Do unclaimed piles of cash appeal to you? (Photo Credit: CC BY-ND/LaneVids.com)

There are billions of dollars in unclaimed money sitting in accounts in the U.S. Are you one of the rightful owners of unclaimed money sitting in savings bonds, misplaced pensions, apartment deposits, lost tax refunds and more? Try out some ideas from “Good Morning America” at abcnews.com/gma.

Oprah endorses unclaimed money recovery

General purpose websites like FoundMoney.com, unclaimed.org and MissingMoney.com make it easy for consumers to discover whether they have unclaimed money or property waiting in any of the 50 United States. FoundMoney.com impressed Oprah Winfrey so much that she beat “Good Morning America” to the punch and interviewed the company CEO on her show.

Treasure the Treasury and IRS

Savings bonds that have matured and are no longer earning interest continue to sit. Resources on the U.S. Treasury’s website are available to help owners to find their unclaimed money with their social security numbers. Similarly, tax refund checks returned by the U.S. Post Office can be located at IRS.gov; these are also filed by social security number.

Did your bank or credit union go under?

If your bank or credit union went under during the financial crisis, you may have forgotten to claim your money. Thanks to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and National Credit Union Association, accounts were insured against just such a loss. Find your unclaimed money via the organizations’ corresponding websites.

Good news for life insurance beneficiaries out in the cold

If you believe there is unclaimed money that should be yours because you were the beneficiary on a loved one’s life insurance policy, a private company called MIB Solutions can help you track it down for a $75 fee. Visit mibsolutions.com for more information.
Find your unclaimed pensions and 401(k)s

Reaping the corporate benefits

If your company went bankrupt during the financial crisis or ran itself into the ground, there are ways to find unclaimed pension and 401(k) money. Check out the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation’s website or the Employee Benefits Security Administration for 401(k)s. Keep in mind that if your old company still exists or has been bought out, you will need to approach the company directly.

Unclaimed money: The kitchen sink version

If your unclaimed money doesn’t fall into one of the above categories, “Good Morning America” suggests you try the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators free website, unclaimed.org. Depending upon the state holding your unclaimed money, unclaimed.org will direct you to the appropriate website automatically.

Sources

ABC Good Morning America
FDIC: Unclaimed money
FoundMoney.com
IRS: Tax refunds
National Credit Union Association: Unclaimed money
National Registry of Unclaimed Retirement Benefits
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
Employee Benefits Security Administration
U.S. Treasury

Oprah says look for unclaimed money at FoundMoney.com

The acainews Twitter attack has made a spammy mess of things. (CC BY-SA/Miha Filej/Flickr)

The berries of the açaí palm are marketed as a miracle food, with antioxidant qualities that can retard aging, promote weight loss and cure diseases like diabetes. Scientists believe this amounts to mere marketing spam, however – and Twitter users would surely agree. According to Mashable, a new Twitter advertising attack called “acainews” has converted thousands of Twitter accounts into spam-producing robots. Twitter insiders speculate that at least 10,000 unauthorized tweets relating to acai berries have appeared on the microblogging service the past few days.

Don’t click acainews links, Twitter users

Reports indicate that the Twitter advertising spam is connected to tweets that link to domains that include the phrase “acainews.” While the exact mechanism through which the açaí berry Twitter worm travels from one computer to the next is currently unclear, users are advised to avoid clicking any link that leads to an acainews-related domain. Experts have stated that acainews is the fastest-moving Twitter attack in recent memory.

Gawker may have spread the açaí berry jam

There was early speculation that Twitter accounts had been compromised by a third-party service. Del Harvey, the head of Twitter’s Trust and Safety team, later confirmed to Mashable that the acainews worm is “very likely” connected to a recent incident where the Gawker blog was hacked. That exposed data from 1.3 million Gawker commenter accounts, and many of those accounts were linked to Twitter accounts. Thus, Harvey advises all Twitter users who have linked their account to the Gawker blog to change their Twitter password immediately.

Compromised accounts, not malicious code

Damon Cortesi of TweetStats told Mashable that acainews does not appear to be transferring harmful code directly to computers. The Twitter accounts in question may have simply been compromised when Gawker was hacked. Couple that with the fact that the great Oprah has said “no” to açaí berries, and that should be enough reason to stay away from acainews.

