You can't take it with you when you die, but you'd sure like it if your assets would benefit the people and organizations you choose. You probably want the government to get as little as possible, too.

Your plans should also include ways to control your own life if you are in a situation where you cannot communicate your desires.

Thanks to consumer guru Chris Bjorklund for alerting us with a Tweet to the latest financial hazard, "rebate cards". (Click to follow Chris on Twitter.) Some businesses are not content with the traditionally low redemption rate of rebate coupons. They have added to the difficult process of claiming a rebate by making it nearly impossible to spend the money.

"... sellers who long ago figured out how to make rebates difficult to obtain have now found a clever way to make them difficult to spend too," said consumer advocate Edgar Dworsky, who runs the web site ConsumerWorld.org. "These are just inherently deceptive the way they are advertised."

Edgar's observation starts a detailed look at this consumer hassle on WalletPop.com.

Remember when there was only one type of card in your wallet, "plastic"? And, remember when we all understood the rules, costs, and legal protections when we used a plastic card?

Familiar VISA, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover logos now adorn a variety of financial tools. The cards may look similar, but they're different animals under that plastic skin.

In the last edition of this newsletter we announced an informal poll about your attitude toward the flu. We invited you to share your personal thoughts and plans by participating in a one-page survey.

Here's what respondents have said so far about their level of concern about the flu.

More graphs with responses to all questions are posted on our website.

If you haven't already chimed in with your thoughts, you're still welcome to click through our quick questionnaire.