http://www.viewpoints.com/Finance-Web-Sites Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:50:05 GMT Reviews about Finance Web Sites http://www.viewpoints.com/PayPal-review-fd897 Back about 5 years ago I was introduced to Paypal through a survey site I belonged to and I gave it a shot. At the time they were giving you a $5 deposit just for joining so I was already ahead of the game. Plus I got 2 free deposits into my bank account when they verified I could accept electronic payments. — — Paypal — — Paypal has now joined with Ebay so I am in a win win situation as I get a lot of stuff from Ebay. Paypal has made it so that nobody else ever sees my personal information or my bank account, so it is 100% SAFE to use. These days more and more online retailers are also accepting Paypal and I am loving it. — — They also have their own branded credit card but I don't feel the need for it as all my needs are met with my normal Paypal account. With Paypal you can also receive money from anyone but there are limits on how much you can withdraw each month. That is solved by changing to a Paypal Premier Business Account but you will... Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:50:05 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/PayPal-review-fd897 kid-kansas 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/PayPal-review-24d42 I purchased a "fake" phone from a user on Ebay.  When I returned the phone, the user said I did the damage to the phone when I did not.  He tried to destroy my rep as an online purchaser.  Emails were sent threatening me.  Luckily an Ebay person told me about the dispute option at Paypal since I had payed through Paypal.  I went through the process and Paypal looked at all the emails sent and I won the dispute.  Paypal gave me all my money back. —... Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:48:49 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/PayPal-review-24d42 butta662 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/TreasuryDirect-review-36f14 Back in 1991 (doesn't it seem like a century ago!) I signed up to buy a $100 savings bond every month when I was still working at the Bank.  $25 was taken out of each bi-monthly paycheck and BINGO another savings bond would arrive in the mail.  Like most automatic deduction things, I forgot about it after a while.  Then the stock market got on a roll and money began to pour into my 401K plan.  I got quite swept away by the glamour of it all and began to refer to my Series EE Savings Bonds as my "dumb investment."  "What a dumb investment these bonds are!" I would mutter to the person at the next desk.  "I wonder where that form is that we can use to contact Payroll and have the deductions stopped" but by that time, inertia had already set in and I would let the bonds program live another month, and then another.  Quietly, the bonds began to stack up in little piles here and there, and then ... — Fortunately for me, more than ten... Sat, 12 Apr 2008 20:42:39 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/TreasuryDirect-review-36f14 AnnaBanana 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/PayPal-review-f28c2 I first discovered paypal through ebay a few years ago, and I have been using them faithfully ever since.  Paypal is an excellent way to give & receive money online.  You simply set up your paypal account (it's free) and link it to your personal bank.  Paypal is the ONLY source that sees your banking information. — Once you set up your account, you can use the service to receive money.  (if you're a merchant, you can use them too.  see the bottom of my review for further info)  You can also use it to pay for merchandise online.  The reason it's so safe is that when you make a purchase, there is no financial information exchanged.  You simply log on to the paypal site & the Seller will receive an email letting them know you've paid.  That's it!  It's easy to use & very fast too.  — You can either make deposits directly into your paypal account, or it will be automatically drafted from your bank.  There is a... Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:40:01 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/PayPal-review-f28c2 jasyjen 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Pay-Pal-Online-review-88d91 I used PAYPAL for some of my EBay purchases. After several purchases I notices unathorized activity that was traced back to PayPal. — I cancelled my account with E-Bay & PayPal and all illigal activity stopped. — Let the buyer... Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:49:37 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Pay-Pal-Online-review-88d91 ucffather 1 http://www.viewpoints.com/Pay-Pal-Online-review-84e22  When you signup for PayPal, you can start accepting credit card payments instantly. As the world's number one online payment service, PayPal is the fastest way to open your doors to over 150 million member accounts worldwide. Best of all, it's completely free to sign up! —... Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:54:20 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Pay-Pal-Online-review-84e22 reginamoura2007 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/Pay-Pal-Online-review-ff215 When you signup for PayPal, you can start accepting credit card payments instantly. As the world's number one online payment service, PayPal is the fastest way to open your doors to over 150 million member accounts worldwide. Best of all, it's completely free to sign up! —... Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:38:58 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Pay-Pal-Online-review-ff215 reginamoura2007 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Citizens-Bank-review-6e003 I opened an account with Citizens Bank over a year ago.  When they first came to town, I was recommending them to all my friends and family.  But the past 9 months have been a nightmare!  It is hard to prove, but they are holding my checks and debits until my balance is low enough to hit me with the $37 insufficient fee charges.  Not only do they hold debits, if I cash a check there, they put a hold on my available funds until that check clears.  