The Sun's Financial Diary » Free stuff

Access The Wall Street Journal for Free?

Sun — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:06:25 +0000

The Wall Street Journal is one of those websites I visit everyday. I have it on My Yahoo home page, so I can get all the news rather quickly. In fact, I have used stories on the WSJ as basis of my posts many times in the past. The problem with the WSJ is that not everything on the website is free. There are many contents are subscription based, meaning that you will have to be a subscriber of the newspaper in order to access some restricted articles online. For example, I was trying to read this article “Alcoa Posts Narrower Loss” on the journal’s website yesterday, but my access was denied because the article is for subscribers only.

In the past, whenever I saw the warning, I just went away without doing anything or even trying to do anything. I don’t have subscription, what else can I do? Besides, I don’t think I will ever pay to read something online. There may be some good information in the paid articles, but there are also enough free contents available on the internet for me to read, so why pay for it?

But that was before, not yesterday. Yesterday, I just used a simple trick I learned from gHacks to read the full article.

Actually, it is very simple. All I need to do was Google the title (according to gHacks, you can also search the URL of the article) of the article “Alcoa Posts Narrower Loss” and click the one from the search results that matched the title and the website.

This trick may have been out there for a long time, but I just knew it yesterday and it appears to be working very well (I didn’t try with other subscription based contents yet, so I don’t know whether it works on other websites or not).

Now that I can get the restricted contents on the WSJ for free, there’s no reason to subscribe to it. No wonder Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., which owns the WSJ, wants its contents take off Google search.

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

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Amazon.com 25 Days of Free MP3 Download

Sun — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:00:28 +0000

From December 1 to Christmas, Amazon.com is offering a new song, hand-picked by Amazon MP3 editors, everyday to its customers for free. That’s 25 free MP3 downloads in 25 days. Today’s free song is “Joy to the World” by Casting Crowns. Check out Amazon 25 Days of Free page to get your free MP3 daily as a holiday new song will be unveiled everyday.

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

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Amazon.com 25 Days of Free MP3 Download

Get One Year Subscription of BusinessWeek Magazine for Free

Sun — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:41:17 +0000

I got my free subscription of both the BusinessWeek and Forbs last time when the free offer was available early this year, so the deal is real. Now it’s alive again, so if you are interested, you can use this link to get the free magazine if you want to have it. All you need to do is taking a few minutes to finish a short survey about MP3 players.

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

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Monopoly City Streets, an Online Game Powered by Google Maps

Sun — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 03:52:19 +0000

If you like to play the Monopoly, you will love this new online game by Hasbro, called Monopoly City Streets, an online version of the popular board game powered by Google Map.

The game, launched yesterday, 09/09/09, is “an immersive experience that gives players a chance to experience the thrill of negotiating and building first hand. Players can personalize that experience and share it with their friends”

I haven’t really played the game yet, but it looks quite interesting just from a quick peek. To play the online game, you will need to register first and once you register (the game itself is free though), you will get $3 million as your initial fund to play the game.

Players will be invited to register and will be given $3 million Monopoly dollars to start play. You can search for a street, purchase it and then decide if you want to start building immediately or if you want to purchase another street. You can select streets from virtually every city in the world — whether it’s the street where you live or a street in Paris, London or New York. The more you build, the more rent you earn — and if someone owns a street you want, you can contact them and negotiate for that street. The person who accumulates the most money and property wins the game.

Plus, each day you log in and play the game, you will receive another $1 million. In addition, you will also receive rental incomes generated from properties you own, just like the board game.

If you want to try the game, you have to act quickly before the streets you want to buy are taken by others. Besides, the game won’t be live on the internet forever. It is scheduled to be closed on January 31, 2010. For more information about Monopoly City Streets, check out the game’s FAQ page and official blog.

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

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Monopoly City Streets, an Online Game Powered by Google Maps

Got My Free BusinessWeek Magazine Already

Sun — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:34:59 +0000

A little more two weeks ago, I wrote a post on where to get free one-year subscription of BusinessWeek magazine. I didn’t really expect the magazine to come because I had similar experience before with some promised free magazines that never arrived. But this time I am pretty surprised when I saw the latest issue of BusinessWeek in my mailbox yesterday. Can’t believe I actually got it.

