Do I need to to pay for credit monitoring services for a certain amount of time, or are they month-to-month? If I cancel before the 30 day trial period is up, will I be charged for anything?

Q:  Do I need to to pay for credit monitoring services for a certain amount of time, or are they month-to-month?  If I cancel before the 30 day trial period is up, will I be charged for anything?

A: Credit monitoring services are typically month-to-month, although some offer annual memberships at a greater savings.  For example, IDENTITY GUARD® is month-to-month ($14.99/mo, with our exclusive 18% discount), while Trusted ID offers annual commitments which mean you need to pay upfront, but you save more money overall ($10.42/mo w/annual prepay for individuals; $20/mo w/annual prepay for families).

If you sign up for a service and cancel prior to the end of the trial period, you will not be charged anything.  However, you do get to keep any free credit scores, credit reports or computer software you receive during the trial period. It's a really great deal, so it makes sense to check out all our top-rated credit monitoring services and at least test drive them with their free trials.

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Does TrustedID provide a free copy of credit reports annually to their customers?

Q:  Does TrustedID provide a free copy of credit reports annually to their customers?

A: Yes, TrustedID IDFreeze provides an annual copy of all 3 of your credit reports with your service.  You'll automatically receive your free annual credit reports from the 3 credit bureaus—Equifax, Experian and TransUnion—and be able to review your credit history to make sure your identity hasn't been compromised.  Right now TrustedID has partnered with NextAdvisor to offer a 14 day free-trial and 15% discount thereafter for IDFreeze.  To get this special deal just sign up from our site via the IDFreeze review.

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Can you explain the differences between Carbonite and SugarSync?

The following is an actual user-submitted question:

Q: Can you explain the differences between Carbonite and SugarSync?

A: This is a good question. Both have distinct advantages. SugarSync let's you back up multiple computers, but has certain set storage limits (30 to 250 gigabytes depending on your plan), while Carbonite offers basically unlimited online backup for one computer. We say "basically" because Carbonite does limit you to files of 4 gigabytes or less, and you can't transfer more than 100 gigabytes per month. So Carbonite has a storage advantage. Some people may like Carbonite's backup software a bit better because it includes support for backing up emails, settings, and contacts. SugarSync sticks to more basic categories like music, photos, and documents.

SugarSync, however, has several great features. Its specialty is keeping documents from multiple computers backed-up and synced-up. So if you work on a document on a desktop and a laptop, you'll always be sure you're working on the latest version. SugarSync also supports music streaming, so any MP3s that you back up can be streamed to a computer or smart phone. SugarSync also has a great online photo album viewer. Finally, only SugarSync makes it easy to share files with others by giving you the ability to set up password-controlled filesharing sections, as well as the ability to send out links to specific files.

So, that's about the size of it. Carbonite is more basic, if a little more comprehensive. SugarSync is a bit more useful for day-to-day operations.

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Is there an identity theft protection service that will cover my whole family?

Q:  Is there an identity theft protection service that will cover my whole family?

A: Yes, our top-rated Trusted ID IDFreeze will protect everyone living at the same address for just $13.46 per month (with annual prepay).  This means that husband and wife will be protected, along with any other family members (children, parents, etc) living with you.  Trusted ID also offers a 14-day free trial for both their IDFreeze and IDEssential products, so you can check them out free of cost.  You can only get the free trial through our site, so make sure to sign up through NextAdvisor.com via our Trusted ID review.

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SugarSync discount: 33% off with no promo code

SugarSync, one of our favorite online backup providers, is offering NextAdvisor visitors 33% off on its 100 gigabyte storage plans. That brings the cost down from $14.99 to $9.99 per month. It's an excellent deal on an online backup service that does so much more than just keeps your data safe from fire, theft, or hard drive failure. It syncs your documents between multiple computers (PC and/or Mac), streams music to your smart phone, and offers a truly portable online photo album. For more on SugarSync, check out our review. Or head on over to SugarSync and sign up.

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Can one online backup account take my files from 3 different computers?

The following is an actual user-submitted question:

Q: I have a laptop and 2 pc's and there are particular files on all of them that I want to backup. Can one account take my files from 3 different computers?

