Socialite: ShoeDazzle's New Clothing Line

You already know that you can get affordable, cute heels with ShoeDazzle, without a monthly commitment.

And now, Senior Director of Design has launched ShoeDazzle's very own clothing line, Socialite. Each collection features a pair of heels, a dress and various accessories, each just $39.95 and made to compliment each other so you can have a complete outfit. Right now the selection is comprised of a lot of bold colors, one-shoulder dresses and some shiny silk contrast.

In general, ShoeDazzle landed the top spot in our fashion club rankings thanks to its great value, vast selection of heels, and nice quality. Want to know more? Read our full review of ShoeDazzle and get styled.

If ShoeDazzle isn't your style, check out some of the other fashion clubs that we've reviewed, including Send The Trend, StyleMint and ShoeMint. Each site has its own unique style and many offer different kinds of clothing and accessories. Check out all of our reviews on our Fashion Club compare page.

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What Is a Good Credit Card for a 21 Year Old Trying to Establish a Credit History?

Q:  Is the Orchard Bank Mastercard a good choice for someone who is trying to establish credit? I have a 21 year old who would like to apply for a credit card to get credit established.

Image: college-financial-aid-advice.com

A:  The Orchard Bank Mastercard is a good choice for helping to establish or build credit history. That's because it reports your credit card payment history to all 3 credit bureaus every month. By making your card payments on time, you can help improve your credit and your credit score. And since even the secured version of this card looks like any other credit card on your credit report, it won't be obvious to potential lenders. To see more cards that might be a good fit, check out all our reviews for Average Credit Credit Cards and Bad Credit Credit Cards.

It's not clear from your question, but if the 21-year-old is enrolled in college there are a number of student credit cards available to him.  The Citi® Dividend Platinum Select® Card for College Students features generous cash back rewards and a 0% APR on purchases during the first 7 months. Cardholders will earn 5% cash back on purchases at supermarkets, drugstores, gas stations, convenience stores & utilities (including cable) for 6 months and 1% thereafter, 2% cash back in popular rotating categories and 1% cash back on all other purchases. In addition, this card does not require a cosigner. Or you can read our other Student Credit Card Reviews and pick your favorite card.

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Student Loan Debt in U.S. Hits $1 Trillion

The amount of total student loan debt that U.S. citizens have accumulated is now over $1 trillion. Student loans are becoming an increasingly touchy subject because of the rising cost of higher education. According to the Project on Student Debt, the price of tuition at U.S. colleges has increased over 900 percent over the past 34 years. Of the 1.4 million students who graduate college every year, two-thirds leave with an average debt of $27,000.

The government is trying to find solutions to the ever-rising debt situations, but progress has been slow since money is such a hot-button issue in Washington these days. The Senate today blocked a bill that would have frozen the student loan interest rates because the bill would have raised payroll taxes on Medicare and Social Security. The bill, which would have frozen the interest rates before they doubled in July, was defeated 52 to 45.

If you are thinking of going to school but are afraid of the cost, check out our Financial Aid section to see what options you have to pay for college. Also check out our reviews of the top online colleges to see if there is a school that fits your needs and is in your price range.

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Will Reverse 911 Work With VoIP Service?

Q: I recently learned about reverse 911 service. Is it available with VoIP? How about regular 911?

Image: Derek Key via Flickr

A: Let's start with standard 911 service. All VoIP providers are now required to provide their users with E911, or Enhanced 911 service. This means that not only are VoIP subscribers able to call 911, but the companies must also do their best to transmit the caller's physical address, just like a traditional phone system would. In order for this to work, customers must register their physical addresses with the VoIP company each time they move. The provider maintains this registry, and transmits the relevant information to emergency services when necessary.

Not all cities or counties currently provide reverse 911 service, but where it is available, reverse 911 service allows emergency services providers like the police or fire departments to contact residents of an area in the event of an emergency requiring caution or evacuation. For example, in the case of a large gas leak, the fire department might call all the residents of a particular neighborhood to begin an evacuation or warn them against going towards the leak. Like regular 911 service, this relies on emergency providers having some information about which physical addresses correspond to which phone numbers.