Anyway, the free BusinessWeek magazine offer is no longer valid, but, in case you are interested, you can still get free 52 issues of Forbes magazine. Check out my previous post on what information you will need to provide. I also requested Forbes last time, but it isn’t here yet. Hopefully, it will.

Speaking of free magazines, you may also want to check out these in the financial area:

Since these are publications for professionals, you will need to meet certain conditions to subscribe them. More free magazine offers can be found here.

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

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Got My Free BusinessWeek Magazine Already

Free Schick Quattro Razor/Trimmer

Sun — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:06:41 +0000

Here’s another promotion from Schick for its Quattro Titanium Razor/Trimmer. It was almost a year ago when Schick had a similar promotion.

Even though I realized that there are already a bunch of razors in my closet, I signed up to get another one anyway because it’s free and I never pass a free stuff that comes with no strings attached. If I get it, great; if not, no big deal. If you also can use a free trimmer, you can use this link to request one.

From my past experience, Schick promotion is very reliable. They sent me the product every time.

*Source: MyMoneyBlog

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

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Free Schick Quattro Razor/Trimmer

Free One Year Subscription of BusinessWeek and Forbes

Sun — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 17:49:43 +0000

Not sure whether you will get what is promised or not, but I figure it doesn’t hurt to try this free offer.

To get the free, one-year subscription of BusinessWeek, all you need to do is complete a short, one-page survey on MP3 player, costing a minute or two of your time. At the end you will also get the chance to get 52 free issues of Forbes, if you do the same survey again.

It says the free magazines will begin in 8 – 10 weeks. Use this link if you are interested, but don’t be too surprised if you don’t get it.

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

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Free One Year Subscription of BusinessWeek and Forbes

KeyBank Offers FREE GPS for Its Checking Accounts

Sun — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:25:18 +0000

Don’t have a GPS unit yet? Get one for free.

KeyBank, which used to offer free iPod in the past for its checking accounts, now gives Garmin nüvi GPS for free if you open an new account April 24, 2009.

Two models of Garmin GPS are offered in this deal: nüvi 205W GPS ($159 value) for either a Key Express Free Checking (no minimum) or Key Advantage Money Market Checking ($10,000 minimum), and nüvi 265WT GPS ($239 value) for either a Key Privilege Checking ($25,000 minimum) or Key Privilege Select Checking ($100,000 minimum).

To receive the free GPS unit, a qualifying account must be opened before the deadline and one debit card transaction plus a combination of two direct deposits and/or automated payments each of $100 or more by June 26, 2009.

Once the above conditions are met, you will receive the free GPS within 90 days. The value of the Garmin GPS will be reported on Form 1099-INT. If you close your account within 180 days of account opening, then you will be charged a $25 account early closure fee. If you have opened a checking account with KeyBank in the past 12 months, you are out of luck.

Interested? Use this link to open an account and get a free Garmin GPS.

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

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KeyBank Offers FREE GPS for Its Checking Accounts

TurboTax Business 2008 Free Download and Other Freebies

Sun — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 19:30:13 +0000

In case you can use it, TurboTax is offering a FREE, downloadable version of TurboTax Business 2008, valued at $. The software can only be used for your business, not your personal tax filing (click here if you are looking for personal TurboTax software, here for Quicken $20 off offers).

To download the software, you need to provide your name, address and email address, and create an account if you don’t already have one (so you can log into your account and download again later). Use this link to download TurboTax Business 2008.

Update: Now you can win one copy of TurboTax Deluxe or TaxCut Premium.

Now you can try Amazon Prime free for three months. All you need to do is taking the following four step:

Add one textbook to cart
Proceed to checkout use the “FREE Two-Day Shipping with a Free Trial of Amazon Prime” option
Confirm your free 3-month trial
Go to “Manage My Prime Membership” and disable auto upgrade.

