Free Money News August 2014

August is National “Admit You’re Happy” Month! What? Sounds confusing – don't we want to be happy? We hope you’re ok with it – and we totally understand if you’re confused. We are – by so many things. Like these current headlines:

Australian model Robyn Lawley is all the rage because she painted and posted a “stop coal mining” message on her body. Her beauty apparently gives her expertise in environmental science that should command the attention of politicians who have already met and exceeded all environmental requirements regarding a new coal mine.

Meanwhile the press is aflutter about Sabina Altynbekay, 17-year old Youth Squad volley ball player for Kazhakstan. Some claim she is “too beautiful’ to be an athlete, distracting from the game. Seriously? A beautiful woman can become a model and automatically be an expert on politically correct topics. But don't be an athlete because you will be too distracting. Yikes, wrong on so many levels!

Reject those notions along with other myths! Like very tempting ads claiming the lottery is a ticket to wealth. Wrong! There are many better uses for your time and money. August's Free Money Highlights show you some:

Is Free Money the way to end poverty? A surprising number of economists offer reasonable arguments this is so. There are counter-arguments of course, but at least one experiment indicates it might be true. Our new article about Free Money tells of a London charity that gave substantial sums to 13 homeless men. A year later almost all were much better off - and off the streets. And the price tag was much smaller than the public services previously provided to these men.

Would the government fight such a straightforward approach to helping the poor if it meant they lost conrol over huge amounts of money and how it was used? Sadly, probably yes. Yet the government gives out billions in assistance with one hand, then takes a lot of it back with the other through things like lotteries. A cynical view perhaps — but hard to argue. Some call lotteries a tax on the poor; others call them a plague. Both unfortunately have an element of truth.

Check out Free Money to learn more of the truth about Lotteries. They can be a harmless, occasional indulgence if you have money you really don't need. But if you are scraping to get by or living from paycheck to paycheck, you need some healthier and more productive ways to have more money in your life!

Knowing how can definitely be confusing. Our new articles Free Money and Free Government Money clear up that confusion and offer great tools, tips and tricks to help you get more money.

Phone Call Scam Alert

Please pay attention to this topic — you could be next to get the call. We've seen an increase lately in the number of people getting calls from scam artists claiming to be from the government – or from us! They sound very official and they have quite a bit of information about you (name, address, whether you file taxes, etc.). They tell you you have qualified for a government grant, often for as much as $10,000. And here's the catch — to get it, all you have to do is go buy a Green Dot card, or go to Western Union to purchase a money order, usually for several hundred dollars. Then they send you to someone else to give them a special code. This code is supposed to verify your purchase, but all it does is let the scammers get your money — and you will never get any “grant” money.

This type of grant does not exist! And the government will never call to notify you that you've won a grant – especially one you haven't applied for. Never follow these callers' instructions and never give them any of your personal or financial information. Learn more about how these folks operate and how to report any calls you get in our article about Free Money Phone Call Scams.

More About Free Money

If you're wasting money buying lottery tickets, put that time and energy into some safe and clever ways you can get some real free money in your life! Some of the topics covered in Free Money and Free Government Money include:

• Myths and Realities about what the government gives away for free;
• How to go get through college without a mountain of debt;
• the truth about missingmoney.com;
• special offers that put money in your bank account;
• how to tell your story and let people donate to your idea/project/company;
• loans for youth that help them learn about raising animals and managing money;
• a quick way to find out all the government benefits you could be eligible for
• whether grants.gov is for you;
• and more!

Check them out today — and be Happy!