They did not tell me this.  So like any person would, I would use what my checkbook said I had, and they would bounce, because of them holding it.  I also made a purchase at Walmart with my debit card.  It took 3 weeks for them to put it through, saying that Walmart held it.  Of course I have no proof of intentional misdealings, but I am leaving and never looking... Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:15:20 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Citizens-Bank-review-6e003 Becky285 1 http://www.viewpoints.com/Lending-Tree-review-1c89 When my husband and I were mortgage shopping, I thought I was all set when I signed up with lendingtree. I gave my credit card deposit (as required) and was on my way to signing papers. That is until I was faxed a sheet with a MUCH higher interest rate that I was supposed to sign right away and send back.. When I asked my lender what the problem was she said "don't worry about it, I'll send you the correct one right away." 4 days later she told me I could not have the rate I was promised.--(It had nothing to do with credit. we both have excellent scores) --So I went somewhere else and got an EVEN BETTER rate than the one I was promised in the first place! I was refunded my credit card deposit right away, and she did appologize, but it was a waste of time. And if I wasn't paying close attention to details, we would be stuck in a mortgage that was a full 2% higher than the one we... Wed, 27 Feb 2008 14:25:16 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Lending-Tree-review-1c89 Curlsandbubba 1 http://www.viewpoints.com/Pay-Pal-Online-review-c7ef1 I have used Paypal for 7 yeasr with mostly good results. If you are thinking of using them, here are a few things to watch for. — 1) If you have more than 1 e-mail address and someone sends you a payment to one that has no account--you will never get the money. They can't transfer it or correct it. I have tried for 4 years to get this resolved. I have sent 5 e-mails re: this and received one response back that said "We have already answered this for you" when I haven't gotten any answer to it. Especially why their system shows an account with my name (where this is none) and they will not allow me to access the money. I have lost over $70 due to this and it takes a long time for the payer to ever see the money back. — 2) Do not believe that if you opt to make a payment with a credit card that it won't transfer from your bank account instead! This happened to me although I only clicked on the credit card payment option. I spoke to 2 men and neither could do... Tue, 26 Feb 2008 18:59:50 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Pay-Pal-Online-review-c7ef1 Maximillian 1 http://www.viewpoints.com/Lending-Tree-review-7d651 We refinanced our mortgage through Lending Tree.  It was so fast, so easy!  It was almost a little scary!  We filled out forms, faxed over some w2's and other statements and before I could call for the status, our loan was approved!  Now that won't happen in everyone's case (depends on the credit history and score, of course)  but this was very easy.  I am confident we got a good rate too. ... Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:29:21 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Lending-Tree-review-7d651 JenHorst13 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Pay-Pal-Online-review-94883 Paypal is extremely convenient, but expensive to the seller and unresponsive to the buyer. If you love eBay, you sort of have to use Paypal. Sellers who do not accept Paypal receive fewer (and one must assume) net lower bids. Whether the bids are 6% lower may depend more upon the item being sold than the size of the bid. Buyers who cannot use Paypal have to pay for postage, money orders etc. But whatever you do, do not place reliance in Paypal's offer of "buyer protection". The process is automated - there is no PERSON to communicate to or with and the decision (to keep the money) is unappealable. Then, if you report the problem to your credit card company, Paypal will pull your privileges. My advice: hold your nose, and count your change. —... Wed, 20 Feb 2008 15:09:34 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Pay-Pal-Online-review-94883 Daphneoz 1 http://www.viewpoints.com/Pay-Pal-Online-review-57825    I have been an ebayer for several years and I love Paypal!  It makes it easy to buy things quickly without having to go get a money order or wait for a personal check to clear the bank, assuming the seller even takes a personal check.  I have also sold things and it is nice to be able to collect the money right away with my Paypal debit card...you sign up once for it, and you can use it like a regular debit card to get your money out in cash locally when you need it!  I also had a dispute once and they handled it very well and both parties were satisfied!... Sun, 17 Feb 2008 02:25:47 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Pay-Pal-Online-review-57825 soapangel 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Pay-Pal-Online-review-2633 I got my Paypal account the same time as my Ebay account, since 2000. Never had a problem with it-I usually use the echeck feature to pay for items, but I realize it is probably safer to link a credit card up with the account and just pay by credit card, because there is more buyer protection. I have heard horror stories of buyers not getting what they paid for, or the item being switched, etc and not getting their money back, or Paypal only refunding a small amount on a high ticket item. Thank goodness this has not happened to me! I have had good experiences with Paypal, and they were very supportive and helpful when a seller sold me a coat last year that she described as 'excellent' and it was anything but....I got my money back right away. I have used it to pay for some overseas purchases without any problem, either, and it is definitely safer than Western... Tue, 12 Feb 2008 01:40:24 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Pay-Pal-Online-review-2633 hapishopper 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Tax-Slayer-review-d8c2 This website provides step by step