According to Slickdeal.net, you do not need to purchase the textbook to get the free trail. The offer is not valid for existing or previous Prime member. Benefits of Amazon Prime membership, for a $79 annual fee, include:

Unlimited FREE Two-Day Shipping
Upgrade to One-Day Shipping for only $3.99
No minimum order size

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

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TurboTax Business 2008 Free Download and Other Freebies

Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan Free Book Download

Sun — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 02:41:29 +0000

Suze Orman is offering a free, downloadable version of her book, Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan (PDF file), at oprah.com. The 227-page book has 10 chapters:

2009: The New Reality
A Brief History of How We Got Here
Action Plan: Credit
Action Plan: Retirement Investing
Action Plan: Saving
Action Plan: Spending
Action Plan: Real Estate
Action Plan: Paying for College
Action Plan: Protecting Your Family and Yourself
The Road Ahead

If you are interested in this book, use this link to download. The download link will expire on January 15, 2009.

Update: The above download link has expired. Use this link instead to download.

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

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Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan Free Book Download

Free Inc or LLC Service from MyCorporation This Week

Sun — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:08:09 +0000

If you are looking to start your own business, now may be a good time as the economy shows no sign of improvement and unemployment rate reached multi-year high (this Friday’s monthly unemployment report could be even worse than last month). If that’s what you have in your mind, then you may want to take advantage of this offer.

This week, from December 1st to 5th (there are still two days left), MyCorporation, an Intuit company which makes TurboTax and Quiken software and the now-free Quicken Online, is offering FREE incorporation and LLC filings for business owners. To begin your own incorporation of LLC filing, use this link to go to MyCorporation and use coupon code MYGIFT to start the process. Usually, the filing can cost you $149 at MyCorporation, but now it’s totally free.

Late last month, they had a similar free service, but that lasted for only one day. If you missed that one, you certainly don’t want to miss this opportunity (it may come up again later, but who knows). Go to MyCorporation and get your free incorporation or LLC before it’s gone.

Actually, I am considering getting one myself

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

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Free Inc or LLC Service from MyCorporation This Week

Get Your Free EASEUS Partition Manager Pro

Sun — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 05:53:49 +0000

If you are looking for a good software to manage your hard drive’s partition, here’s your chance to get the EASEUS Partition Manager Pro (short review on PCWorld) for free (Source: LifeRock2.0). For a limited time, WinVistaClub is giving away free unlimited download of the software, usually priced at $39.99. To get your copy, go to WinVistaClub to get the free download link and user name and password.

Hurry up! The offer could be gone in a day or two

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

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Get Your Free ZoneAlarm Pro Firewall Today

Sun — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:19:20 +0000

24 hours only.

ZoneAlarm is giving away a free copy of ZoneAlarm Pro Firewall on the firewall’s birthday. Use this link to download the software. All you need is a name and valid email address. Once you provide the information, the download link will be sent to you by email together with the license key that’s good for one year.

The free download will be available for 24 hours from 11/18/2008 9:00 am EST to 11/19/2008 9:00 am EST. Get your copy before it’s gone

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

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Free eBook Download: Vulnerability Management for Dummies

Sun — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 19:31:59 +0000

Don’t know how useful this book is, but if you are interested, you can download a free copy of Vulnerability Management for Dummies. Here’s a brief description of the book:

This eBook explains why businesses need vulnerability management and shows you how to simply implement a successful program.
The book is constructed of five parts which explain the need for vulnerability management, the best practices for implementing a program, and the various solutions available.
A 10-point checklist to help businesses remove current vulnerabilities is included.

To download the eBook, you will need to provide a valid company email address (not Yahoo or Google) and the link to download the book will be sent to that email address.

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

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Free iPod Offer from Key Bank

Sun — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 01:42:59 +0000

Key Bank is offering free iPod Nano or touch when opening a qualified checking account before August 15, 2008.

To qualify for the free iPod Nano offer, you must open a Key Express Free Checking, Key Advantage Checking or a Key Business Free Checking Account and by October 31, 2008 make one debit card transaction and a combination of two direct deposits or automated payments each of $100 or more. Key Express Checking and Key Advantage Checking account can be opened online.

