If you've ever been tempted to attend a free seminar on real estate investing, or felt attracted to a money-making course you see on some late night infomercial, this next story is for you. Part 2 of 2.; infomercial; investing; money; real estate; rip off; Russ Whitney; secrets; It's always a good idea to expand your knowledge, especially when it comes to making money. But before you sign up for classes, it pays to make sure you've got the right teacher. Part 1 of 2.; classes; education; investing; money; real estate; work; We all know the world is full of people trying to convince us to pay for things we shouldn't. For example, programs that promise to help you pay off your mortgage ahead of schedule. Worth the money? Not according to money reporter Stacy Johnson.; investing; money; mortgage; prepayment programs; real estate; schedule; According to the National Association of Realtors, last year Americans bought nearly 2 million homes not to live in, but for investment. Will all the new landlords be ready? Money reporter Stacy Johnson has some tips to make sure they are.; apartment; condo; landlord; lease; mortgage; real estate; rental; With more and more young people getting piercings and tattoos, you might expect an increasing number of employers to be more tolerant. Are they? Money reporter Stacy Johnson files this report.; business; company; Employer; job; tattoo; work; Insurance may be necessary, but it doesn't have to be expensive. Our money reporter Stacy Johnson has been giving us ways to save on insurance all month. Today he explores homeowners insurance.; homeowners; house; insurance; Property; real estate; The US dollar has fallen to historic lows against the Euro and other world currencies. And it's not just a sign of the times... it may be a sign that you should do something.; currency; debt; dollar; international; investing; money; Retirement; It's called private mortgage insurance, and according to money expert Stacy Johnson, for many people, it's expensive and unnecessary. Here's how to find how out if you can save yourself some money...; Homes; insurance; mortgage; private mortgage insurance; real estate; Now that college students have returned to campus and those tuition checks have been cashed, will you be getting any tax savings? Odds are you will!; college; education; family; student; tax; You may have seen the headlines about record home foreclosures in many parts of the country so Uncle Sam is stepping up efforts to help. Money reporter Stacy Johnson explains...; forclosure; Government; homeless; Homes; mortgage; real estate; Home foreclosures are reaching record levels in many parts of the country. If you're behind in your mortgage, heed this expert advice from money reporter Stacy Johnson.; Finance; Homes; forclosure; houses; money; mortgage; real estate; With housing prices falling and mortgage money scarce, foreclosures are going through the roof. In the first part of a three-part series, money reporter Stacy Johnson examines mortgage rescue scams.; Homes; News; Scam; mortgage; real estate; rip-ff; If you can't afford a vacation home, you're certainly not alone. But many people opt for the next best thing...owning a share of a vacation home or condo that you visit once a year. They're called time shares. Are they for you?; real estate; time share; Travel; There are many things in life that are easier to get into than out of. Like a car lease for example. If you've ever wondered whether you can walk away once you've signed on the dotted line, money reporter Stacy Johnson has your answer.; auto; car; lease; swap a lease; Most cell phone contracts keep you with a carrier for at least a year. And if you leave early? You lose $200, maybe more. Stacy Johnson has the story of a service that will promises to let you get in or out of a contract without the hefty fees.; cell phone; contract; debt; family; Just about everything you buy comes with some kind of warranty. And that could include your house. Are home warranties worth the money?; home; house; real estate; warranty; The pay gap between men and women in the workplace has been widely documented. But women may also be discriminated against in other places as well, like the drycleaners or car dealers.; Discrimination; dry cleaning; family; female; Women; Death is an uncomfortable subject for most people. Maybe that's why it's easy to get into a bad deal when making your funeral arrangements ahead of time.; family; Funeral; prepaid; Ceremonies like weddings and funerals are often expensive affairs. But with funerals, most of the planning is done last minute, and saving money is the last thing on anybody's mind. But there are solutions...; debt; family; Funeral; If you're one of the nearly 3 million Americans whose car lease is up this year, you've got a decision to make: should you buy that car now the lease is ending?; auto; car; lease; If you're borrowing money to buy or refinance a house, you could be paying too much. Money expert Stacy Johnson explains...; mortgage; mortgage fees; real estate; Getting something for low or no cost certainly sounds appealing...especially when what you're getting is a mortgage. But are the no-closing-cost mortgages you see advertised really no cost?; mortgage; no closing cost; real estate; It's billed as the most sweeping change to federal education funding since the GI Bill. It's the College Cost Reduction Act, passed by the House and soon to be voted on by the Senate.; college; education; Expenses; Selling a home in most places is a lot harder today than it was a few years ago... which means getting the best possible help.; house; real estate; realtor; Looking for a good deal for you and your small business? Then do a little sales work on your personal business as well.; Travel; business; family; tax; work; Back in the days of the real estate boom, a lot of borrowers took out loans with low, teaser rates... rates that are now rising. But as they go to refinance those loans now, they'll find it tougher.; debt; loan; money; News; real estate; refinancing; Credit cards are like fast food... quick and convenient. But those cards could be adding to an already overweight nation. Money reporter Stacy Johnson has a little food for thought when it comes to keeping plastic out of your diet.; credit cards; fast food; Health; money; News; weight; If you got a student heading of to college soon, they're about to enter a new world. An academic one... and a financial one.; college; credit cards; debt; money; News; If you're one of the millions thinking of dropping your home phone in favor a full-time cell phone, that decision may have