Appthority has published a report on security risks behind apps on iOS and Android platform. The report summarizes differences between the two platforms for business, education, entertainment, finance, and games applications. Appthority also compared app behaviours and developers of the applications in question.

“Appthority’s research team used the cloud-based Appthority Platform™ to perform static and dynamic app analysis on the 100 most popular apps. The company analyzed each app for particular behaviors within a test environment. These behaviors include sending and receiving data without encryption, location tracking, sharing data with advertising or analytics networks, accessing the user’s contact list or address book, and accessing the user’s calendar. From this internal data, the company identified the top
security risks behind these mobile apps.” – Appthority

Appthority’s things you should know about smartphone applications:

The vast majority of free apps send and receive data to outside parties without encryption.
96% of total apps share data with advertising networks and/or analytics companies.
79% of the top 50 free iOS and Android apps are associated with risky behaviors or privacy issues. Overall, iOS apps exhibited more risky behaviors than Android apps.
Entertainment apps were the worst offenders out of the top five categories, with the highest number of apps that track for location and share data with advertising networks and/or analytics companies.
While 14% of iOS apps had access to a user’s calendar, none of the Android apps had similar access.
More than half of the total apps track for location by accessing the device GPS or using other location tracking methods.
More than 80% of apps across categories come from different unique, individual developers.

The report indicates that some of the top free mobile applications are associated with substantial security issues and privacy risks. These applications don’t install malware on your smartphone but they are considered to show exhibit risky behaviour as they share unencrypted data.

Entertainment apps are most likely to track for user location and share data with third parties. iOS apps had more access to user data than Android. In fact, this year’s iOS apps had even more access to data than the iOS apps from last year. – Appthority

With more and more incentive to monetize from mobile applications, Developers are building apps that share your personal data with the outside parties. People in the tech industry generally perceive iOS as the more safer option compared to Android due to mobile malware. The fact is that mobile malware infects less than one percent of apps. “The real concern should be over how mobile apps are handling personal info and company data. In that respect, iPhones should not be considered any safer than Android devices.”

Click here to read the article in it’s entirety.

The first thing to remember is that although reputable realtors and loan modification specialists may contact you through advertising letters and postcards with wording like “Stop Foreclosure!” “Get a Loan Modification,” and/or “Keep Your Home” disreputable advertisements may also use these headlines, but often offer half-truths and outright lies to get your business. If postcards claim “90% of our customers get result,” “100% Money Back Guarantee,” or promise their special relationship with the banks can save you, they are most likely scams. Reputable realtors and loan modification specialists will not offer guarantees-with or without money back. Remember, if it seems to good to be true, it probably is. Check their track record by googling the company name and the word scam. You would be surprised how often disreputable companies are advertised as such through customer reviews and rip-off reports.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, the following scams are most prevalent:

Phony CounselingThe scam is you pay them a fee and they’ll negotiate a deal with your lender to reduce your mortgage payments and save your home. They may claim to be attorneys or representatives from a law firm. The big red flag is that they will counsel you NOT to talk to credit counselors, your own attorney or your lender. They will take your money and do nothing. Remember, if you do not have to do any part of the work, it is too good to be true. Fairy Godmothers who twinkle in to save the day are one of the “too good to be true” things.

The Forensic Audit
In an exchange for an upfront fee, forensic loan auditors (also called foreclosure prevention auditors and mortgage loan auditors) say they will have an attorney review your loan docs to insure your lender complied with the law. The auditors say you can use their reports to avoid foreclosure, speed loan modification process or even have the loan cancelled. There is, however, absolutely no evidence that forensic loan audits do anything to help you get mortgage relief. Direct that money towards your loan or a reputable attorney instead.

Rent-to-Buy Schemes
Con Artists tell you to sign over the title of your home to them as part of a deal that allows you to stay in the house as a renter and buy it back later. They will tell you surrendering the title allows you to avoid the hit to your credit rating so you can get a new loan at a better rate to repurchase the property. However, the deals are structured so they are so expensive buying the house back becomes impossible. Then they scammers raise the rent so you are unable to stay in your home so they are free to sell your house and keep all the profits. Again, too good to be true? Too easy? Just walk away. It’s a scam.

