♪ good evening and thanks for joining us for this cashing in special. i yann page. i'm lucy noland. tonight we're do our best to help you save money and pay down those debts to get into better financial shape for 2015. dan rah cotto shows you how to deal with that pesky holiday hangover. >> you have a holiday hangover? i'm not talking about this guy. i'm talking about this kind. credit card bills. maybe your credit cards got a little bit of extra weight over the holiday season. well you're not alone. millions of americans are in the exact same situation. don't despair. don't give up. i'm going to give you some tips to help skinny down those holiday credit card bills and get you back in financially tip top shape. first, i want to you call your current credit card company. tell them you've been a good customer, paid your bills on time and you think you should

have a lower rate. you'd be surprised very competitive business they'll do anything they can to keep you on their books. including lowering your interest rate. next consider transferring your balance to a low rate card. for example the barclay card mastercard has an 8% versus the average interest rate of 16%. cut your rate in half on thousand dollars balance you'll safe ever 70 bucks a year in interest each year. put that extra money towards paying down the principle. finally consider a credit card offer with a zero interest rate. plenty of them out there you might qualify. trance for if err your balance over on a thousand dollar balance you'll safe over hun everyone hen dread dollars a year in interest charges versus the average card that's a boat load of savings. check out nerd wallet.com for all the up to the minute latest offers that are out there available to you right now. so it may not be easy as just popping a few aspirins with little bit of effort on your part even the worst read did

the card hangover can be cured. i'm feeling better already. i'm cashing out. >> cashing out is a good thing. many of us are paying a bit more for our favorite things. dan shows us what's more expensive this year and how you can save. ♪ hi today's dan rocatto. you enjoying low gas prices average driver spending 16 bucks a week less than this time last year but don't get used to it. gas is expected to go back up in 2015 along with your morning buzz. that's right. there's a lot of coffee beans in brazil but apparently not enough because coffee expected to increase as well in 2015. and who doesn't like a little chocolate? afraid to tell you the worldwide record demand chocolate will start going up again in 2015. ♪ if you you're thinking of get away from it all it will cost i was little bit more for that vacation in 2015. hotels and airlines are

inspected to raise their rates by two-point 5%. why? a worldwide glut of travelers ♪♪ >> but there is some good news. average paychecks this year expected to increase about by 3% 3%. and overall inflation remains low according to government numbers less than 2%. although my kids colleges didn't get that memo. so it's going cost you a little bit more life's small luxuries in 2015 but go ahead and enjoy it. it's worth it. i know i will. i'm cashing out. all right. we're already threw one month of the new year. how are your resolutions going? dan shows us how you can stick to your financial goals for 2015 2015. >> this is dan rocatto. did you know that 47% of americans say getting in shape is their number one new year's resolution? ♪ >> 34% say getting their money in better shape is their number one resolution. but only 8% succeed. it's easy to understand why. budgets, financial planning, you'd rather clean your

refrigerator than deal with your money. i'm going to give you three easy financial resolutions to get you back in tip top shape. next, you know that losing credit card in your purse get rid of it. check out nerd wallet.com and you'll find a bunch credit cards no annual fee low interest rate and the best thing is, cash back on every purchase. it can save i was boat load of dough. finally, protect your personal financial information. every two seconds an american is a victim of identity theft. change your passwords often close out those old bank accounts and credit card accounts you're not using any more, and make sure you wipe all personal data off your smart phone and computers before trading in. last thing you want is someone ordering a my tie on a cruise with your name. so go ahead use those three simple financial resolutions to fix your financial life and make it more fit this year it will pay dividends for decades to come. i goting to now. i'm cashing out. >> that gym is looking empty. must be a post resolution thing.

no one wants to throw away money, of course, but according to new report, more than a third of all mortgage borrowers are not sure what their interest rate is and mortgage age all of a sudden say homeowners have got to check their rates annually since they change year to year you could be paying less. >> i think there is a big information gap. people have a lot of things to think about and they're not paying attention to where mortgage rates are because they already -- they already bought their house. that already got their mortgage. they're thinking about daycare and all that kind of stuff. so, you know, every once in awhile when rates are this low and they've really kind of cratered in the last two months, we want to get the word out. hey, rates are really low. this is a good time to refinance refinance. >> there you have it. so right now the 30 year fixed mortgage rate is at throw .5 6%. for a 15 year fixed home loans the rate is two-point 9% and the rate for an adjustable rate mortgage is also a shade under 3%. who doesn't like making a little extra money?

