If you’re interested in opting out of so-called ‘firm’ (i.e., pre-approved) offers of credit or insurance products then hop on over to OptOutPrescreen.com and let them know. This web site is a joint venture by Equifax, Experian, Innovis and TransUnion, and it allows you to opt out from receiving firm offers for either a period of five years or permanently. You can also opt back in if you change your mind in the future and wish to start receiving these offers again. Note that, while they ask for your social security number, you don’t have to provide it to have your request processed. Now before you rush over and opt out, keep in mind that doing so may cause you to miss out on juicy 0% balance transfer offers, etc. But from my perspective, the upside of not having pre-approved credit applications waiting to be stolen from you mailbox is well worth the loss of a few deals.

Hmmm… Cyber Monday has come and gone and I somehow managed to miss it. In case you’re wondering, Cyber Monday is (apparently) the online equivalent of Black Friday — the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season. What better time to sit down at your computer and shop than your first day back at work after a long, leisurely weekend? It’ll be interesting to see if this ends up catching on. Somehow, I don’t think so. While traffic at major web-based retailers was up 35% yesterday as compared to a typical Monday, I just can’t imagine that a designated online shopping day could generate the same sort of hype as Black Friday no matter how great the deals.

[Source: CNN/Money]

Our Citi Driver’s Edge reward check arrived this past weekend. In the end, we were able to cash in roughly $925 in rewards simply by faxing in a copy of the bill of sale from our new Honda CR-V. Not too bad for using our credit card as we otherwise would have. As it turns out, they cut the check for the reward balance as of when they received our request, as opposed to cashing out the balance as of the date of the sale. Thus, we ended up getting a bit more than expected. Gotta love those 5% cash back promos! Now if I could only find an equally juicy deal for the upcoming year.

Given all the recent Xbox hype, I thought that the following tidbit was pretty interesting… Microsoft apparently spends $552.27 to manufacture and test a ‘premium’ Xbox 360 (i.e., one with a hard drive), meaning that they lose a bit over $150 on each one that they sell (the MSRP is $399). Actually, they’re most likely losing a good bit more than that, as the wholesale price that they get for one of these must be somewhere well below the MSRP. The fact that they’re losing money on these isn’t a big surprise, though, as console makers typically subsidize manufacturing costs by producing and selling games, as well as through licensing fees collected from third party game makers. In terms of the console gaming market as a whole, Microsoft currently runs a distant second to Sony’s PlayStation franchise, although they’re hoping to change that with the Xbox 360. Microsoft will, however, get a run for their money in 2006, as Sony will be releasing the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo will be rolling out their ‘Revolution’ system. Regardless of who comes out on top when the dust settles, the real winner in all of this looks to be IBM, as their chips will power all three of the next-generation consoles.

Update: It looks like it might cost even more to build the Xbox 360. Moreover, some have argued that software sales/licensing may not be enough to offset these sorts of losses.

[Source: CNN/Money]

It’s time for our next installment of Money Magazine’s recommended money moves for 2006. Next up: six tips for making the most of your family finances… [more]

At long last… I had my wisdom teeth out back in April and, at the time, Cigna (my dental insurer) refused to cover the extractions. While our dental insurance isn’t great, this was a major disappointment — the oral surgeon’s bill was close to $1300. Had the extractions been covered, our co-pay would have been about half this amount, so… I went ahead and appealed Cigna’s decision. In mid-July, I received the welcome news that they’d changed their mind — they were now willing to cover the extractions. And so began a protracted battle between the oral surgeon’s office, Cigna, and little old me. [more]

Another day, another installment of Money Magazine’s tips for financial success in 2006. Today’s topic is your health, and it comes complete with three tips designed to improve your bottom line, and to help make sure that you’re around to enjoy your savings… [more]

Two years ago my employer implemented a program in which they’d add a monthly wellness credit to your paycheck in return for filling out a health questionnaire during open enrollment. It wasn’t a lot of money ($10/month), but it certainly did add up, and it was well worth the fifteen minutes or so that it took to fill out the questionairre. Last year they increased the requirements slightly, and bumped up the reward. And this year they did the same, such that I now have to fill out the questionairre, promise to take steps to improve my health (based on the answers that I gave), and go through a handful of online health-related learning exercises. All in all, it took me about 45 minutes to run through the entire thing — not bad for a $240 payout over the next year (not to mention the potential health benefits). Anyway, the economics of wellness programs such as this fascinate me — $240/year for each employee isn’t exactly chump change, so the payback must be pretty good. Of course, assuming that this program has the desired effect, my employer will benefit both in terms of reducing lost time due to employee illness and reducing the costs associated with health care. While it’s hard for me to imagine that the hoops that I just jumped through will actually end up saving my employer ?$240 in the future, it probably won’t take much for them to at least break even given the high price of medical care.

It’s time for yet another installment of Money Magazine’s recommended money moves for 2006. Today it’s three tips related to your job… [more]

I’ve written in the past about how online shipping upgrades are a ripoff. Due to something that cropped up at work yesterday, however, I had to order a book from Amazon.com, and and I had to have it shipped to me overnight. What a bummer. $17 shipping on a $33 book! But when I selected the next day shipping option and proceeded to the next page, I was greeted with an offer that I couldn’t refuse… A free four month trial of Amazon Prime. [more]