directions and tips to doing your taxes. You just follow along and when you are all done, you can e-file (free if you made under $54000 or meet other criteria). E-filing is by far the quickest way to get your tax refund without paying ridiculous fees for a "loan". It is alotsimpler than people may think and if you want, you can go through the whole program and then print it out to look at rather than hitting transmit to send to the IRS. It helps find all those little things you wouldn't normally think of and maximizes your deductions. One year I used Turbo Tax, H&R Block and a 3rd site that escapes me right now but all 3 sites gave me a different final result. That didn't make me happy. (So I went with the highest refund amt!) but this particular site was recommended through the IRS website and is very fool-proof. ... Wed, 06 Feb 2008 14:42:55 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Tax-Slayer-review-d8c2 a26c331 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Pay-Pal-Online-review-a7f3 I made a purchase on Ebay using PayPal. When the item arrived significantly not as described, I filed a dispute through PayPal against the seller. They refused to have the seller refund my money or to refund my money using the PayPal Buyer Protection which should have been implemented since the purchase was on eBay. I then went through my credit card company who saw that the item I bought was not what the seller described it as being. They refunded my money and did a chargeback to PayPal. PayPal has now frozen my account with my money in it, and will not let me take it out. They will not unfreeze my PayPal account until I reimburse their $270. Fat chance! All I have in my PayPal account is around $30. Buyer beware when using PayPal! Their PayPal Buyer Protection doesn't work. ... Tue, 05 Feb 2008 22:37:15 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Pay-Pal-Online-review-a7f3 GreenEternalEyes 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Trade-With-Pros-review-3bdb0 This company provides stock picks and option picks for investor of all levels. You can actually pick from low, medium or high risk profiles. When you sign up you get access to their stock/option picks, investor chatrooms, forums, extensive charting tools and a few extras. — — These guys don't only just give you stock and option picks but they also provide the technical analysis with marked charts behind their reasoning for making those moves. This is a great site to use not only for finding stock and options but to learn how professional investors make trading decisions. If you have a question or are not sure on something you can go on the member forums or chatrooms and get your answer fairly quickly. — — The investor education section is extensive! Tons of explanations of trading terminology for novice and professional investors. — — Last year in 2007 they did +40% while the S&P was around +5%. The site pays for itself tenfold. —... Sat, 02 Feb 2008 23:10:38 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Trade-With-Pros-review-3bdb0 Rayver 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Trending-123-by-John-Lansing-review-b9530 Unless you enjoy taking market analysis from a mental midget, John Lansing, that is don't get into this suckers den of a web site. I was a member for awhile, he got all his subscribers all into chip stocks first week of Nov and told us to buy on every dip.. almost three months later chips aka SEMIs are still at two year lows and most of the positions had to be sold at 15% and even 25% losses, it was a bloodbath. JL says on his web site to come into the trading room and ask questions, but if you ask a question or voice a complaint which he does not like or is tired of answering...bamm, he blocks you from the trading room w/o warning so others never hear your complaints. He also deletes any negative comments or complaints from the forums. John Lansing cannot admit he is wrong, very wrong at times and therefore his way of dealing with anyone who disagrees with him is bannishment and the electronic eraser. The sucky part is the money you will loose and time you will waste listening... Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:00:15 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Trending-123-by-John-Lansing-review-b9530 SchotzyKing 1 http://www.viewpoints.com/Family-Secure-review-229f1 We got this service as my 16 year olds daughters ID was comprimised by her employer (Old Navy), who provided the service at no charge to all impacted.  The service itself has been pathetic.  I have received alerts on my daughters ID - each time I'm requested to re-establish my identity and relationship to my daughter with faxed birth cert., SSN, utility bill etc.  To find out what the alert is you must call in - they won't post it to the secure website you have to log into to find out that there is an alert.  The fraud line won't take your voicemail and they're too busy to answer the phone.  The last alert was for an event that was over 6 months old!!  I'm not paying for the service, but I'm considering cancelling it out of sheer... Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:43:29 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Family-Secure-review-229f1 dkevinm 1 http://www.viewpoints.com/Pay-Pal-Online-review-b1e22 I had first discovered Paypal when I signed up to join ebay as a purchaser/seller.  It is so convenient and safe to use.  I have never had a problem.  I also can request money to be transfered from my bank account to ebay and vice versa.  Since being a Paypal member, there have been numerous businesses that accepts paypal such as Walmart, etc.  I love this idea of having business that are online be members of paypal.  It makes it so much more convenient for me to purchase items over the internet safely and securely with my account of my choice.  I would definately recommend Paypal to everyone for a safe and secure payment of an online purchase (if that company accepts paypal).  But I have found that more and more internet business are accepting paypal every month. ... Mon, 07 Jan 2008 16:08:54 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Pay-Pal-Online-review-b1e22 lawmaria 5