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EPISODE 34 ~ TOP TIP: Pay By Phone: Why You Should Only Pay Over The Phone If You Initiated The Call

The other night I picked up the phone and it was my husband’s college calling to ask for money.  We are big believers in education, so I had the patience to listen and I was sympathetic to the idea of donating.  BUT, as I went to get my credit card, I suddenly realized I was about to break one of my own rules!  Never buy anything or donate money over the phone unless YOU initiated the call!  After all, it could be a scammer on the line trying to get your financial info.  For that matter, don’t let the caller give you a number to call back and confirm.  Instead, hang up, research the company or cause’s phone number yourself and call or mail in a donation when it’s convenient for you.

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EPISODE 34 ~ MAKE MORE: Egg Donation: Earn Thousands While Helping Others Start A Family

Today, we’re going to talk about making money by making a life. Way back on Episode 2, we talked about being a surrogate mother. Today, I want to cover becoming an egg donor, which is less involved because you don’t have to carry a child, but more involved because you’re contributing your own DNA. My guest is named Candace, and she has donated her eggs 5 times resulting in the birth of 6 children.

YOU FIRST DONATED EGGS WHEN YOU WERE IN COLLEGE.  I THINK WE’VE ALL HEARD THAT THIS IS POSSIBLE, BUT HARDLY ANYBODY HAS EVER DONE IT. WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO GET INVOLVED?

I initially became interested in this while I was working at an IVF clinic. I’m not sure if I wasn’t working there if I would have otherwise been exposed to this. I was finishing my college degree and bartending to get through college and they had a receptionist job open at clinic so I got in and fell in love with the field and then decided to donate my eggs to research initially. I did not get paid for that. The research was for a cure for gestational diabetes and I wanted to be helpful since my Dad has type 2 and there were benefits for genetic testing free of charge so I could make sure I didn’t have any abnormalities.

YOU THEN WAITED A FEW YEARS BEFORE DONATING EGGS TO ACTUAL COUPLES WHO WANTED TO CONCEIVE.  WHAT IS THE PROCESS LIKE?

I was 26 when I donated to a family for the first time. My last time was when I was 31. There is a matching process. Sort of like a dating website. Couples see the profiles. I fill out my profile, add pics and a couple finds someone who fits their background. Then agency tells me a couple is interested and I can read and decide whether to donate.

You go through an IVF cycle. Inject with medicine to try and develop more follicles then would in your normal  cycle. Produce more eggs than you normally would. My first donation I had over 60 follicles. Normally you’d see single digits. Turns out I was a really good donor.  After egg retrieval they have to fertilize to see how many embryos. Then tell you when transfer into surrogate or parents. All of mine took.

SO THE BABIES THAT ARE BORN HAVE YOUR DNA.  DO YOU THINK OF YOURSELF AS THEIR MOTHER, OR WHAT’S THE RELATIONSHIP?

Because I don’t have kids as my own, I look at them as my nieces or nephews. I’m not their parent but it is my DNA. For me it is very easy to make that emotional separation. I haven’t met any donors who seem to find it hard. A lot of my girlfriends did it.  I don’t feel any motherly connection to the children.

ARE YOU IN TOUCH WITH THE PARENTS YOU DONATED TO AND THE CHILDREN WHO ARE REALLY HALF YOU?

It is preferred to generally be anonymous but I was open to knowing couples too. That is more rare to have the open situation.  It’s pretty exciting, especially the two I knew. I really wanted them to have a positive pregnancy. Two weeks after the baby in France was born, they drove here and I got to meet him two weeks after. Ever since then we go meet each other. I go there or they meet here. We had a huge family BBQ. I have 17 nieces and nephews, five siblings and everyone got to meet.

AND DO THE CHILDREN UNDERSTAND WHO YOU ARE TO THEM?

I Skype the boy and he asks who I am.  He is 3. He still really doesn’t get it. We Skyped on his birthday and he asked who is she and why is she calling. They explained I was part of helping make him and I think each year it will grow into more detail. To me it is super special. I am happier with my open donations and knowing the children. It is peace of mind to know they are doing well and have a good family life.

WE KNOW HOW YOU ENHANCED THE COUPLES’ LIVES WHO WANTED CHILDREN.  BUT HOW DID THIS AFFECT YOUR OWN LIFE?  DID THE MONEY YOU EARNED MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

The money helped me get through school and not kill myself bartending and getting up at 7am for my first class. Gave me more flexibility to focus on school and not just trying to life. Then I put it into savings and that was huge for me. And now I was able to go and finish my Masters. Got me thru Bachelors and get me to my Masters. Was huge for me.

One of my girlfriend’s had $20,000 credit card debt and it helped her pay that off and then be able to buy a house. Win/win. Giving someone something who has a huge desire for so long. A lot of couples have gone through heartache. You can help them and help yourself.