To get a free iPod touch, you must open a Key Privilege, Key Privilege Select, Key Business Reward Checking, Key Business Sweep Checking, Key Business Money Market Checking or a Key Business Checking Account and by October 31, 2008 make one debit card transaction and a combination of two direct deposits or automated payments each of $100 or more. The Key Privilege and Key Privilege Select account can’t be opened online. To apply, you must visit a branch office or call (877) 527-6332.

The value of the free iPod will be reported on 1099-INT Form. If you close your account within 180 days of account opening, you will be charged a $25 early closure fee.

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

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Free iPod Offer from Key Bank

Free Summer Recipes from Gourmet Magazine

Sun — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 14:44:17 +0000

Amazon.com is offering free summer recipes from Gourmet magazine, downloadable in PDF format. The recipes are for:

Olive Tomato Squares
Mahimahi With Charred Onion, Tomatoes, And Tapenade Vinaigrette
Skirt Steak With Haricots Verts, Corn, And Pesto
Balsalmic Roasted Potato Wedges
Blackberry Upside-Down Cake

Click here to download the recipes.

If you want to subscribe to the magazine, you can get one-year subscription of 12 issues for $11 during their promotion period.

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

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Free Summer Recipes from Gourmet Magazine

Free Schick Quattro Titanium Razor/Trimmer

Sun — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 04:14:33 +0000

Here’s another chance to get a free Schick Quattro Titanium razor/trimmer.

Use the above link and follow the instruction to upload a picture to start making a movie. At the end after the movie is played, select Save to save your movie. On the next screen, make sure you check the box in front of “Throw in a Free Sample” as shown in the following picture.

Now just wait for your free razor to arrive

[Source Dealsea.com]

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

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Free Schick Quattro Titanium Razor/Trimmer

Free iPod Nano for Opening KeyBank Student Checking Account

Sun — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 03:00:09 +0000

Still don’t have a free iPod Nano?

KeyBank is offering a free 4GB iPod Nano when opening a free Student Checking Account. Key features of the checking account include:

No monthly maintenance fee or minimum balance requirement
No per-check fees or limits
Free KeyBank Debit Card or KeyBank ATM card with no retail transaction fees
Free use of any ATM, plus receive reimbursement, up to $6 per month, of ATM fees charged by other banks when you sign up for KeyBank’s Student Checking Package
Free Online Banking which offers you 24-hour access to your accounts
Free Key Bill Pay to pay your bills quickly and easily online

The retail value of a 4GB Nano is around $140. To get the free iPod, you must be either “a high school junior or senior or enrolled in post-high school education” and a minimum $50 deposit must be made.

In addition to the checking account, you must also get a KeyBank credit card, which allows you to earn 1% cash back, to qualify for the offer. The free iPod offer is good from 06/16/08 to 08/29/08. According to KeyBank, the value of the iPod nano will be reported on Form 1099-INT.

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

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Free iPod Nano for Opening KeyBank Student Checking Account

“Museums on Us.” But not Totally

Sun — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 03:10:51 +0000

Since I learned at the end of April that Bank of American is offering free museum admission in the first weekend of every month throughout the year, we were looking for a time to take the kids to a museum in our area. There aren’t a lot of museums in New Jersey and only three participate in this program. Among them, only one, The Liberty Science Center, we think that the children could possibly enjoy.

So last Saturday, at the beginning of a 4-day-late-spring heat wave, we drove 50 miles to take our daughters to LSC. At the ticket booth, my wife and I showed our BoA ATM cards and got two free tickets without any problem. When asking what about the kids, the clerk told us that the free tickets are only good for ourselves, the cardholders, not the children we bring with us. To get our 3-year in, we need to pay $11.50. For our 1-year old, it’s free anyway. I have no problem paying for the ticket, but the policy, adults free, kids pay, did bother me a little bit. This is LSC, where children are supposed to come to learn and experience, not The Met. But they are charging the intended visitors. I wonder how many adults are coming themselves. Anyway.

Before leaving home, my wife said maybe it’s better to take her badge just in case. At that time, we didn’t know children are excluded from this program and her employer is a big sponsor in this area at a lot of places including The Met. So my wife asked whether her employer is a sponsor of LSC.

