Money Talks

Everyone likes free. Some folks need free versions of services or items. We’re working off a list from MSN 27 Things You Should Never Pay For — and How to Get Them for Free

• Birthday meals: 20 Restaurant Chains That Offer Free Food for Your Birthday 
• Through April of 2021, you can get free credit reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion as often as once a week.  https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action
• Credit cards: The words to look for: No annual fee. https://www.creditcards.com/ https://wallethub.com/credit-cards/no-annual-fee/ https://www.creditkarma.com/credit-cards/no-annual-fee
• Stream entertainment for free. 15 Free Streaming Services to Watch
• Don’t forget MPB television is available all over the state for free. If you need help adjusting your antenna for better reception the technical service folks here at MPB can help you with that over the phone if you call the front desk during business hours (601) 432- 6565
• To see the free over-the-air channels available where you live, enter your address at the Federal Communications Commission’s “DTV reception maps.” https://www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps
• You can get free products at dollar stores. Deal blogs like Moola Saving Mom, The Krazy Coupon Lady and CouponMom.com do it for you scour all the coupons available out there and determine which coupons are for items sold at chains like Dollar Tree. The result, known as “coupon matchups,” is basically a list of current coupons that you can redeem at particular dollar stores. While the lineup varies from week to week, you can expect to find free stuff regularly. We’ll have links to these blogs on our website. If you come across free items that you can’t use, consider donating them to a local charity. 
• the National Park Service offers free admission on a handful of days scattered throughout the year. 2021 the free days are: April 17: First day of National Park Week, August 4: One year anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act, August 25: National Park Service Birthday, September 25: National Public Lands Day, November 11: Veterans Day https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/fee-free-parks.htm
• Free passes that are avaliable: The Volunteer Pass, A new pass program grants U.S. military veterans and Gold Star Families, The Annual 4th Grade Pass, A new voucher is now available for 5th grade students for the rest of the school year! https://www.everykidoutdoors.gov/index.htm
• Trace your genealogy for free.10 Ways to Research Your Family Tree for Free Many libraries have subscriptions to ancestry.com where you can look up census records and hook up with others researching their families. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History has a website dealing with genealogy. Their staff can tell you what’s available to look at in person at their headquarters in Jackson.  https://www.mdah.ms.gov/genealogy
• After your next checkup, ask your dentist if they have any wrapped toothbrushes, paste and floss to give you that they receive for free from manufacturers. If you don’t use them they’re great to keep for visiting friends or donate to local organizations. 
• Money management tips: What ATMs can you use for free? Does your bank reimburse ATM charges. Learn how you can avoid trading fees if that is of interest to you. Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, TD Ameritrade, Fidelity and Vanguard have announced $0 commission trades on stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
• LinkedIn Learning offers its catalog of online courses free to patrons of participating libraries. There are 13,000 courses available. So, ask your library if it partners with LinkedIn Learning or similar services.

What is the Black Swan?

Black swan events can cause catastrophic damage to an economy by negatively impacting markets and investments, but even the use of robust modeling cannot prevent a black swan event. The term was popularized by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, a finance professor, writer, and former Wall Street trader in his 2007 book titled The Black Swan.

Webinar: Tuesday, February 9, 2021 | 6:00pm CDT

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