If you get spam emails, you've probably seen subject lines like this:

"Buy followers for cheap!"

"Look more legit - Twitter followers $2.99 per 1,000"

Boosting your following on social media for just a few bucks can be tempting. Popularity increases perceived value, so a large audience conveys clout and credibility. It's also an endorsement of you and your message by other individuals, businesses and entities using platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

But paying for those followers can have the opposite effect. Cheap "followers" are often dummy accounts, overseas users (many businesses pay low-wage workers overseas to create fake accounts), and inactive accounts. And there are plenty of free online tools that can quickly tell you how much of an account's following is fake.

If you're a celebrity or politician, that can make for embarrassing headlines. If you're a business or individual trying to market yourself or build a brand, it can make you look downright untrustworthy.

On the biggest platforms, the money spent on followers will ultimately be wasted. Twitter and Facebook now routinely delete fake and inactive accounts. Those 40,000 Facebook "likes" you bought can disappear in a matter of days. And the sudden drop in numbers will alert any real followers you have that you've been artificially bulking up.

Fake followers also defeat the purpose of social media marketing: They're not real people who are going to spread your message and who might eventually do business with you. Their only value is in making it appear that you're popular.  Until you're not.

Don't succumb to the come-ons for cheap followers. Even if it's just a dollar, it's a dollar wasted - or worse.

If you've never bought followers, it's likely you have a few fakes and inactive accounts following you anyway. That's not your fault; they're out there and most people have some!

It's a good idea to periodically do some housecleaning and get rid of the accounts that aren't doing anything for you. Our in-house team of social media strategists at EMSI Public Relations shared their thoughts on how to do this for the largest platforms - Twitter and Facebook:

•  For Twitter, use free online tools to see what percentage of your followers are good accounts.
We use fakers.statuspeople.com to see what percentage of followers on an account is genuine, inactive or fake. If 80 percent or more of your following is good, you don't have to worry about appearing disreputable. And keep in mind, the tools that tell you how many fakes you have are neither foolproof nor entirely accurate.

That said, fake and inactive followers don't do you any good. Engaging users - having them respond to, retweet, favorite and "like" your content - is what helps create future customers.  Clean house by running your account through ManageFlitter.com.  This app identifies which of your followers are fake, among other details, and allows you to easily remove them.

•  Review those who have liked your Facebook page. Businesses, brands, artists and others using Facebook to interact for promotional purposes use pages specifically designated by Facebook for that purpose. People simply "like" your business page rather than submit a friend request as they do with personal pages. The number of likes you have indicates the number of followers you have. Again, since the value of the platform is getting people to engage by sharing and "liking" your content, it's better to have 500 engaged potential customers than 10,000 followers in India.

Review who's following you by going to the Admin Panel in the upper left-hand corner of your community page and clicking "see all likes." Go through the list - you may recognize names of regular customers or people who often "like" or comment on your content. Check the user profiles of the ones you don't know, or who look less than genuine, to decide if they're real people. The list gives you the option to remove anyone with the click of a button.

If you haven't purchased followers, cleaning house once in a while shouldn't be much of a chore.  Your reward will be having a higher percentage of engaged users who will actually help spread your message to other potential customers or clients.

About Marsha Friedman

Marsha Friedman is a 24-year veteran of the public relations industry. She is the CEO of EMSI Public Relations, a top public relations firm that provides PR and social media services to businesses, professional firms, entertainers and authors. Marsha is the author of Celebritize Yourself: The Three Step Method to Increase Your Visibility and Explode Your Business." Tune into her weekly Blog Talk Radio Show, EMSI's PR Insider every Thursday at 3 p.m. EST. Follow her on Twitter: @marshafriedman

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After the 2008 economic meltdown, when the stock market fell 37 percent, veteran financial advisor Curt Whipple says he met with clients from outside financial institutions who'd lost 50 to 60 percent of their portfolio in a single year.

"Almost no one foresaw what happened that year, and I doubt very much that many will foresee a collapse if it happens again," says Whipple, a Certified Wealth Strategist, Certified Estate Planner and CEO of C. Curtis Financial Group.

