Image Source: tonrulkens on Flickr

A: While people search and background check services like our top-rated option, Intelius, can be great for locating criminal records, marriages, and legal histories, the best resources for finding birth and death records that old are generally geared towards genealogy research. In most states, birth and death records must be at least a certain number of years (often 75) old before they become public information. Once this information is public, it becomes easily accessible for genealogy enthusiasts and historians alike.

Our top three choices, Ancestry.com, Archives.com, and Footnote all do a pretty good job of locating birth, marriage, and death records, as well as census data, immigration information, and a wide range of other resources. We recommend Ancestry.com for its large resource base and ease of use, particularly for people planning to build a family tree. Footnote is more geared towards historians, if you're doing research on a family other than your own.

To compare all the genealogy services we've reviewed, head over to our comparison chart.

A:  Security is very important when storing your files online, and that's why cloud storage services make data encryption a priority.

Image Source: finestdaily.com

A great example of this is SugarSync, our top rated cloud storage service. Before your files are uploaded online, they  are transferred securely using TLS (Transport Layer Security), which is 3.3 SSL encryption. Then they are stored in the cloud in an encrypted format using 128-bit AES. This is highly secure. In fact, this is the same level of protection used for online financial transactions.

JustCloud, ZipCloud and MyPCBackup, which are all part of the same family of services, also take your data security very seriously. All of your  data is transferred using a 256-bit AES encryption and is stored on the heavily monitored Amazon s3 data center.

Spideroak also puts a lot of emphasis on their security features. They are a "zero knowledge" cloud backup provider. Not only do they do standard triple-encryption, but they also have zero access to your account password, making it extra important for you to remember your own password or keep it in a safe place. They can't even see your folder or file names —  this information just looks like numbers of encrypted data on their end.

Thus, no matter which service you choose, you can rest assured that your data is safe. Compare all of our cloud storage services and find the right one for you!

Source: Karolina Kabat on Flickr

A: This depends on how your phones are currently set up. If, like many people, you use a standard cordless phone system where one base phone plugs into a standard phone jack in the wall and the others transmit wirelessly from that base unit, your phones should work exactly the same with a VoIP system once you plug the base unit into your VoIP adapter.

If all four phones currently plug into their own wall jacks, you have a couple of options for multiple phones. If your phones are plugged in in separate rooms, you might want to use wireless phone jacks, also known as portable phone jacks, to connect your phones through the electrical wiring in your house. A main base plugs in to the VoIP adapter, and then individual extender ports for each phone plug into electrical outlets around the house. This can cause some interference or audio issues, but is simpler than some of the other options.

Splitters are another possibility if you don't mind dealing with running wires from room to room. A splitter plugs into the VoIP phone jack and provides multiple phone ports, which you can then use to plug in a number of phones.

Finally, you can use your existing telephone wiring to route your VoIP service throughout your home. This option is best if you live in a single-family house, as redoing the wiring might cause problems for other residents in an apartment or condo building. To do this, you must separate your house's wiring from the phone company's outside system and connect it to the VoIP adapter. This change is reversible. Although you can do the wiring yourself, an electrician can help with the process. Check with your VoIP provider to see if they can recommend an electrician or other professional. VoIP providers may also provide resources to help you do the rewiring yourself. Some VoIP providers advise against rewiring your house because traditional telephone wires carry a charge that can sometimes damage VoIP equipment. If you're thinking about Vonage service, click here to read our blog post on using your existing home wiring with Vonage for more detailed information about rewiring.

If you just need one extra plug, some VoIP providers' adapters have more than one phone port, including one of our top-rated options, VOIPo, which offers an adapter with two phone ports.

Long story short, multiple phones are very doable with VoIP, but you might want to switch to a cordless system, since overall, the simplest solution is definitely to use one main base and a number of cordless handsets rather than to install a splitter, redo home wiring, or use wireless extensions.

Got other questions about VoIP? Compare services head to head with our comprehensive charts for home or business VoIP services. You can also read our FAQs, delve into detailed individual reviews, or take a look at other blog posts answering common VoIP questions.

Source: Yortw on flickr

A: If you currently use your phone line for occasional faxes, you can use a VoIP line in exactly the same way. With Vonage, you can just connect your VoIP phone line to your fax machine as you would with a standard landline. Note that just like a regular phone line, if you are using the line to send or receive a fax, you can't make voice calls at the same time. Many services recommend that you get a second, dedicated fax line if you plan to leave your fax machine connected.

Some VoIP companies also offer internet-based fax features. One of our most popular options, Phone.com offers web-based faxing straight from your internet browser. Check out our full review of Phone.com to find out how to get 10% off six months of the company's Home/Residential Phone Service Plus.

