Jerome Bitun

Almost every one of us has credit cards. But how many of us pay an annual fee on our credit cards? If you're paying an annual fee on your credit card, my question is, why? Are you paying an annual fee to get lower interest rates or it is to get the reward miles and points? Is it actually worth it to pay $50 to $100 in annual fees for a reward miles card or is it better to save those annual fees and pay your airfare directly instead? If you're paying an annual fee to get a low interest card. Are you paying off your balance every month? If you are paying off your balance, why do you need to pay a fee to get a low interest? These are just some things that people take for granted. Card companies make millions a year on these annual fees because they know we just never give a second thought about them. In the long run, those fees stack up and we end up paying thousands of dollars for something we never really need or use. Just like the extended warranties they sell for computers or ...

Every month I get a phone call from our clients saying that their credit card has been subjected to fraud. I never used to get these calls but it seems that the number of cases have really gone up in the last six months. It is a big pain in the neck to clear up your account and go through the motions of cancelling your credit card, getting a new one and making sure you don't pay for the items that was purchased on your credit card. The bigger problem is identity theft when someone actually seems to have taken over your life. Here are eight things you can do to protect yourself from credit card and identity theft. 1. Keep your information private. Memorize your SIN number and don't keep it in your wallet. If your wallet is stolen, so is your SIN number. Keep it in a secure place like a safe at home or a locked drawer. Don't keep it lying around where a thief might break in and steal it. Don't give out your SIN number to anyone. The banks, insurance companies and other fi...