"Regardless, there are eight indicators that you can focus on that will help you identify whether or not you're taking too much risk in your portfolio and if your retirement plan is in danger."

Whipple, who recently published "Retiree Lifeline! How to Get Government Out of Your Pocket," (www.ccurtisfinancial.com), a retirement planning guide, reviews the six danger signs from 2008 to watch out for in 2014.

• You either looked at your accounts every day OR you wouldn't look at them at all. In 2008, people couldn't believe what was happening to their portfolios. They looked at their account every day - an exercise in masochism - as their advisors told them either, "just hang in there," or reminded them that the market is a long-term investment that cyclically rises and falls. That advice led them to stop looking at their accounts, which was as bad as looking at them every day, as their advisor told them to just hold on.

• You lost more than 15 to 20 percent of your investments' value in 2008. That indicates you had too many risky investments. It's important to know what level of risk you're comfortable with - generally speaking, the younger you are, the riskier you can be. However, risk is also a personal decision. Make sure you and your advisor are on the same page regarding risk tolerance. That will require your advisor taking the time to explain your investments and how they're diversified.

• Your broker or financial advisor fails to call you regularly. You should get a call every quarter from your advisor to review and discuss your account. The only time this should not be the case is if you specifically request to be contacted less frequently.

• Your portfolio is tied mostly to Wall Street or stocks, bonds and mutual funds. If each investment you have is one or all of the above, then your investments are not truly diversified. In addition to those investments, you should consider alternative investments like Real Estate Trusts (REITS), and your accounts should feature some kind of guarantee.

• You depend on your bond portfolio to protect you in hard times. We are living in a new financial era; bonds now have an inverse relationship to interest rates, which are so low now that they will invariably increase in the future. As interest rates rise, bonds will decline in value. That's why using bonds as your only alternative to a falling market is a dangerous idea.

• You excessively worry about money. Your fear may be based in reality if you have a number of risky investments; if you really don't understand what you are invested in; or if you don't have a clear plan to achieve your financial objectives.

About Curt Whipple, CWS, CEP

Curt Whipple is the author of "Retiree Lifeline! How to Get Government Out of Your Pocket," (www.ccurtisfinancial.com). A Certified Wealth Strategist (CWS) and Certified Estate Planner (CEP), he is Chief Managing Partner at the C. Curtis Financial Group, which he formed in 1986. Since then, Curtis Financial Group has counseled and advised individuals and corporations on their financial goals and decisions. Whipple is a nationally recognized speaker.

Wage Gap Still Exists Between Women and Men in the Workplace

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today joined local elected officials to recognize Equal Pay Day and raise awareness of the disparity that remains between workplace earnings among women and men. This date, proclaimed by the Governor and designated by the Illinois General Assembly, marks how far into the current year a woman must work, on average, to earn as much as a man earned the previous year. Today's observance is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to drive economic growth and ensure that all Illinois workers are treated fairly.

"If someone does the same work, they should earn the same pay," Governor Quinn said. "Yet here we are in 2014 - 51 years after President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act - and women on average still don't earn as much as their male counterparts in the workplace. We won't be satisfied until all workers are equally compensated for the same work, regardless of their gender. When women succeed, our economy grows."

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Illinois women still earn just 78 cents of every dollar earned by Illinois men based on the median weekly earnings of full-time workers. The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) enforces the Illinois Equal Pay Act, which was enacted to help close the wage gap between men and women.  IDOL has successfully recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in back wages for women who were paid less than their male co-workers for doing the same work, which is prohibited under the Act.

"Our Department has helped Illinois workers recover wages they lost as a result of gender-based pay discrimination," IDOL Director Joseph Costigan said. "Through rigorous enforcement, we will continue to ensure fair pay in the workplace."

Since the law went into effect in 2004, the Department has received 709 complaints and of the investigations completed to date, has recovered more than $690,000 in back wages for workers who did not receive equal pay for equal work.

