it seems convenient and portable to have your life in one place, but for your own sanity, don’t be like me. Bad things happen, minimize the damage.

The police still haven’t caught the thief.

StolenWalletHero

Photo by Meaghan Morrison