If you're interested in adding separate Internet Fax services to your landline or VoIP service, you can also check out our comparisons and detailed reviews of Internet Fax companies, or read this previous post on faxing with a VoIP account.

Source: gcg2009 on flickr

A: We've addressed this question in general before on the blog, but I can offer a few specific pieces of advice for working with Barnes and Noble files. Users almost always download audiobooks through their computers. Barnes and Noble uses a free piece of software called the OverDrive Media Consul to download purchased files. This program should work fine on either a Mac or a PC. You can read more about how the download software performed in our detailed review of Barnes and Noble's audiobooks.

Some people choose to listen to their audiobooks on the computer, which doesn't require any extra equipment. If you'd like to take your books with you and listen to them on the go, any MP3 player should be able to handle files from Barnes and Noble, including iPods and iPhones. Today, most MP3 players will work with both Mac and PC operating systems, including Windows Vista. The ODM Consul can transfer the files to the MP3 player of your choice, or you can transfer them through a music program like iTunes.

Looking for reviews of other audiobook providers? Check out our Audiobooks Downloads and Rentals section!

A:  Good news—first off, you can check your own credit score and/or report as many times as you want without it affecting your credit score. Checking your own credit score/report is considered a "soft" inquiry and will NOT affect your credit score in any way.  It also won't show up on credit reports given to third parties.

Additionally, subscribing to a legitimate credit monitoring service won't hurt your credit score.  That's because when you subscribe to a credit monitoring service you authorize them to act on your behalf to monitor your credit reports.  This means they can also check your credit scores and reports without it affecting your score.  If you're in the market for a credit monitoring service, take a look at our top-rated Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION® and PrivacyGuard.

Cloud storage services not only ensure that all of your files are backed up online and ready for access no matter where you are, but they also sync your files across all of your devices and on the web. This way you can have documents as updated as you are, anywhere, anytime.

With all of the services out there however, it may be hard to choose the one that's right for you. Well not to fear, we did the work for you. We reviewed SugarSync, JustCloud, ZipCloud, Spideroak, MyPCBackup, LiveDrive and DropBox and laid out all of the specs so you can find your cloud soulmate. No matter what you need  from your cloud storage provider, you are sure to find one that covers all of your needs at the price you want.

Go ahead, compare all of our cloud storage services here.

Want to know more? Check out our full review of Zoosk and sign up to create a profile here!

A:  The Capital One® Venture^SM Rewards Credit Card makes it pretty easy to redeem your miles. You can either directly use the miles you've already accrued by contacting the Rewards Center (toll-free) to book your travel. OR you can shop around and book the travel yourself using your Venture Rewards Card – online, in person or over the phone.

If you choose to book your own travel you can redeem the miles you earn online to get reimbursed for the cost of the travel purchase. This means if you book your own travel, you'll earn miles that you can then redeem for a statement credit, cash back, gift cards or merchandise. (Note: you have 90 days from the date your travel purchase posts to your statement to redeem your miles). It may seem a little complicated, but it helps to think of your miles as something you can either spend directly on travel (by using the Rewards Center) or convert into cash back (by booking the travel yourself, and then using the miles you earned to reimburse yourself with a statement credit).

We really like the Capital One® Venture^SM Rewards Credit Card because users earn a straightforward 2 miles per $1 spent on all purchases….and they can redeem those miles online without a hassle.  But if you'd like to shop around, check out all our Travel Credit Card Reviews.

Want to know more? Check out our full review of TaxBrain and take advantage of their early e-filing service.

Grasshopper, a particularly feature-filled virtual phone service, is offering an exclusive deal to our readers. Now when you sign up for this service through NextAdvisor, you will get a $75 credit towards your account. Grasshopper allows an unlimited number of extensions and even has fax-receiving capabilities. You can customize each extension and call-forwarding number, organizing your business' phone system no matter how many employees, and different locations, are involved.

No coupon code is necessary, just click on any Grasshopper sign-up  link on NextAdvisor to take advantage of this sweet deal. Click here to read the full Grasshopper review.

A: Thanks for your question! The biggest perk of MyPCBackup is that you get unlimited storage space for one computer. Thus, no matter how many files you have, photos in your case, you can back them all up with your one basic subscription. You can definitely backup your directory all at once, but this might take a while. The upload time isn't a big deal though since you can continue using your computer while your files are safely being stored.

Another service that lets you backup an unlimited amount of files for one computer is the top rated Carbonite. To compare all of our online backup services, click here!

