Emily's Top 10 list: The Al Capone edition

On this day in 1931, Italian American mobster Al Capone, nicknamed Scarface, was finally pinched. He smuggled liquor during prohibition, he was a racketeer and a murderer, but all that authorities were able to pin on him were income tax evasion charges. Capone was sent to prison for 11 years, and part of that time was spent in Alcatraz. Enjoy this week's Mafioso-themed round-up! 

1. Get Rich Slowly explains the importance of setting and achieving family financial goals, including paying off debt and saving for an emergency fund. Mobsters don't keep emergency funds; that's what racketeering is for.
2. Are you getting into credit card debt because you can't stop buying "stuff" to impress people or give off a certain appearance? Trent at The Simple Dollar explains why you should stop trying to impress other people with material goods. In other words, no need for fancy fedoras and Cuban cigars during a recession. 
3. Geezeo explains the basics of improving your credit score. Did Scarface ever bother to learn these? Fuhgeddaboudit -- all his finances were under the table and wrapped up in money laundering.
4. Credit Bloggers discusses how you can talk about credit and debt with your children to prepare them for a financially smart adulthood. There's no need for omertá, or the code of silence, when it comes to financial literacy -- even Tony Soprano would agree. But when it comes down to you or someone else getting whacked, maybe it's best to keep your lip zipped. Nobody likes a rat.
5. Are you concerned your bank might fail? Blueprint for Financial Prosperity explains how to know if your bank will be next to fail. No matter how bad things get, be sure to stay away from the shylocks; you'll have some hefty vig to pay.
6. We're in Debt explains how to increase your credit score by 50 to 100 points by having your past due accounts re-aged. Have a sit-down with the administration and ask for a fresh start. It's kind of like joining the Program.
7. Master Your Card tells you 10 ways to permanently stay in debt. One of them is gambling. During the Prohibition, Capone made most of his money from liquor sales, but a hefty chunk of it also came from gambling and prostitution. He didn't go into debt, but he did go into a tiny cell in the country's most notorious prison. 
8. Credit Karma breaks down how credit card limits are determined. If you have a stand-up credit score, you just might get an offer that you can't refuse. 
9. Blunt Money warns readers that when your credit card company gives you a "skip a payment" offer, they're not being generous. Capone is thought to have committed two mafia-related murders with a blunt object -- a baseball bat, to be precise -- which is akin to what will happen to any progress you've made in paying down your balance if you choose to skip a payment.
10. The Consumerist reports that some guys complained that they bought a laptop from Wal-Mart, but Wal-Mart gave them an empty box. Upon investigating, the police discovered the box was delivered empty, but the men used stolen credit cards for the purchase...thus incriminating themselves. I think the books are closed for these cugine.