Welcome to the December 2006 edition of the Federal Citizen Information Center 's FEDINFO E-letter! These subscription e-letters from Pueblo are sent 6-8 times a year with helpful updates, practical information, and special offers to make your life a little easier. You can always find the latest information on our family of websites:Pueblo.gsa.gov, FirstGov.gov, ConsumerAction.gov, and Kids.gov.
This issue includes:
- Tips for Using Gift Cards
- Last-Minute Advice for Saving on Your 2006 Taxes
- Extreme Cold Weather Safety
- FREE Publications
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TIPS FOR USING GIFT CARDS
There’s a good chance that you received at least one gift card this holiday season. Before you head out to the mall and spend, spend, spend, there may be some things you need to be aware of:
There are 2 types of gift cards: “use anywhere” gift cards that are issued by credit card companies (those that have a Visa, Mastercard or American Express logo) and “proprietary” gift cards that are issued by retailers.
Rules and fees may vary depending on what type of gift card you received so make sure to read the fine print.
Check for any expiration dates on the gift cards.
Find out what happens in case the gift card is lost or stolen. Can it be replaced and if so, is there a fee?
Check out Gift Cards: OCC Provides Holiday Tips for Consumers for additional tips on using gift cards.
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LAST-MINUTE ADVICE FOR SAVING ON YOUR 2006 TAXES
Do you know that there are new tax rules that will help you save money at tax time? If you’re planning to make any charitable donations before the end of the year, you need to keep in mind several important tax law changes made last summer by the Pension Protection Act. This new law offers older owners of individual retirement accounts a new way to give to charity. It also includes rules designed to provide both taxpayers and the government greater certainty in determining what may be deducted as a charitable contribution.
Click here to get the details about donations, including:
- a new tax break for IRA owners
- rules for clothing and household items, and
- guidelines for monetary donations
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Even though weather forecasters predict a warmer than normal winter season, it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t expect Old Man Winter to hit us with cold temperatures and blasts of snow, ice, or freezing rain. When winter temperatures drop significantly below normal, staying warm and safe can be a challenge. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers tips on being prepared for extreme cold weather. Extreme Cold: A Prevention Guide to Promote Your Personal Health and Safety provides information on:
- preparing your home and car for winter
- indoor and outdoor safety, and
- cold-weather health emergencies
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The Federal Citizen Information Center frequently has special offers of free publications mentioned in magazines and newspapers around the country. We want to give you an opportunity to order these publications online -- even if you didn't see the original article. You can find these promotions on our Free Publication Offers page. You can also sign up for e-mail notices to find out when new offers have been added.
Note: Some of the older offers mentioned on the page have ended but they provide links to the publications online or you can order a free sample package of currently-available publications.
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Previous issues of the FEDINFO E-letter can be found at: www.pueblo.gsa.gov/fedinfonews/fedinfoarchives.htm.
You can change your subscriptions, password, or e-mail address or remove yourself from this service at any time on your User Profile page. All you need are your e-mail address and password (if you selected one).
This service is provided free of charge by the Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC) at Pueblo, CO, your one-stop source for information about consumer problems and government services. Visit us at www.pueblo.gsa.gov.
For questions or problems with this subscription service, e-mail updates@pueblo.gsa.gov. For inquiries related to FCIC, email us.
Issue 2006-7