just gotten a little easier.; News; cell phone; free; mobile; money; As baby boomers age, they're going to find new ways to live well in retirement... ways that probably wouldn't have occurred to their parents. One example? Reverse mortgages.; News; real estate; reverse mortgage; You've tuned up your car, checked your tire pressure and done everything else you can think of to use less gas. Well, there may be a simple way to shave your bill by an additional 15 - 30 cents on every gallon.; News; Travel; auto; credit cards; gasoline; If your family pet is injured or killed the emotional toll may be devastating. But should that translate into a big check?; News; cat; dog; family; pet; If you've ever dreamed of making money in real estate, you're in the right place. Because today money reporter Stacy Johnson completes his series on investing in distressed properties.; News; Property; bargain; forclosure; real estate; Owning a home may be an American dream, but it's one with an increasingly expensive price tag. Maybe that's why so many people are trying to learn how to do it at a discount.; News; forclosure; house; real estate; Everybody loves a bargain. Especially when you can take that bargain and live in it, or sell it for a profit. That's the promise of buying foreclosed property.; News; debt; real estate; With the start of school around the corner, maybe you've considered giving your student a leg up on learning by hiring a tutor.; News; education; family; tutor; When you're in the market for something expensive, like a car or a house, you're prepared to do a little bargaining, right? Yet few things are more expensive than a college education, and it's rare for consumers to try to get a better deal.; News; college; education; money; Cell phones can be expensive, and cell phone billing methods can be confusing. What would you do if your cell bill arrived, and it was more than 200 pages long and totaled more than $1,400?; News; cell phone; family; telephone; Is there a deal to be had by buying at government auctions? Our bargain-hunting money reporter Stacy Johnson went to find out, and filed this report.; auction; debt; investing; According to some industry websites, 3 out of 4 frequent flier miles are never redeemed. Part of the reason is that many people fly different airlines, so they don't accumulate enough miles in any one for a free trip.; Travel; family; miles; There are now almost 50 million Americans without health insurance. But even for those who do have coverage, collecting on it can sometimes be frustrating.; Health; family; insurance; You have heard that travel agents get big discounts when they travel. If true, maybe you should become one before you hit the road this summer.; Travel; family; Getting a driver's license is a coming-of-age for many kids. It's their ticket to freedom, no longer having to rely on family and friends to get around. But there's a price to be paid for freedom: high insurance rates.; auto; family; insurance; You've heard the old saying... it can't hurt to ask... And when it comes to your credit card interest rate, just asking the bank to lower your rate could save you hundreds, even thousands of dollars.; credit; family; You've seen the offers... 0% interest if you transfer your credit card balance to a new card. But have you ever considered borrowing at zero and earning money on the bank's with the bank's money?; credit; Interest; investing; Hiring a licensed contractor for your next home improvement project should assure you that they¿re honest and competent. The problem is making sure they¿re actually licensed contractors.; home improvement; real estate; Nationwide, home prices are expected to decline this year: Bad news for both builders and home owners. But as with many dark clouds, this one has a silver lining.; real estate; remodel; Want a better credit rating? The usual way to get one is to pay off debts... but some people are now doing something different: piggybacking on someone else's score to make theirs look better.; credit; Cellular plans can be complicated and costly. But there are simple ways to save. For example, you can use dial-around services to call long distance... even internationally for less than 5 cents a minute.; family; phone; By the time a police car hits the auction block, it's often got a hundred thousand miles on it. But it's cheap, it's fast and it's built to last. Are used police cars a steal?; News; auto; June is the month of weddings, which also makes the month when newlyweds start changing their last names. Whether it's the bride, the groom, or both, using the right system will make the process easier.; family; marriage; wedding; What if you were paying twice as much for your health insurance as identical new customers are paying? That's exactly what happened to our consumer reporter, Stacy Johnson.; family; health insurance; insurance; With the spiraling cost of gasoline, insurance and cars, getting to work is getting expensive. But it doesn't have to be that way...; alternative energy; auto; car; environment; You write a check, the money leaves the account the next day. But you deposit a check, it could be a week before you get the credit. Is it fair? Uncle Sam seems to think so.; bank; checking; credit; loan; If you've noticed more banks in your neighborhood, but fewer names, you're seeing the results of mergers in the banking business. But with fewer banks competing for your business, does that mean higher fees ahead? ; bank; investing; loan; You pay 20 cents a gallon more... but is that premium gas really worth that premium price? Can you simply switch to regular?; auto; car; gasoline; mileage; With the focus on the high cost of energy, alternative ways to heat and cool your home are gaining traction. But are they finally going to become affordable?; energy; family; real estate; solar; If you've ever dreamed of being a published author, a new movement called Public Publishing can make that dream come true for as little as $13.; Publishing; family; writing; Modern life isn't cheap... so it pays to make sure you're not wasting money on anything. And that includes insurance. Are you paying for unnecessary insurance? Money reporter Stacy Johnson helps you find out.; Health; house; insurance; money; real estate; Emmy Award winning Money Talks is the longest running consumer/personal finance television news series in history. For timely, trustworthy news on Taxes, Investing, Credit, Debt, Real Estate and more, turn to Money Talks News. http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid474419281http://www.brightcove.com/channel.jsp?channel=492828725