The Current Plus: AI needs machine guns, new scams, hack for free power tools โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ In partnership with Amazon.com | ๐ช Itโs Memorial Day, friend. Join me as we honor and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. If you have a vet in your life, I included a special link below to get copies of their military awards, medals and records. My fatherโs awards hang proudly in my office. ๐๏ธ ๐๏ธ A quick, important note: To make sure you never miss an issue, drag my emails to the โPrimaryโ tab in Gmail, or click the little flag or star to mark them as important in just about any email provider. Help here if you need it! Todayโs top story came from the โLet's get you all your money!โ part of my brain. Hope you enjoy it and find it useful in your life. โ Kim ๐ซ First-time reader? Sign up here. (Itโs free!) IN THIS ISSUE โ
Your annual reminder โผ๏ธ Hotel and postage scams ๐งฐ Free power tools |
TODAY'S TOP STORY Find lost money thatโs YOURS A few years ago, I helped a listener of my show get a check for $30,000. He had no idea about something called โunclaimed money.โ Youโre entitled to any of your or a deceased relativeโs old bank accounts, safe deposit box contents, uncashed checks, insurance policies, CDs, trust funds, utility deposits, stocks and bonds, wages, and escrow accounts. Thereโs a lot to check, I know! Donโt hire a sketchy service or spend money. You can easily do it yourself. Think of it like a free, personal treasure hunt. ๐ฐ If youโve looked before, this is my annual reminder for you to check. New lost money can pop up, even if youโve done these searches in the past. Money, money, money Skip Google โ there are way too many scammers on searches like this. Find the link for your stateโs treasury website at the National Association of Unclaimed Property website. Scroll to select your state or province. Follow the instructions, enter your information, and let the database do the rest. Be sure to check MissingMoney.com, too. ๐ก Pro tip: If you have a frequently misspelled name or name variations, search for each misspelling on the unclaimed fundsโ sites. Include any former names and nicknames, too, just in case. Retirement funds, bank accounts and investments Retirement: The National Registry of Unclaimed Retirement Benefits is the spot for money held from prior employers. Banks and investments: The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) offers a specialized search to see if money in your name was left in failed financial institutions. Credit unions: Search for the money left in credit unions with the National Credit Union Administration. Bonds: At TreasuryHunt.gov, look for any matured savings bonds that have stopped paying interest. Refunds: Missing last yearโs tax refund? The IRS might owe you money. Every year, the IRS reports millions in unclaimed tax refunds. File a claim to get yours here. Be sure to check for VA life insurance benefits, too โ it is Memorial Day, after all. Search for your or your veteranโs last name on VA.gov. Pro tip: Set a reminder to perform these searches on an anniversary, your birthday or another date youโll remember each year. You never know what money youโll find! And if you do find any money, let me know! |
DEALS OF THE DAY ๐บ๐ธ Great Memorial Day deals Itโs Memorial Day, and that means Amazonโs running a ton of deals! Here are some you donโt want to miss: ๐ Charge it For batteries, Ankerโs a top-of-the-line brand. This magnetic iPhone battery pack has a functional kickstand, too! Get it for 50% off now. If youโre looking for a portable power station for your home, RV or camping, this EF ECOFLOW solar generator with a 220-watt solar panel, battery and fast charging is $879 โ $770 off! ๐ Apple If you donโt have some yet (or you need a few to throw in your bags), save $20 on a four-pack of Apple AirTag trackers ($80). Want to track your steps and heart health, along with fall alerts? The Apple Watch Series 9 smartwatch with GPS and cellular capabilities is $329 after a $170 discount. ๐ Around the house โComputer, clean my kitchen.โ The Shark voice-controlled robot vacuum cleaner is $350 ($250 off). Tiki drinks, anyone? Take your cocktails to the next level with the Gevi countertop nugget ice maker for $380 (a total of $120 off when you check the coupon box!). Because youโll use it, why not grab a 30-pack of Amazon Basics toilet paper while itโs just $24 ($4 off)? ๐ Beach reads Popular eโbooks are up to 94% off this weekend in the Kindle Store. Prefer audiobooks? Amazon has Audible books for up to 83% off right now. Load up while theyโre on sale! For the kiddos, score the Amazon Fire 7 Kids tablet for $70 ($40 off)! ๐ฑ Other gadgets Raycon* is offering 20% off their Bluetooth headphones for Komando readers! Use promo code COLORFUL on any item on their site to cash in. Get a reliable Samsung Galaxy phone for $800 ($200 off). Bump some tunes by the pool with the Anker Soundcore waterproof speaker. Right now, itโs just $19.99 (save $10). Canonโs PIXMA all-in-one printer, copier and scanner is $69 this weekend โ a $60.99 discount. Bonus: It works with Amazon Alexa! Chat with the fam on an Amazon Echo Show smart display, now $55 off. And just for fun: The Holy Stone GPS drone with a 4K camera and remote control is $144.49 โ save $85.50! ๐คซ Want to browse more deals? Hereโs the secret link on Amazon for all the Memorial Day sales. |
