What the experts say

Online help for Black Friday

Faced with a grim holiday shopping season, retailers won’t be pulling any punches on the Friday after Thanksgiving, said Cameron Huddleston in Kiplingers.com. But if you’re serious about saving, look for the best deals online before you head out to the mall on “Black Friday.” Price-comparison sites, such as PriceGrabber.com and MySimon.com, will display price ranges, product comparisons, and store ratings. Looking for gift ideas? Type in a category at Pronto.com and you can see the 100 most popular products. “Another site worth checking out is Dealio.com, which shows eBay prices along with prices from traditional retailers.” Some of the best deals go to shoppers armed with coupons. CouponCabin.com, RetailMeNot.com, and DealCatcher.com all provide coupon codes and printable coupons.

’Tis the season to renovate

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There is a bright side to the battered real estate market, said Donna Rosato in Money. “You can expect to save at least 10 percent on the cost of a renovation and possibly a lot more, depending on where you live and the project you choose.” While you probably can’t expect to recoup remodeling costs by selling in the short term, it might make sense to fix that leaking roof or make other key repairs now that material costs are down and contractors will negotiate on price. “No matter where you live, you should be able to strike a bargain.” Prioritize those projects that absolutely need to be done or that add the most value to a resale: New siding, kitchen remodeling, and

deck additions all should have relatively quick payback periods.

Get help to fight insurers

When Timothy Stewart’s insurer left him on the hook for all but $2,600 of a $13,000 hospital bill, he brought in a hired gun, said Paul Raeburn in U.S. News & World Report. Medical billing advocates, armed with insider information on billing practices and insurance policies, can help consumers uncover errors and settle disputes with health-care providers and insurers. You can find such an advocate—as well as information on disputing medical charges on your own—at the Medical Bill Advocates of America website, Billadvocates.com. These experts “have various arrangements for payment.” Some charge by the hour; others base their fee on how much they save their clients. For Stewart, it was well worth the cost. After some professional prodding, his insurer agreed to pay the bill in full.