Beware of advertisements masquerading as real news

I read a lot of news sites to keep up on the latest goings-on in the money world. More and more I see ads and web pages created to look like legitimate news articles.

But these ‘articles’ are nothing more than advertisements trying to get you to part with your money. How can you tell if they’re legit?

They aren’t limited to the financial websites either. USA Today, ESPN, Huffington Post – everywhere you look are these clever ads written by marketers to try to get you to click through. Listen to some of these titles:

• The Home Refinancing Plan Banks Don’t Want You Knowing
• 1 Dirty Little Secret To Eliminate 15 Years of Mortgage Payments
• Your 401(k) Isn’t Growing As Fast as It Should – Here’s Why
• Jim Cramer Urges Homeowners To Do This Mortgage Payoff Tip
• The Secret to Ending Your Debt

And once you do click through and start digging around, you find the fine print. Or hopefully, you find it:

THIS IS AN ADVERTORIAL AND NOT AN ACTUAL NEWS ARTICLE, BLOG, OR CONSUMER PROTECTION UPDATE

This site and article is not endorsed nor affiliated in any way with Jim Cramer, CNBC, or Mad Money.

What you read on the Internet are more times than not just opinion pieces or clever marketing articles aimed at trying to get you to part with your money.

Or they may even be services endorsed by a celebrity or well-known financial guru who is getting paid big bucks to endorse the product.

There’s nothing wrong with getting paid to endorse a product or service, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best product or service available.

You need to do your research and make sure you’re not getting scammed or paying too much for an overpriced or inferior product.

Remember, don’t believe anything any expert tells you about personal finance – including me! – without doing your research.

Get educated and make an informed decision. That’s how you save more money and make the wise choice.