WEB WATERCOOLER Hotel booking scam: If youโre planning a trip, scammers are buying up Google search results with legit-looking hotel and travel sites. Theyโll take your info and leave you nothing but a hefty credit card bill. Double-check URLs for typos, and don't trust a site just because it popped up first in your search results. Chances are, itโs a sponsored ad. ๐บ๐ธ Patriot Mobileโs big breach: The self-proclaimed โChristian conservative wireless providerโ exposed its cellphone customersโ info, including full names, email addresses, ZIP codes and account PINs. Hard to ignore the timing on this one โฆ If youโre a subscriber, update your login info ASAP. Let the gun times roll: Googleโs former CEO, Eric Schmidt, says AI systems eventually will be so smart that weโll have to guard them with โmachine guns on military basesโ to keep them out of enemy hands. How far in the future does he think this will happen? About five years. Cool โฆ cool, cool, cool. Ear-replaceable: New AI noise-canceling headphones will let you listen to a single personโs voice in a crowd just by looking at the individual once. The wearer can then walk around as usual while tuning in to the personโs conversation. The headphones are still in development, but I can only imagine how theyโll use them in covert ops. I really just want them for group dinners ... ๐ฅ Thatโs a big bang: A SpaceX Raptor rocket engine exploded during a test at its Texas facility last week, and boy, was it a doozy. (Seriously, check out this video.) Elon Musk planned to use the engine in a test flight of the Starship reusable rocket in just a few days. I have a feeling theyโre gonna miss that deadline. ๐ฎ Stick with me, and weโll go places: The prices for U.S. first-class postage stamps are going up to $0.73 in July, and lots of fake postage stamp sites and social media ads are popping up. PSA: Thereโs no such thing as half-price stamps. Itโs a scam. Itโs not a regular bag: Itโs a cool bag with a lock that could save you from your phone addiction. Schools and concert venues are shelling out thousands for these Yondr pouches to keep people off their phones. You could also just get a lockbox for $17. I know, I know โฆ Iโm a genius. ๐ I want to help you: Whether itโs a question about your business, your parents, your kids or your life, Iโm your trusted friend indeed. Drop me your questions here, and know I read every single one myself. I look forward to hearing from you! |
LISTEN UP | What's really on the dark web? It's one place online you've heard about but probably never crossed into. Here's the scoop. Play Now โข 9:29 โถ |
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TECH LIFE UPGRADES ๐ Are you still using QuickBooks? Discover why tens of thousands are switching to NetSuiteโs* superior all-in-one solution. Don't settle for less. Experience real-time insights and streamlined processes, and make decisions based on data, not your gut. Take a free product tour right now! Get your loved oneโs military honors: My dad served during the Korean War. I requested copies of his medals and service records, and Iโm so glad I did. The National Archives website lets you easily request a family memberโs service records and medals. Hereโs how. DIY on the cheap: Some local libraries rent out power tools. Who knew? If youโre planning a summer project, it's worth stopping by your nearest branch to ask. Stop leaving it up to chance: Todayโs hackers have more tricks at their disposal than ever to fool even the savviest person. Protect your devices with a solid antivirus solution. Itโs def worth $19 a year โ trust me. Sorry I missed your call: Voicemails can hog a surprising amount of space on your phone. Delete any you donโt care about. If you have voicemails you can't bear to delete, like from loved ones, save them. |
BY THE NUMBERS $2,000,000,000 Cost to build the Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas. The world's largest cruise ship measures 1,198 feet in length, making this 250,800-ton giant five times larger than the Titanic. It can hold up to 7,600 guests, many of whom are getting ship-faced and a little nauti. 12.6 years The average car age for U.S. drivers. A new record, thanks to sky-high prices and interest rates. These days, a new car will set you back about $45,000, on average. No wonder folks are holding on to their clunkers. 6 planets In perfect alignment on June 3. In the early morning hours, Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, Neptune and Saturn will all be visible in a line across the sky (Mercury and Jupiter will be the toughest to see). The last time all nine planets aligned? 1982. We used to count Pluto as a planet, remember? |
TAKE A MOMENT Say a prayer and a quiet thank you today. |
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UNTIL NEXT TIME ... Phew, that was a packed newsletter. If youโre looking for movies to watch this Memorial Day, here are my top three picks: โHacksaw Ridge,โ โSaving Private Ryan,โ and โUnbroken.โ Hereโs the secret link again to Amazonโs big Memorial Day sale. One final tech tip: Iโm feelinโ the keyboard shortcuts lately. Hereโs a faster way to navigate when you have lots of tabs open. In Windows, hit Ctrl + 1 (or 2 or 3 and so on) to go to that tab number. On Mac, itโs Cmd + [number]. To cycle through your open tabs, hit Ctrl + Tab (Windows) or Cmd + Tab (Mac). And one more for the road: Which keystroke combination beat all the rest in the shortcut contest? Win + R! (You can steal that one from me.) ๐ค If you learned something new or laughed, forward this email to a friend. It helps us grow and means more than you realize. See ya tomorrow with a fun (and highly requested) tip: Reddit for beginners. โ Kim | |
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