Beware These GoFundMe Scams

A beginner's guide to bartering I've given a fair amount to GoFundMe campaigns over the past year. While most of my donations went toward members of my community, some were for total strangers. I'd see a post about a single mother facing eviction in a distant state and whip out my credit card. Those appeals struck me as authentic at first glance, and they probably were. But I should have spent some time scrutinizing them. Unfortunately, scams abound on GoFundMe, as fraudsters look to prey on people's charitable instincts during the pandemic. Learn some red flags to watch out for in today's edition. And remember, in order to deduct any donations on your taxes, the cause must be sponsored by a 501(c)(3) organization, so many of the individual campaigns you see on crowd-funding sites won't qualify. Best wishes, Elizabeth P.S. If you got this newsletter from a friend, sign up here for email delivery to make sure you don't miss the next issue. TIMELY RETIREMENT NEWS, INSIGHTS, AND ADVICE GoFundMe Helps Struggling Americans Raise Cash Just watch out for the fraudsters. Old-Fashioned Bartering Is Back Here's a guide to smart swapping. The New Rules for Buying a Home While Selling Your Old One A host of new companies is helping to smooth these transactions. RETIRE WITH MONEY COMMUNITY INSIGHTS This week in our Retire with Money Facebook group, a member said she was torn between two financial advisors as she approached retirement. Most members told her to pick one, "Choose one. I'm an advisor and it's a major pain when you don't know what the other half of the portfolio is doing both in regard to investments and taxes." She said she would feel bad rejecting one, since both had spent time with her, but members told her not to worry about it; advisors are used to rejection. I agree it's best for the left hand to know what the right hand is doing, when it comes to portfolio management. But one member disagreed, "You get two opinions and double the advice. You can always share what the other advisor is doing to get even more feedback. Plus it will make one of your advisors work harder for you to get all your funds." Learn more about choosing a financial advisor here. RETIREMENT NEWS FROM AROUND THE WEB Biden Has Promised to Reform Social Security Some changes could come as soon as this year. CNBC Your Attitude Affects How You Age People who expect good outcomes when they age are much more likely to achieve them, research shows. THE NEWS GUARD Some Seniors Face Shrinking Nest Eggs As They Care For Loved Ones During Pandemic Some have had to quit work to care for loved ones as memory care and adult day care centers closed during the pandemic. NPR How Grandparents Can Help Pay for College The author of a new book offers a script for broaching the topic. NEXT AVENUE Elizabeth O'Brien is deputy editor at Money. She has covered retirement and health care for nearly a decade. A Brooklyn resident and mom of two boys, she navigates the alphabet soup of Medicare and the New York City subway system with equal ease. You can email her at elizabeth.obrien@money.com and follow her on Twitter at @elizobrien. This newsletter is free because Money earns a commission when you click or make purchases from the links in this email and on our site. We also receive compensation for some of the products and services featured in this message. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Learn more about how we make money. Privacy Policy • Advertise With Us • We're Hiring! To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. Copyright ©2021 Ad Practitioners, LLC. All rights reserved. Metro Office Park Calle 1, Building 7 Suite 204, Guaynabo, 00968 Puerto Rico, USA