FED INFO E-Newsletter
May/June 2009
From the Federal Citizen Information Center

Visit our family of websites: Pueblo.gsa.gov, USA.gov, ConsumerAction.gov, Kids.gov, and GovGab.gov.

This issue includes:

• H1N1 (Swine Flu) Info
• Two good reasons to head to USPS.com right now
• Tweak Your Tax Withholdings
• Lost Your Job? Keep Your Health Insurance
• Beware, Scammers Are Everywhere
• Find a Low Interest Credit Card and Check Your Credit Report Online
• May is Time to Get Moving
• Check out FCIC on Facebook and Twitter

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

H1N1 (Swine Flu) Info

Find the latest federal government H1N1 (swine flu) information, including news, guidance and travel notices, at USA.gov.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two good reasons to head to USPS.com right now

• Buy Forever Stamps before May 11, when the price of a First-Class stamp goes up 2 cents, to 44 cents.
• Vote for your favorite Simpsons stamps! Voting for the stamps, which will be released May 7 nationwide, ends May 14. You can vote over and over.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tweak Your Tax Withholdings

The new, lower federal withholding rates authorized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act may put some welcome extra cash in your pocket. But you may be entitled to even more − or less. If you got a big refund this year, you can decrease your withholdings even more to increase your take-home money during the rest of the year. But if you have multiple sources of household income, the reduced withholdings may cause you to owe taxes next year. Confused? Try the IRS Withholding Calculator to determine the correct amount for your situation.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lost Your Job? Keep Your Health Insurance

Expenses under COBRA, the law that entitles laid-off workers to remain enrolled in their former employer’s health insurance plan, have been slashed for people who lost their jobs on or after Sept. 1, 2008. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act lowers premiums to 35% of their original cost for up to nine months. Those who didn’t enroll through COBRA when they were eligible, or have since dropped it, may be eligible to re-enroll. Visit the Department of Labor’s site to learn more.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beware, Scammers Are Everywhere

Don’t let scammers con you out of your money. Raise your awareness and steer clear. Some current scams to watch out for:

• Mortgage Modification and Foreclosure Rescue Scams
• Facebook Ad Scams
• Economic Stimulus Package Scams
• Smishing – Stealing Your Identity Through Text Messaging
• Medical ID Theft

And be sure to read Scumbags are Scamming the Elderly, a recent post on FCIC’s blog, GovGab.gov.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Find a Low Interest Credit Card and Check Your Credit Report Online

Interested in finding a credit card with a lower interest rate, or just seeing how your card compares to others? Check out the Federal Reserve’s latest credit card survey.

Still haven’t gotten around to checking your credit report? Maybe you don’t realize how easy it is. At AnnualCreditReport.com, the only federally authorized source for your free annual reports, you can view and print out your report within minutes. You can also call or write for the info.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

May is Time to Get Moving

If the balmy weather doesn’t motivate you to get moving, try these for inspiration:

• The 2009 President's Challenge. Register May 1 – 29 and complete the fitness program by July 24. Check out the booklet Be Active Your Way−A Guide for Adults for activity ideas and guidelines.
• An arthritis walk. May is National Arthritis Awareness Month. Exercise is one of the best treatments for osteoarthritis, the most common type.
• A walk, canoe trip or bird watch at a local wetland. May is American Wetlands Month − find an event near you.
• National Get Outdoors Day − okay, it’s in June. Hike with rangers, learn to fish, or go mountain biking, June 13.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Check out FCIC on Facebook and Twitter

Get the latest consumer news and information and ask us your consumer questions via Facebook or Twitter. Become our Facebook fan by searching for Pueblo.gsa.gov and follow us on Twitter @pueblo81009.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the Archive
FEDINFO e-letters
Consumer Focus articles

Sign up for e-mail alerts and RSS Feeds; find us on Facebook and Twitter

Sign up for free FCIC e-mail alerts for new Consumer Focus articles, Recalls, Scams & Frauds and more. Or subscribe to RSS Feeds for the latest info from FCIC and USA.gov. Become our Facebook fan by searching for Pueblo.gsa.gov and follow us on Twitter @pueblo81009.

You can change your subscriptions, password, or e-mail address or remove yourself from this free service at any time on your User Profile page. For questions or problems with this subscription service, e-mail updates@pueblo.gsa.gov. For inquiries related to FCIC, email us.