Unlike standard 911 service, reverse 911 registries are maintained by each individual county. In order to receive reverse 911 notifications on your VoIP line or mobile phone, you must register your number with emergency services in your area. Contact your local police or emergency services department to find out if this service is available in your area and how to register your phone number if you would like to opt in.

Remember that VoIP service will not function in the event of an internet or power outage, so you may want to keep a cell phone nearby as a backup in case of emergency.

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What Are The Best Windows Web Hosts?

Q: I am on GoDaddy now for my garden club site and it's more costly than I like and I don't like that I can't use folders to separate the different items (photos from docs from newsletters). I use Microsoft Sharepoint Designer to create my pages and want to keep using that. I tried to rank different hosting services using your info here but don't know enough to make a good choice. Can you advise me? I am an experienced beginner or a green intermediate level user.

A: It sounds like you have a couple of factors going on here, so I'll try to narrow your choices down accordingly. The most restrictive thing you've listed here is actually the last: because Microsoft Sharepoint Designer uses ASP.net , it is only compatible with Windows hosting.

Many hosts only offer Linux-based hosting, which generally isn't a problem, but programs using ASP.net are one of the few exceptions to that rule. Since you want to stick with Microsoft Sharepoint Designer, you'll be restricted to services that offer both Windows and Linux servers and you'll need to be sure you choose a Windows server option when you're signing up. I would recommend that you contact customer service at whichever company you choose to explain to them that you use Microsoft Sharepoint Designer and will need a host to work with the program. A representative can help you choose the right plan.

Of the companies we review, only Lunarpages, Network Solutions, 1&1, and GoDaddy offer the option to use Windows servers for shared hosting (which is what you'll want for a small hobby or personal site like a garden club website). We don't generally recommend Go Daddy (and you've already said you're unhappy with them), but the other three companies on the list have earned four or five star ratings in our tests.

All of these hosts should allow you to create as many folders as you want in your server space. Here are a few factors that might make you pick one of the three remaining options over the others:

Cost: If price is your most important consideration, Network Solutions is the cheapest option at $2.99/mo with our discounts. The other two come not far behind, with Lunarpages at $4.95/mo and 1&1 at $3.49/mo for the first 12 months, then $6.99/mo.

Domain Registration: If you move your domain over to the hosting company, you may want to note that 1&1 is the only option of these three that includes free domain registration (for one domain) for life. Network Solutions offers free registration for 10 years, while Lunarpages offers 1 year of free domain registration and charges $19.95/yr after that.

Support: Of these three options, Lunarpages is the only one without 24 hour support.

Given these considerations, I'd say your choice is really between Network Solutions and 1&1. The extra annual charge for domain registration with Lunarpages, coupled with the limited service hours, make it somewhat less attractive. Take a look at our comparison chart, the web host report card, and the individual reviews to make your final choice. Remember you can also contact the support departments of these companies to ask specific questions about your site and your service if you have them. Good luck!

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Microsoft: Macs Are No Longer Safe
From Malware, Attacks Will Increase

Microsoft has discovered a flaw in Microsoft Office that is being exploited by malware for the Mac. Although the flaw was discovered 3 years ago and was fixed with an update by Microsoft, many people have not updated their Office software and hackers are continuing to use the flaw to release malware onto Mac computers. Most recently, a new version of the Flashback Trojan was discovered to be exploiting the Microsoft Office flaw, according to ZDNet.

The flaw only seems to affect Mac OS Snow Leopard, and only Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac, Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac, and Open XML File Format Converter for Mac programs that have not been updated. If you are concerned that you might be vulnerable, it might be a good idea to update both your Mac OS and Microsoft Office software.

This newest Mac attack, along with all the recent news on the Flashback Trojan, shows that Macs are starting to become vulnerable to malware attacks. Microsoft, in their release about this Microsoft Office flaw, says, "In conclusion, we can see that Mac OSX is not safe from malware. Statistically speaking, as this operating system gains in consumer usage, attacks on the platform will increase."

If you are worried about security for your Mac and want to check out security software for your computer, check out all of our reviews of the top security software suites or our comparison chart so you can choose the best security software for your machine.