>> i love it g exactly. >> what if you can get paid shopping for the things you love. >> i'd love it even more. and kathleen -- tackling the new big names marriage and money what you ought to know before you say i do. straight ahead had. ♪

♪ money and marriage hot topic for any couple, but it doesn't have to be. dan rocatto shows us how the two can company exist in a perfect marriage. >> this is dan rocatto and before you say i do, you might want to say what's your score? talking about your credit score. you see, when you get married certain things change, certain things stay the same. your credit score stays the same. credit scores are always attach attached to an individual. there's no such thing as a joint score. another area of confusion about credit and marriage is how you relate with your partner's

credit card company. you are not authorized automatically. in fact, if you're married your partner still has to call the credit card company and make you an authorized user that can help if one of the partners has shaky credit. you trying to build that person's credit back up. and finally, one of the things you want to do is make sure if you change your name, very common when you get married you check your credit report to make sure everything is correct. oftentimes errors occur when someone. i'm dan rah cotto. i'm cashing out. >> we all need a job whether it's for food...

>> check out nerd wal it will.com to find the best credit card for you. and finally i to check out a really cool free app called shop kit. every time you walk into one of the participating merchants and they have over a thousand of them. you're going to earn points just for walking in the door. you'll also earn points if you scan an item and more points if you buy that item. then those points can be converted into gift cards that you can use for your every day shopping. that's simple and that's easy that's smart. go ahead and get started with a little bit evident on your part you can make sure that every time you open your wallet you're actually putting something back

in your wallet. that's smart. i like it. i'm cashing out. it seems every day there's a new gadget coming out that you want. the problem is it quickly becomes expensive. dan shows us how you can turn that old cell phone into some cash pretty quick. >> this is dan rocatto. it's even easier to turn one of these into a few of these and i'll tell you exactly how to do it. first thing you want to do is find out the value of your old phone. visit a website called worth monkey.com. with a few clicks, you'll know exactly what your phone is worth. if you decide to sell it, you might want to list it on your own. e-bay, amman so, craigslist. you'll to deal with potential buyers by yourself and you don't really want sketchy people coming around your house at night. another way to do it to visit a website called gazelle.com. it's pretty neat with a few clicks you'll have an offer on your screen, if you decide to accept the off simply male your old phone in, cash is mailed to you in about a week or so. not too bad. but even faster than that, is a

new service called echo atm. like the name implies it is an atm machine. >> now place your device in the kiosk. >> bring your can he vice put it in the machine, the machine actually runs a diagnostic. determines what your cell phone is worth. if you accept the offer on the screen simply hit accept and i was buck away with cash in your pocket. pretty simple. here's a few tips. don't forget to wipe your personal data off the phone and remember, even if your phone is cracked or damaged still might be worth a couple of bucks. so go ahead trade that old phone in. sell it put a few bucks in your pocket or put it towards the new phone. i'm dan rocatto. i'm cashing out. >> all right. the cost of college tuition niece days stunning for any student or parent. >> i get a heart palpi payings thinking about it if you can do some things that will help keep the cost down. a look at credit cards that can help you pay down your debt a lot more quickly this year. we'll be right back. ♪

♪ college education certainly costs a whole lot more these days from tuition to books room and board man does it add up. as dan rocatto shows us, it's even getting expensive just to apply. hi, dan rocatto. we all know getting one of these will cost a lot of these and as many families are finding out right now, since we're in the middle of college plick season, it can cost a fortune just applying to college. ♪ >> $52 and 50 cents for an sat test. $100 or more for a private sat tutor for each hour. don't forget pesky application fees. the national average is 42 buck. some schools are $75 or more. that's a lot of money. and the big one visiting campus. you know, visiting the dorms cafeteria, maybe even a classroom. it will set you back hundreds maybe thousands of dollars

depending how far you have to travel. here's a few tips for you. first, go to college board.com and apply for waiver. $52 and if tee cents can be weighed if you show special need. second while you're there check out the online prep questions. no need for a private tutor. and limit the number of applications ask college admissions office if they'll wave the fee. many will will do so. forget the on sign visit. check out you visit.com a free really cool virtual website you can tour lots of different college campuses right from your kitchen table. use those tips. you'll save money because you'll need it when you get that first pew you tuition bill. i've got to go now and help my daughter with her college applications. i'm cashing out. all right. with the news of data breaches all across the country it feels if as your information is no longer safe. as dan shows us, credit card companies are being proactive as they try to protect you. >> you got a new credit card or