Sources

Mashable

WebMD

Oprah and Dr. Oz say ‘no’ to açaí berries

What's your Happy New Year greeting message? Is it to use payday loans only when you need them?

Many of you are no doubt looking forward to New Year’s Day. You have your New Year’s resolutions and are looking forward to a Happy New Year in 2010. And why wouldn’t you? Whether the glass if half full or half empty, why not enjoy the substance of your refreshing liquid beverage? Have fun – you only get one shot at this life, so far as scientific proof is concerned.

As his own form of Happy New Year greeting message, the ubiquitous (or is it u-Oprah-tous?) Dr. Oz writes for the Huffington Post that we should indeed make merry with our New Year’s resolutions in 2010. “It’s a new year and time for a clean slate,” he writes. While I would argue that any day is a good day for honest, constructive self-reflection, the Doctor of Oz views the act of New Year’s resolution as something sacred to the inner being. And while your lists of New Year’s Day resolutions may have their share of misses over the years, the only real failure is not trying.

You Know, Payday Loans May Do You Better Than Psychobabble…

OK, let’s get this out of the way. I’m a pessimistic optimist. How’s that for a contradiction? While Dr. Oz may couch his message in feel-good palaver, the central triad of his argument – that we need “food, sex and sleep” – is absolutely, positively vital. Combine all three and that’s a Happy New Year greeting message I’ll wear out the rewind button on.

Dr. Oz does advise that we keep the Grhelin under control. That’s the hormone that makes your stomach growl. Keep it under control with light snacking (nuts, apples, sensible stuff without a “Mc” in front of it) and you’ll be well on your way to a weight loss goal. Just don’t diet; it’s unnatural.

Get Enough Sleep, You Idiots!

Please, don’t be offended, because I’m an idiot, too. If I could consistently get seven hours of sleep each night, I’d be a happier person with more to give everyone. Yet I deprive myself, as so many others do. Dr. Oz says this is also a no-no. “I want you to stop seeing sleep as a luxury where you can cut corners. It’s all in how you see it – so see it differently and put it on your resolution list!”

Be True to Yourself, But Also Forgive Yourself

Human beings are works in progress. Sometimes we hit on all cylinders, other times we make mistakes. Budget wise, we sometimes underestimate what we’ll need, but payday loans can help in the short term. But I digress in the interests of my corporate masters. Mr. Steve’s Happy New Year Greeting Message to you is to remain true to yourself and realize that you can achieve reasonable goals with your New Year’s resolutions in 2010. If you miss the mark, that’s OK. Try again! Hypnotize yourself to condition your mind if you like.

Related Video (Sleeeeeep!):

Will Obama graduate from the presidency with honors? Image from Wikimedia.

President of the United States Barack Obama on Sunday night appeared on both “60 Minutes” and a special Oprah Winfrey show called “Christmas at the White House.” As usual, more people are interested in what happened on Oprah’s show than anything else. Specifically, the masses are evaluating whether they agree with Obama’s figurative report card, which he filled out himself.

Oprah asked Obama what grade he’d give himself on his time thus far in office. “A good, solid B-plus,” he said. Now, before you take out no fax loans and start making picket signs reflecting which grade you’d give the president, here’s the logic behind Obama’s B-plus. Study up, y’all, this is bound to come up at the dinner table or the bar at some point.

Foreign security

Obama believes the war in Iraq is beginning to wind down and he pointed out that many troops have been withdrawn from Iraq. He also says he believes the U.S. has the best possible plan in place for Afghanistan.

He also mentioned that the world’s perception of the U.S. has greatly improved. He said America has “reset” its prestige. The U.S. also has been instrumental in halting the development of nuclear weapons in Iran and North Korea.

The economy

Though many households are not yet feeling the results of the ever-so-slowly growing economy, Obama confirmed what economics experts have been saying, which is that the economy is back on track and making positive progress.

The unemployment rate dropped in November to 10 percent from 10.2 percent in October. Obama said during his year as president, the economy has stabilized and is now growing. The country avoided another Great Depression after enduring the worst recession since then.