ALRIGHT, THE QUESTION EVERYBODY’S BEEN WAITING FOR ME TO ASK: HOW MUCH MONEY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? On your first donation you make about $6,000. That helped trying to get through college. Each consecutive time after that you go up about $1,000 if you are proven donor. Made about $10,000 with the last one.

THAT’S CERTAINLY TEMPTING.  CAN ANY WOMAN DO THIS?

Nobody can just do it. You have to do psych evals and be healthy and the right weight. You want to be at your peak health. You have to go through interviews and take a test to make sure I am emotionally stable.  Not easy. Can be time consuming and you do have to take time off. At the mercy of the cycle itself so you have to be flexible. You are injecting yourself with medication.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR WOMEN WHO ARE OPEN TO BECOMING EGG DONORS?

I would definitely have the right people. Important to have someone who understands process so go thru agency or clinic. Lots of unknowns. Legal aspects. Medical aspects. Need someone to help mediate.

Candace, thank you for being my guest on Easy Money. And folks, Candace treasured this process so much that she now works for extraordinary conceptions, a firm that helps match egg donors with prospective parents. She’s provided the firm’s detailed list of requirements for becoming an egg donor, so you’ll know more about what it takes. You can find that list as well as this week’s guest blog post at easymoneyshow.com/34.

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EPISODE 34 ~ SAVE MORE: Tuition: Clever Ways to Save Money On a College Education

Save more money with The Easy Money Show

This is a follow up to MY last episode, number 33, where I covered unusual ways to MAKE money for college.  If you can make more AND save more on college, you might just have it covered.  Here goes:

  1. Fund an out-of-state 529. Many people don’t know that you can start a 529 plan in another state.  You don’t have to stick with the plans in the state where you live.  Some state plans have lower fees or are better run.  For example, according to NerdWallet, if you invested $5,000 in Oregon’s plan in 2010, five years later your account would have grown to $7,714.  But if you invested the same $5,000 in Michigan’s plan, five years later your account would have grown to $10,017.  It pays to look around.
  2. Apply to tuition-free college.  YES, there are a few schools that charge no tuition at all.  One is the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, located in New York.  Another is Berea College in Kentucky.  One more example: College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri. There are others and one might be a fit for you or your child.
  3. Negotiate a lower tuition. If you can’t go to school for free, how about for less?  When schools give out financial aid, often the first round offer is actually calculated by a computer.  If you are an excellent student, if you have better offers from other colleges or if the amount of aid is close but not quite enough, those are all good wedges to start a conversation and politely ask for more.
  4. Get the tax benefits: Federal student loans can be tax deductible, so don’t over look that possibility.  Ask a tax pro.
  5. Private student loans can sometimes have a lower interest rate than federal ones, if you have an excellent credit score, so shop and compare.
  6. Discounts for good grades: Some private student loan providers will do this, so be sure to check and let them know how you’re doing.
  7. Go to community college first.  This is a tried and true idea, but what you may not know is that a group called AmericanHonors.org will guarantee your admission to a long list of big name schools if you take required courses and maintain a good GPA.
  8. Graduate in 3 years.  My assistant on Easy Money is doing this and saving something like 40-thousand dollars.
  9. Take summer classes. This could help you graduate in 3 years.  It’s also a great plan because summer credits are often CHEAPER!  For example, Purdue University says you can spend summer on campus -including tuition, room and board— for about half the cost of a regular semester.
  10. And final way to save on college: Most schools now automatically enroll you in their campus health insurance plan.  If you have a good health plan that covers you while you’re at school, opt out of the school plan and save hundreds or even thousands.
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EPISODE 34 ~ FIND YOURS: FDIC Insurance: How To Find Your Lost Money if Your Bank Went Under

Find unclaimed money with The Easy Money Show

Our find yours topic for today is how to locate missing funds held by the FDIC.

FDIC stands for Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.  The FDIC is the independent federal agency that insures banks.  More specifically, it insures YOUR deposits in banks.  The FDIC was established by President Franklin Roosevelt after the stock market crash that led to the Great Depression.  The idea was to make sure people wouldn’t panic again and pull their money out of the nation’s banks all at once.  So, today, if a bank goes under, the FDIC is going to pay you back.  Well, it’ll pay up to $250,000 per depositor, which is plenty for most of us.

The FDIC maintains a webpage where you can search for money you left in a now defunct bank. When you get there, you search by your name or your business name.  There are also fields for  the name of the failed bank and the city and state where it was based, although I found just entering a last name generates results and sometimes a broader search is better.

If you find your name, then you fill out an FDIC claim form right on the website, have it notarized and mail it in.  The FDIC will respond by phone, mail or by sending you a check within 30 days.  Not bad, for a federal bureaucracy!