Bait and Switch
In this scam, you are given papers to sign, supposedly to get another loan to bring your mortgage payments current. However, buried in the paperwork is a document that surrenders title of your home in exchange for the rescue loan. Never sign anything without reading it first. If it effects your legal rights the phrase, “Don’t worry, it’s all boilerplate,” should mean nothing. Know what you are signing. If you don’t think you can make sense of the documents, hire a lawyer to review the docs. The extra $200-$450 could save your house.

Rule #1: Do not sign over the title to your home. Transferring title will not transfer what you owe on the mortgage. You will be out of a home and still on the hook for the loan.

Rule#2: If it sounds too good to be true. It probably is not true. Do your due diligence and check them out BEFORE you give them your time, your money or your home. Fraud happens. Protect yourself.

Rule #3: You don’t have to pay any money until the company delivers results. It is illegal for a company to charge you ANY money until they have either 1) given you a letter of offer for loan modification or other relief from your lender, or 2) you accept the offer and the company gives you documentation showing the changes to your loan. The company must also tell you the entire fee it will charge for services.

Rule #4: No company can stop you from talking directly to your lender. Try and get the best deal you can for yourself and check up on the proceedings regarding a loan modification/mortgage relief from your lender. Know your rights and stand up for yourself.

Rule #5: You may be behind on your payments. You may be drowning in an underwater mortgage. But you are no victim. You are not defined by the circumstances you find yourself in today. This may be today’s problem, but tomorrow’s solution is just around the corner.

Each day, I will give you some examples offered up by the IRS to help consumers like us figure out the difference between a schedule C, a 1099 and the hole in the wall. Here’s today’s example one:

Home Loan Modification, Debt Forgiveness and Taxable “Income”
SPOILER ALERT: If you have taken money out of the house in a refi and used for non home items and renovations, like paying off credit cards, when the loan is modified, you are responsible tax-wise as though you had received that money in income. See a real world example below. (Complete with link to tax form)

These examples use actual forms to help you prepare your income tax return. However, the information shown on the filled-in forms is not from any actual person or scenario.

There are, however, a few things you can do to guarantee lower fuel consumption–whether you can find the thrifty gas station or not. Consumer Reports say,  there are two things you can do that are guaranteed to lower your gas bill, “You can control how you drive and take care of your car. Do very simple things to improve its fuel economy performance.”  Check out Bankrate.com online calculators that can show you if the changes to your drive patterns saves you money and how much.

Interesting stuff. But Clark Howard gives us some ways around the broken, greedy system. Read more. This article is also available at clarkhoward.com.

Should you pay more when you’re shopping online simply because of the browser you’re using? Some popular online retailers think so!
The New York Times reports shoppers are getting widely different prices based on whether they use Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Safari. Here are just two examples:

For the same Samsung TV on NewEgg.com, a Chrome user was offered a price of $997. Meanwhile, the price was $1,399 when using Firefox or Internet Explorer.
Another Samsung television model at Walmart.com was offered for $199 on Firefox and $168 on Chrome and Internet Explorer.
Meanwhile, Mac users could be paying a higher rate for hotel rooms on Orbitz.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Orbitz has been experimenting with a 30% premium on Mac users when they search for select hotel rooms versus PC users. That effectively works out to be around $20 to $30 more than a PC user.

When asked for explanation, Orbitz basically stated that Mac users make more money and are interested in fancier hotels. (There were no happy campers in the Apple world based on those comments!)

The best way for you to stay one step ahead of online retailers who are manipulating price is to use technology to fight back.

If you want an easy way to see if a quoted price is a deal or not, you can compare prices on websites like Decide.com or ShopoBot.com, or use a browser bookmarklet such as Hukkster.

Another alternative would be to install a browser plug-in like Invisible Hand that automatically pops up an alert while you’re shopping if a better price is available on another website.

Finally, Amazon customers can typically get a better deal if they put something in their cart and then abandon it before the final purchase. That usually signals to Amazon that you’re willling to walk away and triggers a lower price the next time you put it in your cart to checkout. Give it a try!

