If you receive your federal benefits by paper check, you'll need to switch to electronic payments by March 1, 2013. The federal benefits affected are:
You have two options for receiving benefits electronically: 1. Direct Deposit: The U.S. Treasury deposits your benefits directly into your bank account. You can sign up for direct deposit in one of these ways:
2. Prepaid Debit Card: The U.S. Treasury deposits your benefits directly to a debit card. This is an option if you don't have a bank account and do not want to open one. You can request a debit card by calling (800) 333-1795 (Mon-Fri, 8am-8pm ET). Be ready with the information you'll need to set up your federal benefit payments by direct deposit or debit card. If you have questions, call the Go Direct Helpline at (800) 333-1795. |
You might have seen the term "sequestration" in the news lately. It is a process that automatically cuts the federal budget across all departments and agencies.
National Consumer Protection Week:Six Tips to Make You a Smarter ShopperSales pitches and financial advice come at you from every direction—by phone, by mail, and every time you read an ad, go online or turn on your TV. It can seem like a full time job just to sort it all out, but you don’t have to do it alone. Government agencies, consumer organizations and advocacy groups join forces during National Consumer Protection Week, March 3-9 with shopping strategies and consumer tips to empower you to make better buying decisions and protect your rights in the marketplace. Start learning now with these tips from USA.gov: DID YOU KNOW:
You can ask government experts your consumer questions during a special National Consumer Protection Week online Q&A session. Experts from USA.gov and the Federal Trade Commission will connect you with government resources to answer your questions during the live event on Wednesday, March 6 from 2-3pm EST. Find out about the latest scams, how to protect your family from identity theft, and more. To participate, submit your questions in advance or during the event on USA.gov’s Facebook page or on Twitter using the hashtag #NCPW. |
Super Bowl Sunday: Don’t Have a Food Safety Foul
Whether or not your favorite team made into the Super Bowl this year, Super Bowl Sunday is always a fun day to get together with friends and family, eat lots of good food and cheer for good old fashioned American football. While eating all those delicious finger foods is easy, sometimes keeping food bacteria-free isn’t. USA.gov makes sure you keep your guests healthy with these food safety tips:
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says unclean hands are one of the biggest ways to spread bacteria. With flu season in full swing right now, it’s more important than ever to wash your hands before preparing foods and make sure you do so for at least 20 seconds with soap. The USDA also suggests using one cutting board for uncooked meat and another for veggies and other foods so they won’t be contaminated with bacteria from the meat.
- Prevent foodborne illness when you’re shopping for Super Bowl Sunday by staying away from canned goods that are deformed or jars that have cracked or loose lids. Make sure to refrigerate food that requires it, and dispose of food that looks or smells suspicious. Foodborne illness is like a bad halftime show – no one wants either on Super Bowl Sunday.
- Slow cookers and crock pots are popular cooking tools when it comes to meatballs, chili and other all American favorites. Foodsafety.gov answers some common questions about slow cooker faux pas to help you get to game time without worrying about what’s going on in the kitchen. For example, unthawed food should not go directly into a slow cooker; it must be properly thawed before you heat it up.
- If you have any questions about keeping your food safe before sharing it with your friends and family, Foodsafety.gov has all the information for you in one place. Learn about recent recalls and alerts from the government, how to keep all different types of food safe, how to avoid food poisoning and much more.
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and is estimated to be responsible for more than 20,000 lung cancer deaths each year.
You can't see, smell, or taste radon--it's a radioactive gas that comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water and gets into the air you breathe.
Radon can be present outdoors and in any type of building, but you're likely to get the most exposure to radon in your own home.
To help protect your health, you can test your home for radon and take measures to lower radon levels if needed.
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You are subscribed to USA.gov Blog.01/23/2013 03:00 PM ESTFirst Known Earth Trojan Asteroid
Video description
This animation illustrates the orbit of 2010 TK7 (green dots), the first known Earth Trojan asteroid, discovered by NEOWISE, the asteroid-hunting portion of NASA’s WISE mission.
Video courtesy of NASA.01/23/2013 01:00 PM ESTWhether you’re interested in investing for the first time or whether you’ve been investing for years, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has advice on how you can get the most from your investments.Find more tips and advice for keeping your money safe and growing your investments from the SEC’s 13 Things Everyone Should Know About Investing.Checking the background of an investment professional is easy and free.
Details on an investment professional’s background and qualifications are available through the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website and FINRA BrokerCheck. If you have any questions on checking the background of an investment professional, call the SEC’s toll-free investor assistance line at (800) 732-0330.Diversification can help reduce the overall risk of an investment portfolio.
By picking the right mix of investments, you may be able to limit your losses and reduce the fluctuations of your investment returns without sacrificing too much in potential gains. Some investors find that it is easier to achieve diversification through ownership of mutual funds or exchange-traded funds rather than through ownership of individual stocks or bonds.Promises of high returns, with little or no associated risk, are classic warning signs for fraud.
Every investment carries some degree of risk and the potential for greater returns comes with greater risk. Ignore so-called “can’t miss” investment opportunities or those promising “guaranteed returns” or, better yet, report them to the SEC.Some investments provide tax advantages.
For example, employer-sponsored retirement plans and individual retirement accounts generally provide tax advantages for retirement savings, and 529 college savings plans also offer tax benefits. Individuals who are interested in learning about the tax impact of their investment decisions should consult their tax adviser or visit the IRS website.Active trading and some other very common investing behaviors actually undermine investment performance.
According to researchers, other common investing mistakes include focusing on past performance, favoring investments from your own country, region, state or company, and holding on to losing investments too long and selling winning investments too soon.01/23/2013 10:00 AM ESTWhat is the Federal Debt and How Does the Debt Limit Work?:At the end of fiscal year 2011, the federal debt totaled $14.8 trillion.
The debt limit determines when the U.S. Department of Treasury can or cannot borrow money to cover the country’s debts.
Learn more about the federal debt and the debt limit in Federal Debt 101, from the Government Accountability Office.
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Welcome to USA.gov's Publications and Consumer Information Catalog e-newsletter. You can always find the latest Consumer Information Catalog and hundreds of free and low-cost federal publications at Publications.USA.gov. Happy New Year! The Winter/Spring 2013 Catalog is here
Warm up your January with the newly-combined, 16-page Winter/Spring edition of the Consumer Information Catalog. It includes a special section featuring 14 publications from the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to help you manage your credit cards, checking account, mortgage and more, plus these other features:Three New Publications Focus on Child Safety
Safeguarding Your Child’s Future
Surprisingly, children’s identities do get stolen. But unlike adults, children usually don’t find out for years until they grow up and apply for a student loan, an apartment or a job. Learn strategies from the Federal Trade Commission to protect your kids’ identities, and minimize the impact if they’ve been victimized.
Benzocaine and Babies: Not a Good Mix
Benzocaine is the pain reliever in many products that treat oral pain. But giving it to children under 2 could cause a potentially life-threatening disorder. The Food and Drug Administration explains how to keep your children safe and treat their teething pain naturally.Should You Put Sunscreen on Infants? Protecting babies from too much sun is always a good thing. But the Food and Drug Administration explains how the chemicals in sunscreen may be more dangerous on infants’ delicate skin than parents might realize. "Online-Only" Publications
Some of the best government consumer information isn’t in print—but you can find it all online at Publications.USA.gov. And you can download any publication in PDF format, and some in e-reader formats. This edition of the Catalog features three great collections of online-only publications to help you learn more about:
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