The cheapest plan is the Basic plan, for $4.99/month, but NextAdvisor readers get an extra 25% off for three months, bringing the price down to $3.74. The Basic service comes with 100GB of storage space and 1000GB of data transfer allowance a month. Or you could upgrade to the more popular Advanced plan, which is $5.99 for the first three months and then $7.99/month after that. The Advanced plan offers 500GB of storage space and 5000GB of data transfer allowance a month. If you think you are going to need more storage/transfer space, you can get the Premier plan, which is unlimited, for $8.99 for the first three months and then $11.99/month after that.

All of the plans offer Yahoo's user-friendly interface and intuitive site builder, along with many other features that every beginner will need. To read our full review of Yahoo Web Hosting and to take advantage of the new pricing, click here.

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Fashion Clubs are subscription-based sites where members have access to a personalized selection of cute shoes, bags, jewelry and more. Every month, expert stylists (including celebrities like Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen and Kim Kardashian)  from each club will present you with a showroom filled with trendy goodies, all at a set low price.

The best part about fashion clubs, other than the super cute stuff at low prices, is that they deliver style right to your door! No need to leave your snuggie and drive to the mall — simply sign on, browse and get excited for a new closet addition every month. And this is only one of the perks you get from joining a fashion club. Need more convincing? Check out 5 reasons why  fashion clubs are perfect for a busy lady such as yourself.

Click here to compare all of our fashion clubs.

A: Actually, it could be argued that Internet Fax is safer than using a regular fax machine. First of all, you don't always feel like standing around the fax machine waiting for a document to arrive. Instead, you may take a coffee break or sit at your desk and then check back on the machine a little bit later. However, leaving the machine unattended makes your private documents vulnerable to prying eyes. With Internet Fax, you can be sure that important files will be sent to your very own password-protected email or Internet Fax provider web account. Not only that, but your faxes stay organized within your account instead of cluttered papers that can potentially be lost. Most of these services even offer SSL encryption. With Internet Fax, you can rest assured that no human interaction happens while your faxes are being sent and no papers are left forgotten on your machine.

Click here to compare all of our Internet Fax services.

A:  Yes, Identity Guard does have a toll-free phone number you can call for more information about their product: 1-855-727-5801. Identity Guard customer service representatives are available via that phone number from 8am to 8pm EST Monday through Friday. This is a dedicated line for NextAdvisor readers, so you'll still be able to get the free 30-day trial AND 25% off the subscription price (bringing price down to $14.99/mo) of top-rated Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION® when you call in.

In the end, BistroMD came out on top with 5 stars for all breakfast, lunch and dinner. Jenny Craig, winner of our last diet taste test back in October 2010, placed second followed by Diet To Go, The Biggest Loser, eDiets and Nutrisystem. To check out the full diet meal delivery taste test, click here!

Want to learn more about meal delivery programs? Compare them all and read the reviews here.

A: Online Backup services work hard to save all of your important files, making sure that you will never lose them permanently. In the event of a data loss catastrophe such as a computer crash, these services will help you restore all of your files with ease.

Though all of the online backup services we review keep your files safe and can restore everything back to normal, we  recommend the Carbonite HomePlus plan and HomePremier plan if you specifically want a "mirror image" taken of your hard drive. This feature creates a mirror image of your PC every 24 hours, which includes your operating system, settings, programs, files, and folders as of a specific date.  This service is  intended for people repairing a crashed PC and not replacing it because installing a mirror image of your last PC on a new computer can cause some instability due to system differences. After your initial mirror image is completed and saved onto your external hard drive, your Carbonite info center will display snapshots and information about when your last mirror image was finished.

Carbonite Mirror Image

If computer disaster strikes and all of your files are lost, the mirror image feature is a great way to restore everything back to exactly how it was. Carbonite has a great tutorial on their site on exactly how to restore your computer using the mirror image service. To read more about Carbonite and their various plans, read the full review here!

Need help filing your taxes? We've got you covered! We review all the top tax preparation experts to tell you who offers the fastest, easiest and most reliable tax prep assistance. And right now, TurboTax, one of our top-rated services, is offering NextAdvisor readers up to 40% off their tax prep services. To read all the reviews and get the latest deals, click here.

A:  Yes, if you sign up for Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION® today, you will find out about the lines of credit opened in your name to date. That's because when you sign up for Identity Guard, you'll receive access to your 3-bureau credit report—a summary of your credit history as provided by each of the 3 credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion). Within this summary are all of the credit accounts included in your current credit history as well as the payment history for each account over the last 24 months. You'll also get your credit scores from all 3 credit bureaus for free.

It's important to note that over time, some information does fall off your credit reports. Positive account information remains in your credit report for at least 10 years. Delinquent payment information remains on your credit report for 7 years from the date of delinquency.

We really like Identity Guard as both a credit monitoring and identity theft protection service, and right now they are offering a free 30-day trial and 25% off the subscription price to NextAdvisor readers.