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EPISODE 34 ~ GUEST BLOG: Are You Thinking About Becoming An Egg Donor?

Courtesy of Extraordinary Contraceptions

At Extraordinary Conceptions, we know that egg donations truly make a difference in the lives of others. We work with future parents around the world who are trying to conceive a child but can’t do it without the help of an egg donor like yourself. These parents are looking for potential egg donors who may physically resemble themselves in some way such as hair color, facial features, or blood type. Aside from physical characteristics, they may also be looking for ways in which the donors reflect themselves; artistic, compassionate, humorous, and well educated. Because we help such a diverse group of parents, we are looking for all types of women who are willing to become egg donors.

Maybe you know someone who struggled with infertility and needed the help of an egg donor to become a parent. If so, then you know how heartbreaking and difficult it can be for people who are unable to conceive on their own. Your egg donation can be a very rewarding experience not only for the parents, but for yourself. Becoming an egg donor gives you the opportunity to learn more about your own genetics and fertility through the testing and screening process that you may not know otherwise. Egg donors learn the outcome from their egg donation, which brings the experience full circle. While most egg donations are anonymous, in some cases there are “known donations” where the egg donor and parents may even stay in contact for future updates. And of course, all of our egg donors are generously compensated for their time.  If travel is required, all travel is paid upfront plus per diem. We also have opportunities for international travel.

Is egg donation right for you?

Please take a few minutes to read the information in our Donor Center and related sections and feel free to contact us directly if you have any questions regarding egg donation or our program. If you’re ready to apply now, please click HERE to go to our Egg Donor Application. The basic egg donor requirements are listed below. We look forward to hearing from you!

Requirements To become an Egg Donor:

? A healthy woman between the ages of 18-29

? BMI of 27 or less (height & weight proportionate)

? A non-smoker and not using recreational drugs

Additional Considerations:

? College is beneficial, but not necessary

? Must be willing to complete medical & psychological testing

? Must be willing to take a series of injectable medications

? Must be willing to undergo outpatient surgical procedure for actual egg retrieval

? The entire process from time of selection by future parent to egg donation is typically 60-90 days

If you feel you meet these basic requirements, please apply to take the next step in becoming a donor and helping out parents in need. Compensation for egg donation starts at $5,000 plus additional benefits and support. If travel is required, all travel is paid upfront plus per diem. We also have opportunities for international travel.

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EPISODE 33 ~ TOP TIP: Scammers: Don’t Fall For Scams That Will Cause You To Be Bombarded By More Scams!

If you buy a cheesy product or fall for even one scam, con artists will circle like vultures and try to get a piece of you. Once a scammer or an opportunist has your contact information, they’ll sell your name to other clever crooks for extra cash. Here are a few things to avoid if you don’t want to be bombarded by scammers: First, over-the-top catchphrases like “one in a million” or “specially selected.” Second, ads in dicey places like the back of a magazine, late night TV informercials, telephone polls or spam. YOU may know this, but share with friends —maybe seniors— who may not. Be especially wary of businesses such as foreign lotteries, questionable contests, credit repair companies, and manufacturers of cheesy products. These are the people most likely to put your name on a long list of “suckers” and sell your information to more criminals! I once signed up for such a product using a fake name and the mailroom at my TV station was BURIED in come-ons. I tried it so you don’ have to!

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EPISODE 33 ~ MAKE MORE: Cash For College: 5 Ways To Make Extra Money to Pay Tuition

I want to talk about clever, creative ways to make more money for college.

1.  My first idea: Cooperative Education

Cooperative education, also called co-op education, involves working full time at a company while also enrolled in college. Students can earn as much as $25 per hour (That’s roughly $50k a year).  Colleges that offer Co-op education include Purdue, Cornell, University of CIncinatti and Northeastern U in Boston.

2.  Second idea: paid internships:

More companies are paying because Federal and state departments of labor, as well as prominent plaintiffs’ law firms, are getting aggressive in this area. They sue when an internship is really just unpaid work and more and more companies are deciding to pay rather than risk it.

3.  Number 3: Employer reimbursement programs

Today, there are tons of different employers that will pay for all or part of your tuition, including: Chipotle, Starbucks and Chrysler.

all recently announced expansions of, or additions to, their tuition reimbursement programs.

Number 4: Cool on-campus jobs.

You could…

•Play in the pep band.

Yes, that’s often a paying gig!

•Be a Newspaper writer or editor.

Not every college has a newspaper that pays its writers, but plenty do,

•Teach a Fitness Class.

Your college’s campus gym probably offers group fitness classes and somebody has to teach them.

•Work as an Event Caterer

Most colleges and universities have their own catering company.  I did this myself.

Do Tech Support:

Colleges have LOTS of computers and the pay for this one is usually high.

Bank Teller at the campus credit union.  Typical pay: $18/hour.