Popularity contest

Though Oprah and Obama are decidedly pretty chummy, Oprah will be Oprah. She asked the president to respond to his dwindling popularity in the polls. Obama said he was surprised his numbers had held up as well as they did with 10 percent of the population unemployed.

What does it take to get an A?

President Obama said that if a health care plan had been passed, he would have given himself an A-minus. He said he recognizes there are still a lot of things undone, and that’s why he didn’t give himself a higher grade. There is still time for Obama’s B-plus to change to an A-minus if the health care bill passes this year.

Pictured: A sweat lodge in Hawaii. Many cultures have used sweat lodges for centuries, but they are very selective about the materials used. Image from Flickr.

James Arthur Ray a couple of weeks ago charged a few dozen of his followers $9,000 to attend a five-day retreat that culminated in spending couple of hours in a makeshift sweat lodge. Three people died and several others were hospitalized.

A lawyer representing a woman who survived the ordeal says Ray “created a death trap.” The “sweat lodge ceremony” took place after five days of activities that including physically taxing exercises and fasting. The lawyer represents Sidney Spencer, 59, who is suing Arthur Ray because she nearly died from kidney and liver failure.

An empire of crazy

The incident is still under investigation, but as sweat lodge survivors start speaking out, it’s beginning to look like there’s a very good change Arthur Ray will end up in prison. At first, I thought those prosecuting him didn’t have a leg to stand on because the whole thing was voluntary. In fact, many participants probably had to get hard money loans to pay the $9,000 fee for the retreat.

However, Beverly Bunn told The Associated Press that when someone reported that another participant was passed out, he said “Leave her alone. She’ll be dealt with in the next round.” I do believe that there is a term for letting someone die: negligent homicide.

Who is Arthur Ray?

Arthur Ray created the best-selling documentary “The Secret,” and he has appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” several times, gaining him quite the following. I can see a sort of “Million Little Pieces” scenario unfolding soon. Remember what happened when it turned out the author of that book was a fraud? Imagine what it would be like if it turned out an Oprah cohort was a murderer!

Arthur Ray urged all of the participants to stay in the 120-degree sweat lodge for the duration of the ceremony. Sweat lodge survivors say they were chastised if they tried to leave, though they were not physically forced to stay. Read the full story about Arthur Ray’s sweat lodge at ABC News, and listen to CNN audio from a sweat lodge survivor.

Photo from money.cnn.com courtesy of Jollibee Foods.

Though higher-end restaurants are struggling as people try to scrimp and save, fast food restaurants in the United States are doing as well as ever. In fact, more foreign fast food restaurants are opening locations in the United States, even during this recession.

CNN Money wrote a series on several foreign fast food restaurants that are continuing to spread their businesses across the United States. Here are some highlights.

Jollibee

CNN Money says “Jollibee is known universally as the McDonald’s of the Philippines.” There isn’t a Jollibee anywhere near me, unfortunately, but this place sounds pretty good. Jollibee burgers can come with pineapple on them and sides of spaghetti. A side of spaghetti with a burger? Sure, why not.

I like the cute, smiling bee that’s the restaurant’s mascot. Also, instead of apple pies like McDonald’s, Jollibee has mango pies. Sounds delicious! And, because it’s fast food, you can keep up on your debt consolidation loan and still afford to eat there. Jollibee also serves a side dish called palabok, made of shrimp and noodles, and fried chicken.

Pollo Campero

Speaking of chicken, another restaurant continuing to open U.S. stores is Pollo Campero, the Guatemalan chicken place that beat out KFC in South America. CNN Money writes:

The problem, however, is describing exactly what Pollo Campero’s taste is. “Even when you talk to most experienced and devoted followers,” says Roberto Denegri, president of Campero USA, “describing the flavor is so hard.”

So as the chain grows in the United States — 52 stores so far, since they first opened in 2002 — they’re trying out a new marketing slogan this year: “Flavor you can’t Compero.”

Although it is a fast food place, it serves exotic foods — well, foods that seem exotic here in the U.S. — like yucca fries and fried plantains, and drinks like horchata, cinnamon-flavored milk served cold, and agua de tamarindo, a sweet-and-sour fruit drink. Pollo Campero is growing quickly and ambitiously. It has 52 U.S. stores now and plans to bring that number to 300 by 2014, so keep an eye out.

