Weight Watchers launches new PointsPlus program

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November 30th, 2010 - Posted by Tasha

The successor to the original Weight Watchers Points program has come to town.  Weight Watchers changed from their classic Points program to the new PointsPlus yesterday, November 29th. The previous Points formula has been around since 1997, and factored calories, fiber grams and fat grams when calculating points. The new PointsPlus formula is based on the latest scientific information on weight loss, and uses protein, carbohydrate, fiber, and fat grams to calculate food points.

There's no need to panic if you're a Weight Watchers member and familiar with old Points program.  Weight Watchers has created very comprehensive guidelines and tutorials for their members to ease the transition.  Probably the biggest visible change is that all fruits and vegetables now have zero PointsPlus value, so you can eat as many as you want.   They have also introduced the concept of "Power Foods".   Power Foods are determined by using a proprietary Weight Watchers formula that rates their ability to be filling and their impact on health.  In addition, there are updated Good Health guidelines to follow.

All in all, this move seems like a sensible one as it takes into account the latest information on how to lose weight in a healthy manner.  If you haven't considered Weight Watchers in the past, now is a great time to take a second look!

I would like to sign up for Identity Guard, but entering my social security number and info seems a little counter-intuitive and causes concern. How do I know this is secure?

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November 29th, 2010 - Posted by Tasha

Q:  I would like to sign up for Identity Guard, but entering my social security number and info seems a little counter-intuitive and causes concern. How do I know this is secure?  Is there another way?

A: We applaud your concern about sharing your SSN with others, but in this case your social security number (SSN)  is required for Identity Guard to protect you from identity theft. Your SSN, and other unique identifying information, allow Identity Guard to obtain and monitor your credit reports.  It also enables them to constantly scan the Internet black market and databases for Social Security fraud or any other illegal or fraudulent use of your SSN.

At this time, you need to sign up online for Identity Guard (you can't sign up over the phone).  However, entering your social security number during sign up is safe, as they use 128-bit encrypted Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to completely secure your session.  Just make sure you're using a private computer to do so, and that no one is looking over your shoulder.  If you absolutely have to use a public computer to sign up, take precautions against "shoulder surfers" watching you type in your information, log out, and clear your browser cookies afterward.

Hostgator Discount: Cyber Monday Coupon

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November 29th, 2010 - Posted by Kent

HostGator has extended its 50% Black Friday discount. That's 50% off your hosting fees. No coupon is needed, just follow any link to HostGator from NextAdvisor.com. This deal will end today, so take advantage of this great web hosting discount. HostGator is one of our absolute favorite web hosts; we can't recommend this deal strongly enough.

Black Friday Mozy discount coupon

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November 24th, 2010 - Posted by Kent

The Black Friday online discount announcements continue. Online backup service Mozy will be offering our readers a 20% discount on online backup plans beginning on Friday, November 26th and running through Monday, November 29th. This discount comes on top of any annual-plan discounts offered by Mozy, meaning you can save almost 30% on your online backup needs. This is true for both PC and Mac backup plans. With the release of Mozy 2.0 backup software for the Mac, now's a great time to start protecting your important files.

No coupon code is necessary. Just follow any links to Mozy from NextAdvisor.com.

Black Friday Web hosting deals: HostGator and FatCow

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November 24th, 2010 - Posted by Kent

Two popular web hosts are offering Black Friday discounts. While most people won't be thinking about web hosting on the day after Thanksgiving, there's a tremendous opportunity to save big on a year's worth of web hosting:

HostGator is offering NextAdvisor visitors 50% off of all orders on November 26th from 12:00 AM to 5:00 AM (Central Standard Time). Visitors will receive 80% off from 5:00 AM to 9:00 AM, while supplies last. After 9:00 AM, the discount is back to 50%. This is a huge discount on HostGator web hosting products. Sale ends on the evening of November 26th.

Fatcow is offering a year of hosting for $2.95 per month. This is a discount of roughly %25. The sale starts on Friday, November 26th and ends on Monday, November 29th.