My first comment is “the grass is always greener,” and “you don’t really know a person till you walk a mile in their shoes.” Designer or no, you have no idea what is happening in the neighbors world, below the surface. Maybe they’ve taken out a second mortgage to keep their lifestyle going. Maybe they have 2nd and 3rd jobs you don’t know about. Maybe they pay on a psycho-emotional level every time their family gives them money. You don’t know. And assuming won’t do any good for you.

In this life there is only you. You can fantasize about another life, idealize a neighbor’s life, but in truth, the only life you can live is your own. Meaning: who cares what crazy time the neighbors are doing? What are you building in your own life? What are your priorities and how are you supporting them, whether those priorities be a new Prada purse or a paid off mortgage? How are you supporting your dreams?

Here’s a great article from Moneyning.com. It’s a great look behind the “Joneses curtains,” and an important look for anyone who still worries how their financial picture looks to the outside world. Enjoy.

Streaming television services like Netflix and Hulu Plus may provide the savings and entertainment you are looking for. Netflix will run you $17 per month for two television streaming and a single disk via mail, as often as you like. That’s right, movie rental and your favorite television programs for pennies on the dollar of regular satellite or cable service. The only issue with Netflix is that streaming shows are at least a season behind. Of course, a season behind to watch Weeds and your other favorite Premium Channel shows is still a bargain.

Hulu Plus offers more recent television offerings, though you must wait till watch till the next day. So if your favorite show comes on Thursday, you get to watch on Friday. This service is also only $17 per month.

Though streaming tv means you may have to go out to watch the big game or other live event, it also means watching your favorite shows for about $800 less per year. Now that’s savings that can mean a new HD television or a vacation in the real world. Cause let’s face it, with $800 more per year in your pocket, there is sure to be more real life you can afford to enjoy.

The company believes that only 54,000 vehicles are actually equipped with the small accessory lamps under the side of the vehicle, said Subaru spokesman Michael McHale. The potential fire hazard arises when moisture containing road salt gets into the lamp housing and makes contact with the circuit board, he said.

McHale said no fires have been reported, and that there have “less than ten” incidents of smoke in the puddle lamps due to the problem. “There have been no incidents of injury or accidents,” he said.

Owners of affected vehicles with puddle lamps are encouraged to contact their dealers, who will install a smaller fuse to correct the problem.

There have been times when the cost of living has been so weighty that I have felt my will bend. I have stopped, so overwhelmed that I have been unable to accept where I am and fight to move forward. Debt is crippling–emotionally and financially. And only the light of faith–faith that things can get better–can lift the weight so you can breathe. And, finally, see the bigger picture, and therefore, the way through and out of the dark places.

The beginnings of faith are the most elusive. It feels like a lie. You feel like a dreamer, a fraud and a failure. But keep up the faith. Remind yourself of the stories of those who have failed and then risen to greatness. Einstein was fired from his job at the post office. Yet, he went on to incredible heights in the world of physics that changed how we saw our world and how we move through it. How many other celebrity physicists do you know off hand? Of course, he felt like a failure when that pink slip came down. Yet, he found the faith in himself to keep working and trying and, eventually, he succeeded.

Where we are now is merely where we are now. It does not have to be the script of your life. You do not have to continue down the same path. Trust in yourself. You have made it this far. Remember the skills you have acquired in financial management has come from your “failure.” The path you have walked may have been difficult, no mistake, but it has taught you. Despite yourself, you have learned and grown from just experiencing the disappointment, the frustration and the pain and picking yourself up again.

No matter where you are financially, you can move forward from this place. You can rise above the financial gloom and experience life in the sun again. But you must trust. Trust in yourself. You can do it. Trust that a body in motion tends to stay in motion and a body at rest tends to stay at rest. Then get moving. Trust that what is now does not need to be forever. Have faith. Do the work and trust. Just trust.

You can’t make everyone happy. Democrats would have loved to see the line for tax increases on the wealthy lower than $450,000. republicans would have liked more spending cuts included. But, in the end, we have something that may not restart the economy, as it continues to sputter along, but at least it will not help to destroy the what we have gained since The Great Recession.