A: Your best bet just might be SugarSync. While it's a limited-storage plan, it effortlessly supports multiple computers, and will keep common files synced up for $4.99 per month. Mozy also allows you to add additional computers, for just $2.00 more per month, per computer on top of the normal price of roughly $5.00 per month.

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Would I have to get a loan to go to online college?

Q:  Would I have to get a loan to go to online college?

A: That would probably depend on your financial circumstances.  Most people do end up getting some sort of financial assistance, ranging from loans to grants and scholarships.   You can learn more about financial aid  for online college, including the different types of assistance and how to get it, in our Financial Aid section.

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Is there a free service that will give the phone number and perhaps the address of a person if you know the name and city that the person lives or works in?

The following is an actual user-submitted question:

Q: Is there a free service that will give the phone number and perhaps the address of a person if you know the name and city that the person lives or works in? Many services say free and are not.

A: Not that we've found. As you point out, many services claim to be free, but just end up returning some basic information like city and state, stuff you already knew. However, Intellius does provide an affordable basic People Search for only $1.95. This search returns data such as: full name, birthdate, address, phone number, home value, known relatives, and income. It provides a little more than you were asking for, but at just under two dollars per look-up, it's pretty close to free.

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Download "Tick Tock" audiobook free or cheap

Tick Tock is the newest suspense novel by the prolific James Patterson, whose previous books have included Along Came a Spider, 1st to Die, and Don't Blink. In this Michael Bennet mystery, Patteron's detective must confront three serial killers at the same time: the Son of Sam, the Werewolf of Wisteria, and the Mad Bomber. It's proving popular with audiences, having worked its way up to the top of the New York Times Best Seller's list.

If you're looking to get in on the action, consider listening to Tick Tock instead. It might be just the thing to get you through these cold winter months. We've done the price checking. Here's how you can download Tick Tock audiobook, and save your self some cash.

Audible.com: Non-subscribers can get it for $24.49, but new subscribers can get it for only $7.49. A subscription may sound like a big commitment, but really it lets you download one title a month, and gives you 30% discount on any additional titles. You can cancel it at any time and keep your downloaded titles, but for a writer like Patterson, a book a month seems about right. After three months, membership goes up to $14.95, still a huge bargain. Click here to get it.

eMusic: eMusic is the only way you can download Tick Tock for free, with eMusic's 14-day free trial. After two weeks free, it's only $9.95 per month. As with Audible, the monthly charge gets you one title per month, at least with most books. As with Audible, cancel at any time  Click here to sign up with eMusic.

Simply Audiobooks: Here you can download Tick Tock for $14.95 if you sign up for a membership ($13.00 per month if you sign up for an annual plan). However, if renting audiobooks is your thing, and you like more Netflix-like service, you can try their rental service which is closer to $15.00 per month. Click here to go SimplyAudiobooks and search for the title.

iTunes: Apple will charge you $21.95, but no membership is required. Click here to get.

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Am I already a victim of an identity theft scam?

Q:   I recently replied to an email claiming to be from the UK National Lottery, stating I was a winner. They want to have the money wired to my bank, so I would have to give them account information.  I did provide them with my name, age, address, and phone number.   Have I already given too much?  Am I already a victim of identity theft?

A: According to the UK National Lottery website (which is a real institution), it sounds as though you may have been the victim of an email scam:

Scam emails try to persuade the recipient to submit personal information or to part with money as an upfront payment in order to release a 'winning' lottery prize.  As a general rule, if you have not purchased a ticket for The National Lottery, you will not have won a prize, and you should treat the email with absolute caution.

Thankfully, you didn't provide your bank account information, but providing them with your name, age and address might put you at risk for identity theft.   I would recommend reading our previous post on what to do if someone has stolen your identity (just for the information), and signing up for a good identity theft protection service.

Identity theft protection services typically monitor your credit reports, as well as proactively scanning public records and the Internet black market for suspicious activity involving your personal information.  We've reviewed the top ones, and IDENTITY GUARD® and Trusted ID even provide free trials, and free credit scores, so it doesn't cost anything to try them out.

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