NostraDover, Part I: In case you missed it last week, the IRS and Federal Trade Commission announced that they're investigating those "nonprofit" credit counseling agencies: Why? Because of the very thing I've been warning America about for 11 years-the abuses and spin-doctoring of the term "nonprofit." In fact, if you wanna verify this latest example of expert Dover Prognostication, browse the award-winning website and note the dates my numerous articles were posted, or better yet, read the in-depth warning from my latest book, Back Off! An entire chapter was dedicated to this (now) hot-topic: "You Don't Think They'd Lie, Do You? The Truth About Credit Counseling & Debt Re-Negotiation Service" and is posted for your (free) review right here.

Okay, so this isn't one of those burning issues that's kept you awake all night...but didja ever wonder how (or why) they chose those three musical notes used by NBC (and made fun of by Howard Stern in his movie Private Parts when he was reliving his days at W-NNNNNNNBC): From Don Barrett's LA Radio.com website: "The source of the station break, NBC chime notes? (dah-dahhh-dah) They're the musical notes G ... E ... C .... General Electric Company. Now you know-to quote old Paul Harvey-the rest of the story."

Starbucks is out to get you really loaded. Addicted to over-priced caffeine? The Seattle-based McCoffee chain is rolling out their new "Duetto" Visa prepaid/credit card: "Load" this new card with cash-then get loaded at your every-street-corner coffee outlet and earn points for Starbuckanese beverages or merchandise.  And to add some warm-fuzzies to the mix, a slice of the revenues generated will be given to assorted charities.

Could Starbucks be trying to conserve paper or bolster their sleeve-driven bottom line?  For those of you who spend more time and money at Starbucks than you should, have you noticed they've taken to short-sleeving?  They quit "double-cupping" in favor of slipping on sleeves to protect java fans from hot cups...but now the sleeves have gone the way of a quarter cuppa coffee.  You'll start stuffing your pockets with extra sugar packets after you read more about it.....

Struggling with your monthly house payment? You might not have to if you take this shot of Dover Mortgage-related Common Sense!  Especially if you're a Texan (God bless the intelligent voters that allowed Proposition 6 to pass last month), homeowners over the age of 62 in Texas (other states age-limits will vary) can eliminate their monthly house payments if they know where to go. Oh yeah...here's where you can find more info on how to stretch those fixed-budgets.....

¿Dondé esta aeropuerto? American Airlines is about to show you: They've woken-up at the Hispanic buying power switch and are launching a new, Spanish-language marketing campaign. Put down that Corona and read more about it...

It doesn't matter if you're Hispanic...or just a run-of-the-mill American looking for a great deal!  Now's the time to get off your rear and start making travel plans for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend! (You're on the clock and it's now only 47 days away):  Get more for your dinero by getting your Thanksgiving or Christmas-time travel planning handled now. Check out Ben's reliable, no-brainer choice for consistently affordable and competitively priced hotel room or condo deals: www.hotels.com.  

 

Speaking of Thanksgiving...wanna be a hero this year for a change? Instead of showing up at someone's house with a cheapo bottle of wine that either nobody will drink or it'll end up being "re-gifted" somewhere down the road, bring something that's sure to set you apart!  Screw-off tops or canned cranberry sauce can be the quickest way to be de-invited for future events so spend a few bucks and do a little planning today to bring beautiful flowers, direct from Hawaii with you.  Ben's affordable choice?  Tropical Colors.  Order on-line or give 'em a call toll-free (remember to call after 1p ET/12n CT/11a MT and 10a PT because of the time difference): (800) 965-9732.

Got a headache? You might be able to weasel a tax-break out of it: A recent move from the Treasury Department could save some of you as much as 30% on stuff like aspirin and cough drops. It's the latest expansion of a growing-list of government-approved tax deductions, a list that includes (for eligible workers) parking and subway passes, babysitters-even the cost of ditching the rugrats at a summer day camp.

NostraDover, Part II-The IRS' new chief is about to put the fear of the biggest-and-baddest collection agency on the planet into the hearts of America: Troubled by a recent study that indicates 17% of Americans believe it's acceptable to cheat on their taxes-up from 11% in 1999, the IRS' #1 debt collector is out to make your life potentially miserable if you get caught with your hand in the tax-cheater cookie jar. Time to dust off that mileage logbook and read the entire story from The New York Times here...

From the "you just thought they could be nasty" department; some insights on the IRS' new commissioner: According to a tax industry insider: "The new IRS commish is a real hard liner.  In documents that had to be requested under the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), the new commish has stated he's going to do his best to eliminate the offer in compromise program.  It's also been documented from internal IRS memos (that also had to be pried out via FOIA),  that the new commissioner has isolated and ostracized the congressionally mandated taxpayer advocate department, and that they're not to be privy to any of the of the IRS' internal information.  It really looks like he's a mad dog off the leash.  In the future we see a huge backlash against him, but it might take a few years for all that to build up.  The IRS has a new focus in collections even if the taxpayer has already completed and sent in their returns...and the IRS is dragging its heels in processing returns right now; 6 month or more is quite standard time for them to process older, multiple-years of returns."