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Throw the Perfect Rainbow Birthday Party
With Our Favorite Custom Invitation Sites

Do you know a kid (or a kid-at-heart) with a birthday coming up? Inspired by some of the great customized invitations available at our favorite photo card and invitation sites, we've put together some ideas for a fun spring or summer rainbow birthday party. Start with a great invitation from top providers Minted, Tiny Prints, Simply To Impress, and Paper Culture (click images for more information about these options):

Once you've picked your invitation (and maybe some matching thank you notes!), head over to our Rainbow Kids' Party Pinterest board to check out some of the great food, decoration, craft, and activity ideas we've collected there.

Rainbow's not quite your style? Custom card sites have invitations for pretty much any theme you can think of, so check out their collections for great inspiration. If you have questions about how the sites work, or need help picking the right one, take a look at our FAQ section, individual reviews, and comparison chart.

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Are PayDay Loans Legal in My State?

If you're pressed for cash and need a short-term loan with an amount smaller than what the bank can give you, a payday loan may be your best option. However, there are specific laws pertaining to the legality of payday loans depending on what state you're in. Payday lending is authorized by state laws or regulations in only 33 states. 

To protect borrowers, some states have a maximum fee cap. The chart below lists each state where payday lending is legal plus that state's maximum fee cap, if any. The chart also shows the APR for a two-week $250 loan based on the legal maximum. Fees are a percentage of the amount of the loan in some states, while caps are based on the total check, including the fee, in others.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Which VoIP Services Offer Both
Call Hunt and Call Transfer Features?

Q: Does VOIPo offer Call Hunt and Call Transfer?

Image: Marc Lagneau on Flickr

A: First, for readers who aren't familiar with these features, some brief explanations.

Call Hunt: This VoIP feature helps you make sure you receive important calls, no matter where you are. With call hunt, the system will ring a series of numbers in a specific order if you don't pick up the phone. This means, for example, that if someone calls your home number and you don't pick up, the system could be programmed to try your office number next, and then perhaps your cell phone. This way you won't miss calls to your home phone when you're out.

Call Transfer: Call transfer with VoIP lets you transfer a call to another number if you need to leave the house or pass a call to someone who's not at home. For example, if you were on the phone with someone and needed to leave the house, you could transfer the call to your cell phone, or if someone called to speak to your roommate who was out of town, you could transfer the call to that person's cell phone.

Different features can go by different names with each company, and sometimes companies offer slight variations on common features. In this case, VOIPo offers a close substitute for Call Hunt. For Call Hunt, VOIPo suggests their Simultaneous Ring feature, which will have several numbers ring at the same time when your VOIPo number is dialed. You could also have VOIPo forward calls to a second or third number if the first is busy.

If you're set on those two specific features, a number of our top VoIP providers DO offer them. Providers with four or five star ratings and both Call Hunt and Call Transfer include:

• Vonage
• Phone.com

If you only need Call Hunt, the following providers also provide that feature, but not Call Transfer:

• Phone Power
• via:talk

Got more questions about VoIP service or features? Check out our FAQ section, the reviews, or the comparison chart. You can also leave us a question or comment in the fields below.

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Do Identity Theft Protection Plans
Protect My Credit Cards Too?

Q:  If I subscribe to an identity theft protection plan, do I still need to maintain my current monthly protection for each credit card or will those cards be covered with one of these plans?

Image: Garido.com

A:  I'm not sure what credit card protection service you're currently paying for, but most of our top identity theft protection services will help protect your credit/debit card and bank account numbers from fraudulent use. Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION®, Trusted ID and Lifelock will all monitor the Internet black market for suspicious use of your credit/debit and bank account numbers and alert you if fraudulent activity is detected. The only caveat is that you need to enter these numbers into their online interface once you sign up.

We particularly like Identity Guard because of their proactive identity theft protection and 3-bureau credit report monitoring. Plus, they are offering NextAdvisor readers a free 30-day trial and 25% off the subscription price. When you sign up for Identity Guard you'll also get free credit scores, which are yours to keep even if you cancel during the trial period. All-in-all we think it's a pretty good deal, but if you'd like to take at look at other identity theft protection plans check out our identity theft protection plan comparison.

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