Big Business knows how to assess fees onto the unsuspecting

"Gotcha Capitalism: How Hidden Fees Rip You Off Every Day …" by Bob Sullivan, Ballentine Books, $14.95.

Most Americans are financially illiterate. Credit card debt is skyrocketing, the personal savings rate is negative and mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures are at all-time highs.

Consumers don't read the fine print on contracts they sign. They don't read the "changes in terms" mail received from lenders. They don't make time to really look at the bills they pay. They don't budget.

Worst of all, they don't understand that paycheck-to-paycheck money management mortgages their financial futures.

Big Business, however, does understand consumer financial illiteracy -- and takes advantage of it big time. It adds over $200 billion each year in hidden fees to credit/debit cards, bank accounts, loans and mortgages, cell phone contracts, travel and cable and satellite TV bills.

Sullivan reads the fine print for you. He identifies common rip-offs and provides solid advice on dealing with the situation.

The first step deals with knowing what you're getting into. Read the contracts. If you get sign-on-the-spot pressure, your red flag should go up. Look carefully at your bills every month and pay attention to information sent from lenders.

If you encounter a problem, complain. But not to the clerk in front of you or the customer service rep on the phone -- giving them an earful only gets you the standard company response. Write letters to the CEO, and your state and federal legislators and the Better Business Bureau (be sure to copy the CEO). Sullivan points out that such letters are much like voting. You may not think that your complaint amounts to much; but if enough people complain, the system will change.

Congress is already taking on the predatory-lending practices of credit-card issuers and mortgage lenders.

Handling a written complaint also costs Big Business more money that dealing through the standard customer-service channel (i.e. There are many hands that your letter passes through before you receive a response.) As a result, Big Business is more willing to make an accommodation.

Sullivan takes a novel approach to complaining. He makes a game of it by encouraging those who receive refunds and adjustments to put the amount they receive in a jar. This heightens their awareness of rip-offs and the effectiveness of complaining; it provides cash, too. His research shows that you can "save" up to $1,000 per year.

"Evaluating Performance" by Barry Silverstein, Collins, $12.95.

A performance review is just as much a commentary about a manager's performance as it is the reviewed individual's performance. Managers need to set their staff up for success by ensuring that there are realistic goals and objectives and a continuum of follow up and follow through.

Silverstein takes to task those managers who believe the annual review is the only time to really have a heart-to-heart conversation about performance. He advocates "Management by walking around (MBWA)" as a means of touching base frequently.

MBWA involves listening as well as talking. What should a manager listen for? Opportunities to give praise and remove roadblocks.

When people are doing well, let them know it. When there are performance issues, the manager needs to let the individual know that help is available.

What should a manager talk about? Priorities and progress.

He also believes that an employee's self-evaluation plays a major role in the review process. By comparing the self-evaluation with her/his evaluation, the manager can readily see which dots connect and which don't. The manager has to evaluate her/his role when there are disconnects.

Feedback from MBWA and self-evaluations should lead to feed-forward managerial actions.