To get either discount, you must follow a link from NextAdvisor.com, during the valid time period.

Happy shopping!

I purchased all 3 credit reports and scores from freecreditscore.com. I then applied to Toyota for a car and was told that I didn't have a score. I faxed the report to them but was told that what I was looking at wasn't my score, just a number I could aspire to. What's the deal?

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November 24th, 2010 - Posted by Tasha

Q:  I purchased all 3 credit reports and scores from freecreditscore.com.  I then applied to Toyota for a car and was told that I didn't have a score.  I faxed the report to them but was told that what I was looking at wasn't my score, just a number I could aspire to. What's the deal?

A: What's the deal, indeed!  There are many different brands of credit scores in the sea (with the most prevalently used being FICO), and each of these brands uses a different formula to calculate your score. Freecreditscore.com provides Equifax PLUS credit scores, which is a real credit score, and not just "a number you can aspire to".

The confusion is probably based on the fact that different industries often use their own credit score model, created specifically to analyze customers in their line of business.  Auto dealers have access to (and commonly use) a type of credit score called the Auto Industry credit score. It relies more heavily on how you have handled past auto loans.  For example, it takes under consideration whether you've made timely payments on past car loans, whether your car loan was sent to collection, and if you've ever had a car repossessed.

As a result, the financial credit score you obtain from freecreditscore.com may differ from the credit score an car dealer uses to qualify you for an auto loan.  They are both "real" scores, just different kinds of scores.  The good news is that every credit score is based on the information in your credit report.  The bottom line is that it pays to keep a close eye on all 3 of your credit reports, and make sure the information is accurate and up to date. The easiest (and most  frugal) way to do this is with one of our top-rated credit report monitoring services.

Black Friday: Kaspersky coupon brings 50% off

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November 24th, 2010 - Posted by Kent

Kaspersky has begun their Black Friday sale early, it seems. As of now, you can get their full-featured Internet Security 2011 suite for only $39.95, that's 50% off the normal price of $79.95. There's no coupon code required; you just need to follow a link to Kaspersky from NextAdvisor.com. Kaspersky Internet Security 2011 offers a comprehensive suite of antivirus and antimalware tools designed to keep you safe online. You can check out our review of Kaspersky, and see how it compares to other Internet security software we've reviewed here. To jump right in and make the purchase, click here.

McAfee discount: 50% off Total Protection with no coupon

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November 23rd, 2010 - Posted by Kent

McAfee has recently released a coupon code for its 2011 Total Protection suite, but if you go through NextAdvisor.com, you won't need it. Just follow any link to McAfee from NextAdvisor.com, and you'll automatically get that 50% discount, bringing the price down from $89.99 to $44.99. It's a great deal, with no need to type in any coupon codes.

Check out our full Internet security software reviews, or click the following link to purchase McAfee 2011 Total Protection.

Can I receive a free credit report from Experian, Equifax or TransUnion by regular mail?

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November 23rd, 2010 - Posted by Tasha

Q:  Can I receive a free credit report from Experian, Equifax or TransUnion by regular mail?

A: By law, you are entitled to free copy of each of your 3 credit reports from annualcreditreport.com every 12 months.  You have the choice of viewing these reports online, or having them mailed to you.  To have them mailed to you, follow the instructions found here.

Or, if you'd like to try out one of our credit monitoring services, you can sign up for a free trial and have access to your credit scores and credit reports.  With Identity Guard they even throw in some free software – an Internet security suite valued at $49.95.  If you don't like the service, just cancel within the trial period and you get to keep the scores, reports, and the software.  The only downside is that they won't mail your credit reports, but hey, getting your scores, reports and a bunch of other goodies might be worth it!

Adobe Black Friday coupon: $50.00 off

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November 22nd, 2010 - Posted by Kent

Want to save $50.00 on a yearly subscription to Adobe Acrobat Connect, or any other Adobe product of $500.00 or more? The Adobe Black Friday coupon is here early. Simply enter the code BLKMON50 at the Adobe store to receive the discount. The offer ends November 30th, 2011.