Chutney Joe’s

I am a huge fan of Indian food, but in some areas it’s so hard to find! If Chutney Joe’s has its way, though, that won’t be the case anymore. The founder, Vijay Puniani, had a restaurant in New Delhi, but moved to the U.S. to work in real estate. Apparently cooking and serving Indian food is where his heart is because he is back to it.

Chutney Joe’s uses healthy cooking techniques — no frying — and doesn’t use butter or heavy cream. Puniani said turning Chutney Joe’s into a fast food chain is challenging because Indian food is complex and consistency is an important element of a chain. He’s managed to focus on a few simpler dishes, and he plans to open five new locations in Chicago in the near future before expanding to New York, Dallas, Atlanta, and Los Angeles.

Nando’s

Most Americans have had Indian and Latin American food, but cuisine from South Africa is not easy to come by unless you’re in a large city. One of those places you could get South African food in Washington, D.C. is Nando’s, which expanded to several other countries — Botswana, Australia and Great Britain just to name a few – before finally coming to the U.S.

Though Nando’s serves foreign food, it’s using a very American marketing strategy, which is to tell people that Oprah Winfrey is a fan. No one’s saying that isn’t true, but I am hoping that the food will be able to speak for itself when it expands to 10 more stores in the next couple of years. CNN Money says:

At the heart of this chain is a Portuguese-style of cooking chicken in a spicy, vinegary sauce known as “peri-peri,” brought to South Africa long ago by Portuguese explorers.

What this woman says can transform a business from rags to riches.

It looks like the Centerville Pie Company will be the next business to receive the flood of business – and profits – that comes with being associated with Oprah. Apparently, Oprah didn’t even mention the Centerville Pie Company on her show. She simply confirmed for a small newspaper, the Cape Cod Times, that she had indeed ordered and purchased several pies from the Massachusetts bakery while she was in Cape Cod.
CNBC recently aired an entire hourlong special called “The Oprah Effect.” It’s undeniable that Oprah has a wide and very responsive audience. Even this web site, which helps people find the cheapest personal loans, has seen traffic greatly increase when Oprah-related topics were posted. The CNBC web site explains why the company created the show:

Everybody knows her. She’s the queen of talk, a cultural and financial icon and her impact on business is worth billions. Oprah Winfrey is the most influential woman in America-maybe the world. And, experts call her unprecedented ability to take companies from no names to brand names-The Oprah Effect.

More about Centerville Pie Company

Apparently even acquaintances of Oprah can spread the Oprah effect second-hand. The Chicago Tribune reports:

Pie company owner Kristin Broadley said she delivered a chicken pot pie to Winfrey’s traveling party last week, then followed with two more orders. Broadley says she delivered a total of 20 pies, including chicken, custard and banana cream, to Winfrey’s crew.

Broadley says a mention of the pies on Winfrey friend Gayle King’s radio show has sparked a flood of orders for her company.

So Oprah doesn’t even need to endorse or recommend a product or company. She just has to be associated with it in some way. Clearly, she did like the products she got from the Centerville Pie Company or else she wouldn’t have ordered 20 pies, so even though she never came out and said she liked the Centerville Pie Company, the business is profiting because of her.

More about ‘The Oprah Effect’

CNBC says its TV documentary “The Oprah Effect” studies individual businesses “to explain Oprah’s unparalleled impact on their bottom line.” The show also studies the process of getting a mention on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” which clearly is worth a whole lot of money to a whole lot of companies.

“Businesses large and small know that there’s no better advertising than the power of Oprah. If you’re lucky enough to create a product she loves, a brief mention by the queen of influence can make you a millionaire,” CNBC.com says.

According to “The Oprah Effect,” one word from Oprah can bring companies back from bankruptcy or out of obscurity. The Oprah effect works, somewhat, in reverse to. As I said before, when Personal Money Market has posted articles about Oprah before it has attracted a lot more readers than normal. “The Oprah Effect” tells the story of a woman who is “living life according to Oprah” and blogging about it. Because the blog, one of countless blogs out there, is focused on Oprah, it has quickly gained a huge readership. Today, the Centerville Pie Company is one of the hottest topics on the Internet, further proving the power of the Oprah effect.