debit card in the male lately. how come? here's what's happening. credit card companies in an effort to fight fraud are issuing new cards with a computer chip imbedded in the card. that little chip will pass an encrypted code each time you use it to the cash register so that hackers will fine it more difficult to hack into your personal financial information. here's the timeline. last october american express city, bang of america and others started to issue those new cards to their customers. by next october all merchants should have scanners in place that can accept the new technology. making your shopping even more secure. but you don't have to wait. here's a tip. you can call your credit card company or your bank today ask them for new debit or credit card with the better technology. the more secure technology. i did it. i got me knew cards within a few days. no charge. and don't forget to shred those old cards. you don't want them laying around the family room becoming coasters. that's always a bad idea. and remember this, it's called cash.

if you're really worried about hackers getting into your financial information, you can always use cash. on that note get it note, i'll cashing out. >> i got it. now that you've got your new card we've got some credit card secrets you might not know about. we'll show them to you straight ahead. >> are you still hanging on no gift card from the holidays? it could soon ab thing of the past. we'll show you why right after the break. ♪

♪ we're all looking to save a few dollars here and there. did you know there are a few credit card secrets out there that companies are trying to keep secret?

>> i'm dan row cotto and you know that credit cards can be a lot safer and more convenient than cash. but there's few little secrets that your card company doesn't want you to know that could save you some big bucks. first of all your interest rate is not fixed. it's variable. if you're paying a very high interest rate give your card company a call. ask them to lower the rate ask them why you have such a high rate. secondly, did you know that if you pay your bill late, you're probably going wind up with two penalties. one, a late charge and two they could increase your rate just because you paid late. again, give the card company a call. beg for forgiveness. and third did you know that you can save a bundle of money if you pay more than the minimum payment each month? don't be tempted by that very small payment each month. pay as much as you can to get rid of that balance. if you don't, if you're just paying the minimum it will take you 32 years to get rid of a $5,000 balance on the average card. that's way too long to be credit card zombies. i'm dan row cotto.

write check out. >> you know what's really sad i bought a couch from sears awhile back right about 20 years ago or whatever it was like a $300 couch. it took me 10 years to pay eight you have it ended up being like a $10,000 couch which is what dan was talking about. all right. the gift card is always a popular gift. but is the card itself already dated? dan shows us how many companies are trying to change with the times. ♪ >> i'm dan row cotto. web when gift certificates looked like this. >> then they look like this. now more and more, they look like this. we all know that gift cards are the number one gift in america over $100 billion worth will be sol this year. 72% of us plan to give a gift card this holiday season. that's up 12% versus last year. so it's a big business. and here's why. 26% of americans say they lost the gift card. that's just the folks who admit it. 65% of us have a smart phone. a lot of lost gift cards. a lot of smart phones just makes sense to put them together, take

better control put everything in your palm of your hand. ♪ >> so here's a few tips to help you get the most of your money. first, make sure you have the right e-mail address and phone number of the person you're sending the gift certificate to. next, check out a really cool web side called gift card granny.com. you'll find hundreds of gift cards out there. a lot electronic at a doctors count of their face value. keep electronic copy of the receipt in your e-mail or on your smart phone. just in case something gets lost in cyber brrr space. so forget the paper and plastic now you can do your christmas shopping well, as you're walking up the driveway to mom's house on christmas day for dinner. that might not ab good idea. i better cash out now. good advice there. all right. let's hope we were able to help you save some money tonight and get new better financial shape for 2015 and moving forward. >> i was taking notes through the whole thing. if you'd like to find more ways to save this year head to myfoxphilly.com and search for

cashing in. ♪

>> judge judy: so your boyfriend was arrested driving your car? >> correct. >> announcer: some answers are easy. >> judge judy: where's your boyfriend now? >> in jail. >> announcer: but others... >> judge judy: you have no idea what he was arrested for? >> you're correct. >> announcer: ...shouldn't be that hard. >> judge judy: when was the last time you visited him? >> last weekend. >> judge judy: last weekend. and you haven't thought to say to him, "what were you arrested for?" [ laughter ] "why are you in jail? you assaulted somebody? who did you assault?" >> announcer: "judge judy." you are about to enter the courtroom of judge judith sheindlin. the people are real. the cases are real. the rulings are final. captions paid for by cbs television distribution 22-year-old shanese campbell is suing her boyfriend's former friend, 24-year-old dwight thomas, for the return of a ford mustang. >> byrd: order! all rise!