Hospital Research Assistant or Lab Assistant.  $10-20/hour.

5.  And final idea to snag money for college:

Many people don’t realize that you can apply for scholarships ALL 4 YEARS.  You can and you should. 

I hope these ideas to make money for college are helpful and on next week’s podcast I will share ways to SAVE money on your college tuition.

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EPISODE 33 ~ SAVE MORE: Canceled Flights: App Gets You Compensation When Your Flight Doesn’t Go Right

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Did you know that when your flight is canceled or delayed, the airline may owe you money?  Problem is, you may not know when you’re leaving money on the table and it’s a hassle to do the claims paperwork.  Enter an app that will keep track, send in claims and get you your money!  It’s called “Service” and what a service it is!  My guest is Michael Schneider, Founder and CEO of Service.  

How did you get the idea for the Service App?

While on an airplane, I sat next to another man who signed up for Wifi. The man’s laptop died as well as his outlet and he spent hours complaining to the WIFI company and American Airlines. I thought that it was a bad use of the man’s time and that maybe I could figure out a way to help people with issues like these.  From that experience, I developed Service.

Explain why an airline might owe somebody money for a delayed or canceled flight.

In the United States airlines are only required by law to provide compensation in the event you are involuntarily denied boarding – this is an extremely rare occurrence. While airlines aren’t required by law to provide compensation in the event of a delayed or cancelled flight, they often do provide “good will” compensation in the form of a travel voucher or miles. Airlines care about their customers and this is how they show it.

OK, so no money for you if it was a weather delay or sometihng like that?

In general, airlines don’t compensate for weather or ATC-related disruptions. Having said that, our system still picks up and files all disruptions over 90 minutes as we don’t currently have a way of determining the reason for a disruption. Depending on your frequent flyer status, an airline may still give compensation even if the reason for the disruption was outside of their control.

What percentage of people file claims with the airlines when they are owed money?  In other words, Is the need real? 

only 9% of leisure travelers bother to complain to airlines, according to ACSI.  That means 91% of travelers are leaving money on the table – whether it’s in the form of vouchers, miles or cold hard cash.

How does Service find out that your flight was delayed or canceled?

Service is built to work to get you compensation for flight disruptions without taking your time. The way we do this is by sync’ing with your inbox, both to automatically find past flight disruptions and to know what flights you’re taking in the future.  Service files claims to get you compensation (usually vouchers or miles) in the event your flight is delayed or cancelled.

And when people sign up, you also scan for past flights they may be owed money on, right?

When you first sync your inbox, we look at your last 12 months of travel, and find any flight delays over 90 minutes or cancellations. We then add up how much compensation we think we can get you from the airline(s) and you can file the claim(s) with one tap.

And what about future travel?  Do you have a solution for that too?

For future travel, once you enable AutoProtect, we will file a claim with the airline anytime you’re delayed or cancelled – you don’t have to lift a finger!

How does Service get paid for its service?

We charge 30% of the value of what we get for you to your credit card on file. If we can’t recover, you don’t pay!

What if you get miles or vouchers for somebody?  How does Service get paid for that?

Yes – nearly all the compensation we get for our users is “non-cash”. For example, if we get you a $100 voucher we will charge you $30. If we get you 10,000 miles, we will charge 30% of the cash value of the miles.

And how does a Service user get his or her money or compensation?

If it’s cash, we submit banking details to the airline and the bank wires the cash directly to your bank.  If it’s a voucher, we send you a link or a PIN to access it.  Or frequent flyer miles get deposited right in your account.

Michael Schneider, Founder and CEO of Service, thanks so much for joining me on Easy Money!

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EPISODE 33 ~ FIND YOURS: Parking Tickets: Check Out San Francisco’s Method Of Refunding Overpaid Or Duplicate Parking Tickets

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The City of San Francisco has unclaimed money for citizens and visitors who overpaid or paid duplicate parking tickets!

And that means other cities or counties could too!  People overpaid San Francisco a total of 600-thousand dollars between 1995 and 2014.  Oops!  My hometown really blew it this time.  Some citizens are owed just 20 bucks but others are due hundreds of dollars!  The City by the Bay is pretty aggressive with parking tickets.  I know my husband and I got one when we visited a couple of years ago.  So whether you live, work or visit San Francisco, think back to if you’ve EVER paid a parking ticket there, and if so, I recommend checking to see if you’re owed money.  The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is handling this and you can check the SFMTA website for your name.   Note that names are in the middle column of the spreadsheet, which is weird, so don’t miss it.  And consider this your heads up that if this happened in San Francisco, it could happen elsewhere.  Get a lot of parking tickets for whatever reason?  Google the name of the jurisdiction and the words “overpaid parking ticket” or similar and see if there’s money out there for YOU.

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