Well, guess what, it turned out it is. And with my wife’s badge, she can get five free tickets!

Museums on Us is nice. But looks like we don’t really need it

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

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“Museums on Us.” But not Totally

Free 6-Pack Yoplait Yogurt for Kids

Sun — Sun, 04 May 2008 01:12:38 +0000

Yoplait is giving away coupons for a free 6-pack yogurt for kids. The coupon, however, is not available for residents of California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey , North Dakota, and Tennessee. If you are living outside these states, you can use this link to provide your contact information. The coupon will then be mailed to you within next 4 – 6 weeks.

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

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Free 6-Pack Yoplait Yogurt for Kids

Free Finance Magazines

Sun — Sat, 03 May 2008 00:27:59 +0000

I have been a reader of Financial Planning magazine for nearly two years and find it’s a pretty good source for financial information. Actually, it’s one of two magazines that I currently subscribe to (the other one is Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, but I won’t renew it when the subscription expires in a couple of months).

I subscribed to the free magazine from TradePub in the summer of 2006 and received the periodic a few months later. Because the intended audience of the magazine is professionals in the financial industry, a large portion of the contents in each issue covers practical topics that are concerned by fund managers and financial advisors, such as practices and client relationship, etc. For this part, I don’t usually care too much because I am not in that industry. The part that I, an amateur who happens to like finance, enjoy the most is the section called The Portfolio, where issues in the areas of diversification, asset allocation, and risk and rewards are discussed. These articles are closer to me, though I only manage my own portfolio And the magazine also runs special reports with in-depth coverage of specific topics (for example, the April issue featured Healthcare & Retirement). After reading and enjoying the magazine for some time, I started to apply what I read into my writing. A few times in the past, I have used materials from the magazine in my posts (one post discussed mutual fund costs and one on global REIT). In my opinion, Financial Planning is worth a subscription.

Recently, I picked up two more magazines from TradePub, Global Finance and Trader. to help me build my knowledge in investing in foreign markets and trading stocks. I haven’t received any of them yet, so I don’t know if they are any good. Even if they are not as good as Financial Planning, I won’t complain too much because they’re free

In addition to Finance, TradePub also offers free publications in other areas such as Computers, Engineering, Healthcare, and Insurance. If you are interested, take a look at the complete list of free magazines and whitepapers. I am sure you can find one you like. Of course, you have to meet certain requirements to become a subscriber

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

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Free Museums Admission for Bank of America Customers

Sun — Thu, 01 May 2008 01:17:09 +0000

Bank of America is offering its customers free museum admissions on the first weekend of the month throughout the year through their Museums on Us program. The program currently covers 70 museums in 18 states: Georgia, New York, Rhode Island, Maryland, Michigan, Maine, Arizona, Delaware, New Jersey, Washington, Connecticut, California, Illinois, Florida, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Taxes.

If you are BoA customer, you can get free admission this weekend, May 3 and 4, with your BoA check, ATM, or credit card. Find out participating museums nearest you on their website. You can also sign up to receive email reminder when free museum admission is available.

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

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Free Museums Admission for Bank of America Customers

Free Schick Quattro Shaver

Sun — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 04:29:05 +0000

Got this from an email from Schick yesterday when they announced their Get Experimental Video Contest. However, you don’t have to enter the contest to receive the free shaver.

Use this link to claim your free shaver. When finishing the form, make sure you check the first and third options. The contest ends March 18th, which could also be the date that the offer expires. So hurry up!

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

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Free Schick Quattro Shaver

Free Schick Quattro Titanium Razor

Sun — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 02:19:40 +0000

Hurry! Claim your free Schick Quattro Razor while the supply lasts. You can never have too many FREE razors

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

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Free Schick Quattro Titanium Razor

Free Schick Quattro Shaver still Available

Sun — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 18:22:10 +0000

The FREE Schick Quattro shaver that I posted a while ago appears to be still available as I received another email regarding the event this morning. If you can use one, try this link to claim yours. The offer will end on October 8, 2007, but they may run out of free shavers much earlier.

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

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Free Schick Quattro Shaver still Available