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Most Sunscreens Don't Measure Up, Report Says

Filed under: Shopping, Consumer Ally, In the News


SunscreensJust 20% of beach and sport sunscreens can be trusted to provide the protection they claim, an environmental advocacy group has found.

The nonprofit Environment Working Group recently released its fifth annual Skin Deep Sunscreens report, which examined more than 1,700 sunblocks, lip balms, moisturizers and make-up products that list a sun protection factor -- more commonly known as an SPF -- on its packaging.

To determine the rankings, the EWG looked at five factors, including potential health hazards of listed ingredients; UVB protection; UVA protection; the balance of UVA and UVB protection; and the sunscreens stability, or how quickly the ingredients break down in the sun. The group then ranked the sunscreens from 1 to 10, with 1 being the best.

Prom Again, This Time Without Curfews

Filed under: Extracurriculars


Prom againWhen AmberDawn McCall got her invitation to the prom in Tri-Cities, Washington, she jumped at the opportunity. "A chance to dress up and go out dancing with my husband? Sign me up!" she told WalletPop.

Yes, you read that right. McCall has a husband -- and six children -- and is part of a growing trend of people who are happy, well-adjusted adults with prom memories that don't have to be dusted off.

The Washington event, a benefit for a non-profit that provides practical services to breast cancer survivors, was almost as well-attended as a local high school prom, with about 100 attendees.

"I think everybody had a great time," says McCall (pictured at right with her husband). Except for maybe those she pegged as having been the high school cool kids: "They were spending too much energy trying to look cool."

Savings Experiment: Pay Less for Household Paper Products

Filed under: Savings Experiment


They are the everyday essentials -- what my mother would call those "necessary nuisances" -- that no household can do without.

Toilet paper and paper towels are the kind of purchases that won't give you a shopping high, but they sure can cost you a bundle.

So where can you get the best deals on your paper goods? We've rolled out the cost-saving options.

Major Drug Company Pays $44 Million to Settle Kickback Claims

Filed under: Health, Fraud, Consumer Ally


EMD SeronoSwiss biotech giant EMD Serono Inc. agreed to pay $44.3 million last month to settle federal charges of kickbacks that resulted in the submission of false claims to Medicaid and Medicare for its multiple sclerosis drug Rebif.

Serono was accused by the U.S. federal government and a number of states of violating the False Claims Act, a federal law aimed at companies that defraud governmental programs. Serono, government attorneys said, essentially paid doctors to prescribe Rebif to patients suffering from multiple sclerosis.

"Health care decisions must be based solely upon what is best for the individual patient and not on which pharmaceutical company is paying the doctor the biggest kickback," Rod J. Rosenstein, U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland, said in a statement.

5 Surprising Things That Hurt Your Credit Scores

Filed under: Credit, Debt, Credit Reports


Credit ScoreWe all know that making late payments or having credit card accounts in collections can hurt your credit scores. But you might be shocked to learn that a lot of other seemingly innocent actions can also negatively impact your credit rating.

Here's a list of five surprising things that can lower your credit scores -- and keep you from having a stellar credit report.

Higher Gas Prices Drive Up the Price of Trade-Ins, Too

Filed under: Extracurriculars, Shopping, Consumer Ally, In the News


Gas prices and trade-in offers linked to better deals on newer vehiclesHigher gas prices and a demand for smaller used cars -- like the Ford Focus, Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla -- has driven up the price that dealerships are willing to pay for trade-ins to the highest they've been in at least 16 years, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association's used car pricing guide.

But those prices are expected to hit their peak this month, Jonathan Banks, a NADA senior analyst, said in a NADA video.

"Strong consumer demand for small used cars is driving up prices," Banks said in a statement. "The NADA Guide increase in trade-in values for June should come as no surprise because it reflects a shortage of both new and used cars entering the market. Fewer new cars have been produced as a result of the crisis in Japan, which has shifted consumer demand to the used car market. High gasoline prices are also increasing the demand for both new and used small cars."

From Justin Bieber to Beyonce, Celebrities Earn Big Bucks Selling Products

Filed under: Consumer Ally


Justin BieberReality TV star Paris Hilton has made her latest stunning revelation – and, no, it doesn't involve photos of herself or any homemade videos.

The celebrity heiress actually revealed during an interview on CNN with Piers Morgan that she makes more than $10 million a year from selling 17 different product lines – everything from handbags and sunglasses to pet supplies.

While 10 million bucks may seem like an eye-popping figure, many celebrities, including Justin Bieber and Maria Sharapova, actually pull down even bigger fortunes by hawking various products and services.

GoodGuide Ranks the Best and Worst Baby Foods

Filed under: Family Money, Health, Green, Consumer Ally


Baby food ratingsConcerns about the eating habits of American children are constantly in the headlines, whether it's the ballooning obesity epidemic among youngsters or bans on Happy Meals to encourage fast food chains to serve healthier food.

Baby food, however, rarely makes the news, so we turned to our partner, GoodGuide, to find out more about just which products hit the top -- and bottom -- of the charts. As part of its ongoing quest to help consumers find healthy, green, ethical products based on scientific ratings, the company reviewed and rated more than 800 baby food products, including baby formula, baby cereal, baby juice, toddler snacks and first-, second- and third-stage baby food.

Which products earned the coveted -- and not so coveted -- spots? Homemade Baby Piwi Baby Food was the top-ranked choice, while Beech-Nut Stage 3 Oatmeal & Pears Cereal finished last. Find out more about who made the best- and worst-ranked lists of baby food products.

Scammer Must Stop Selling 'Dirty Deeds'

Filed under: Real Estate, Fraud, Consumer Ally


Deed copiesWashington state residents who responded to a bogus letter ordering them to cough up nearly $100 for a copy of their deeds will be refunded, and the scammer who sent them the letter has settled with the Washington Attorney General's office.

Some 5,000 Washington residents received letters last year from the "State Record Retrieval Board," a non-existent organization whose Olympia address listed on the spurious notifications is a UPS Store drop box.

The letters directed recipients to mail $87 to obtain a copy of their property deed and warned of a $35 penalty if they missed the tight deadline. Legitimate copies of property deeds, the attorney general's office notes, can be obtained from county auditors for approximately $10.

At least 45 hapless residents responded to the mailers with checks, but the attorney general's Office says they were misled and are owed refunds.

Five Budget Travel Tips For a Guilt-Free Vacation

Filed under: Bargains, Travel


The official start of summer is just a few short weeks away, and we'd bet your thoughts are already turning to sun-drenched beaches, scenic hikes, and the pleasantly unfamiliar sites and smells of foreign cities. In other words...vacation!

Then reality intrudes: Can you afford one?

Here are five ways to score vacation deals and trim your travel bill to help you leave the spending guilt at home.


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