Money for Men: How to avoid common rip-offs

There’s a sucker born every minute, at least according the legendary scam artist P.T. Barnum, but you don’t have to fall prey to financial flimflams if you just use a little common sense. Here are seven types of very common rip-offs and some advice on how to avoid them.

Don’t Use Rent-A-Center
Despite what celebrity endorsers Troy Aikman or Hulk Hogan may lead you to believe, Rent-A-Center is a basically a way to ensure that poor people stay poor. Customers basically end up paying triple digit APR’s in an attempt to buy merchandise they really can not afford. In fact, you could get much better terms on a loan from Tony Soprano and crew. The only legitimate purpose for Rent-A-Center is that it provides entertainment to the people of poor neighborhoods by producing the drama filled spectacle of the eventual re-possession of the goods.

Resist the Hotel Mini-Bar
There are just some rules that every man must learn and obey. Obviously, you never cross the streams, you never take advice from someone who lives over a garage, and you never, ever leave your wingman. But what needs to be added to this list, is to never resort to using the hotel mini-bar. Paying $4 for a candy bar, $8 for a Bud Light, and $14 for a shot of rum will add up fast and is just insane. With a little advance packing and perhaps some inquiring at the front desk about local liquor stores, you can save yourself from becoming a victim.

Just Say No to Free Credit Report Companies
Unless you are just so enthralled by the all the commercials and don’t want to see the band go back to working at their local fast food establishment, there really is very little reason to pay for these services. Did you know that you can see and print out your credit report once a year at a site called Annual Credit Report (annualcreditreport.com) and that you can get your actual credit score free from Credit Karma (creditkarma.com)? Obviously, if you are so worried about your credit score, you probably can not afford to donate $14.95/month for your enrollment in Triple Advantage.

Do Some Research Before Investing in the “Rock Bottom” Real Estate Market
With the housing market in shambles, some now suggest that the time is right to invest in real estate at a bargain basement price. However, it is not wise to assume that every neighborhood will eventually experience a revival. Although it should be noted that I have absolutely no experience in the real estate industry, I can safely say that you should not invest in a property that resides in a neighborhood in which the following conditions apply:

• There is more than one car parked in a front yard
• The ratio of pawn shops to schools and churches combined is greater than 5:1
• Local children play in a burnt out ice cream truck abandoned on Main Street
• There are still working payphones at the corner and people are constantly using them
• You can see a sign that says “Welcome to Detroit”

Don’t Buy Mets Season Tickets
Sorry, I had to go there. Still, if you are a Mets fan and really want to subject yourself to such torture I would suggest looking into the secondary ticket market where you will find a plethora of motivated sellers.

Pass by Those Carnival Games
These games were invented and designed with one sole purpose: to take your money. Yes, we all have fantasies about winning the big stuffed animal for our date, but it is only Charlie Sheen who would call it winning if you have to plop down $50 to “win” that prize.

Refuse to Pay for Porn
Maybe someone can help me out here, but I really don’t understand the need to pay to subscribe to any type of porn site. Surely, there are enough sites where you can watch a series of 3 to 5 minute clips for you to “take care of business.” Truly, this is why God blessed us all with two hands instead of one. Consider that the average time spent watching a “special” pay per view movie in a hotel in only 12 minutes.

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