This post comes from Eric Reed at partner site MainStreet.

Not a lot of us understand where our credit scores comes from. We pretty much get that it has to do with paying our bills on time. We know that it's hard to repair once damaged and we know that, by and large, it's pretty important. Beyond that the pieces that move in the background are, usually, pretty much a mystery.

 

Well, things may be about to get even more complicated, as financial agencies have begun exploring social media to verify identities and evaluate your credit score.

 

As Bloomberg News reported last week, payment and credit reporting agencies have begun testing ways to integrate social media, such as Facebook, Twitter and personal blogs, into the financial process. The goal is to find new sources of information to help determine an individual's creditworthiness, as well as to confirm people's identities online.

 

Six months after the federal government said it had reached an impasse with the manufacturer of the Nap Nanny infant recliner -- which had been blamed for five infant deaths -- the product was finally recalled, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said today.

In an unusual step, the CPSC in December sued Baby Matters LLC of Berwyn, Pa., over its failure to acknowledge the product was dangerous and for refusing to announce a recall. Since 2009, Nap Nanny and Nap Nanny Chill have been connected to five deaths and 92 other incidents, the CPSC said. 

Word that News Corp. Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch is planning to divorce his third wife, Wendi Deng, got us thinking about the high cost of splitting up.

Even with a prenuptial agreement, Murdoch, 82, could be in for a costly and painful legal battle to protect his global empire, worth an estimated $9.4 billion.

Divorce rarely makes economic sense at any income level, but as Woody Allen once said, "The heart wants what it wants."

Here, in reverse order of course, is our list of the top 10 most expensive divorces, according to Reuters, CNBC and Forbes:

 

This post comes from Angela Colley at partner site Money Talks News. 

Unless you have a lot of free time, or don't care about getting the best deal, real estate agents are a necessary part of buying or selling a house. They know the industry in and out and make the task a lot easier for you.

But, as with any special service or skill you pay for, what you don't know can cost you.

 

 

This post is by Dan Schointuch of partner site Money Talks News.

On the most recent episode of Discovery Channel’s “MythBusters,” Kari Byron, Tory Belleci and Grant Imahara tested whether a few techniques collectively known as “hypermiling” can double your fuel economy. They took two cars, a new sedan and an older coupe, and drove normally as far as they could on exactly 3 gallons of gas. They then repeated the process using hypermiling techniques.

The results? The new car was able to drive 40% farther while hypermiling (30 miles per gallon, up from 21.3 mpg), while the older car went 70 percent farther (45.3 mpg, up from 26 mpg). The myth is busted, because they couldn’t double their fuel economy, but a 70% improvement is impressive. And it could save a lot of money at the pump.

Only driving techniques and modifications legal in California were employed, so everything they did to get that massive improvement in miles per gallon is probably legal for you, too. But since laws vary from state to state, you’ll want to make sure anything you pull from this list is permitted where you live.

Here’s what to do: 

This post comes from Stacy Johnson at partner site Money Talks News. 

I recently received this question from a reader who's afraid her golden years are about to get tarnished:

What is with the "Windfall Elimination Provision?" We have an appointment with the Social Security office in our area and they want bank statements, assets and more. Do they have the right to ask for this information? My husband is 66 and has been receiving Social Security since age 62. We needed the money to live on. Now Social Security says they overpaid him … confused. Thanks. -- Joyce

Here's your answer, Joyce.