Illinois' Equal Pay Act prohibits employers with four or more employees from paying unequal wages to men and women doing the same or substantially similar work, requiring equal skill, effort, responsibility and under similar working conditions. The law protects both men and women and any individual who files an equal pay complaint is protected under the Act from harassment or retaliation. If an employer is found guilty of pay discrimination, they will be required to make up the wage difference to the employee and may be subject to pay legal costs and civil fines of up to $2,500 per violation.

Today's Equal Pay Day observance is the latest in Governor Quinn's drive to protect and empower women in Illinois. The Governor's actions to support women and equal rights include :

• Fought for and signed a law amending the Equal Pay Act to give victims of underpayment more time to address their claims.
• Launched the innovative Birth to Five Initiative in his 2014 State of the State address to expand access to prenatal care; early care and learning opportunities for every child; and strong parent support.
• Leading the charge to increase the state's minimum wage to at least $10 per hour - six in ten minimum wage workers in Illinois are female.
• In his 2014 State of the State address, proposed a minimum of two days of earned sick leave per year for 2.5 million Illinois workers, 78 percent of whom are women, who have no sick leave.
• Launched the first ever Women Owned Business Symposium.

For more information on Illinois' Equal Pay Act or to file a complaint, call the Illinois Department of Labor's Equal Pay hotline at 1-866-EPA-IDOL. Complaint forms are also available to download on the Department's website: Labor.Illinois.gov.

DES MOINES, IA (04/08/2014)(readMedia)-- State Treasurer Michael L. Fitzgerald is encouraging Iowans to make the most of their tax refunds this year by investing in College Savings Iowa. "Much like the April 15 deadline for taxes, the time to save for college is over before you know it," said Fitzgerald. "Put your refund to good use and start saving for a loved one's future educational needs today. By starting early, saving a little at a time and making smart investment choices, families can make their savings work for them."

College Savings Iowa is designed to provide families a tax-advantaged way to save money for their children's higher education. It only takes $25 to open an account, and anyone - parents, grandparents, friends and relatives - can invest in College Savings Iowa on behalf of a child. Participants who are Iowa taxpayers can deduct contributions up to $3,098 per beneficiary from their 2014 adjusted gross income, and there are no income or residency restrictions.* Earnings grow tax free and investors can withdraw their investment federally and Iowa state tax-free to pay for qualified higher education expenses including tuition, books, supplies and certain room and board costs at any eligible college, university, community college or accredited technical training school in the United States or abroad.**

Saving for a child's education is always a smart investment, and College Savings Iowa is there to help. To learn more about College Savings Iowa or to open an account, please visit collegesavingsiowa.com or call 1-888-672-9116.

*Adjusted annually for inflation. If withdrawals are not qualified, the deductions must be added back to Iowa taxable income.

**Earnings on non-qualified withdrawals may be subject to federal income tax and a 10% federal penalty tax, as well as state income taxes. The availability of tax or other benefits may be contingent on meeting other requirements.

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Investment returns are not guaranteed and you could lose money by investing in the plan. Participants assume all investment risks as well as responsibility for any federal and state tax consequences. If you are not an Iowa taxpayer, consider before investing whether your or the designated beneficiary's home state offers any state tax or other benefits that are only available for investments in such state's qualified tuition program.

For more information about the College Savings Iowa 529 Plan, call 888-672-9116 or visit www.collegesavingsiowa.com to obtain a Program Description. Investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information are included in the Program Description; read and consider it carefully before investing.

College Savings Iowa is an Iowa trust sponsored by the Iowa State Treasurer's Office. The Treasurer of the State of Iowa sponsors and is responsible for overseeing the administration of the College Savings Iowa 529 Plan. The Vanguard Group, Inc., serves as Investment Manager and Vanguard Marketing Corporation, an affiliate of The Vanguard Group, Inc., assists the Treasurer with marketing and distributing the Plan. Upromise Investment Advisors, LLC, provides records administration services. The Plan's portfolios, although they invest in Vanguard mutual funds, are not mutual funds.