Screenshot of ShoeDazzle Shoes

A: To put it simply, No! You never have to buy anything if you don't feel like it. One of our favorite parts about online fashion clubs is the amount of flexibility they provide for their members. A perfect example of this is the Skip the Month button featured on each of the fashion club sites. Though the specifics vary from club to club, in general, if you decide that you don't want anything one month, you can sign into your account within the first five days of that month and select the Skip the Month option. This way, you will not be charged.

If you forget to select this option in the first five days of the month, you will be charged and will receive one credit. Nothing will be sent to you without your consent! Instead, you can redeem this credit anytime you want for anything on the site. Want to learn more about fashion clubs? Compare them all here!

A:   According to FICO, the gold standard of credit score providers, applying for one new line of credit (whether it's for a secured or unsecured credit card) won't hurt your credit score very much. In fact, "for most people, one additional credit inquiry will take less than five points off their FICO score". Where you need to start being careful is if you're applying for multiple lines of credit (aka, credit cards) over a short period of time. This can be perceived as risky credit behavior and drop your credit score more than just a single credit card application would.

Since it seems one of your primary goals is to rebuild your credit history, you should definitely be applying for a credit card that reports to all 3 credit bureaus. Some good examples are cards developed specifically for those with poor or limited credit, like the Orchard Bank Visa Card and the Capital One® Secured Mastercard®. However, these cards (like all credit card applications, whether they are for secured or unsecured cards) will pull your credit report to determine your creditworthiness.

If your bigger concern is the credit card application not having ANY impact on your credit score, you can try a prepaid debit card like the PrePaid Visa® RushCard.  When you apply for the Rushcard no credit check is run, but it probably won't help improve your credit because it does NOT feature 3-bureau reporting. Instead it reports your payment history to lesser-known (and used) LexisNexis® and PRBC®.

If you're worried about how your credit score fluctuates over time (especially when you apply for credit cards or lines of credit), consider signing up for PrivacyGuard. PrivacyGuard's top-rated credit monitoring service provides 3-bureau credit monitoring as well as monthly updates to your 3-bureau credit scores and reports. Right now PrivacyGuard is offering NextAdvisor readers a 30-day trial for $1. When you sign up for the trial you'll receive all 3 credit scores and reports, and they are yours to keep even if you cancel during the trial period.

A: If you’ve lost your Weight Watchers lifetime membership number, they can retrieve it, as long as you live in the same area where you signed up. Just call 800-651-6000 or go to the site and email Weight Watchers to get your number. If you have moved away from the area where you signed up, Weight Watchers suggests you fill out a new Lifetime Membership Information Request Form at your new Weight Watchers meeting location.

If you are interested in checking out some other diet plans, we review both Do-It-Yourself Plans and Meal Delivery Plans that could fit your diet needs. To check out the reviews, click here.

Although the actual stolen passwords were encrypted, it is possible for the hackers to unencrypt them. Zappos advised that if customers use the same password for multiple websites, like Amazon or eBay, those accounts may also be at risk, and they recommended that you change your password on any other web site where you use the same or a similar password. Zappos also expired all 24 million customer passwords for their own website, asking customers to visit Zappos.com and create a new password.

While creating a new password may seem like the end of troubles for Zappos.com customers, the amount of personal information the hackers were able to access is disturbing.  Stephen B. Wicker, Cornell professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering who focuses on networking technology and law has this to say about it:  "Large databases of consumer information can be used for identity theft…..information about a customer can be used to ‘de-anonymize’ other databases on other Web sites, further invading customer privacy. Correlation attacks enabled by such data have been shown to strip anonymity from NetFlix, AOL and other databases that were assumed safe."  Additionally, just by using a customer's email address and some other personal information like their shipping address, identity thieves can run phishing schemes to trick customers into providing more personal information like their password or credit card number.

If you're concerned about the amount of personal information you may have floating around on the Internet, we recommend signing up for a good identity theft protection service. Many of these services will monitor the Internet black market, public records and other locations for the suspicious use of your personal information.  We particularly like Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION®, and right now Identity Guard is offering a free 30-day trial and 25% off the subscription price to NextAdvisor readers.

A: Yes, Nevada is one of 15 states that Cash Central is licensed in, allowing them to offer PayDay loans under state law. Other payday loan services who are not licensed in Nevada, besides being illegal, could use several third party services to get you your loan, meaning your private information is being passed around, so having a licensed lender is the better option.

Cash Central also has a B rating from the Better Business Bureau, and they have a well organized and easy-to-use site. But since the maximum loan period is 18-days, those who are on monthly payday cycles will not be able to borrow early in the month. If you want to know more, check out our review of Cash Central here.