Gerri Willis Commentary:
Top Tips by Gerri Willis Column archive
Gerri's mailbox
Questions on business school, staying safe on the Web and fundraising.
By Gerri Willis, CNN

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- I'm interested in getting my MBA. Is there a good Web site that would list ALL grad schools? Do you have any advice for getting in to the school of your choice? -- Vivian

To get a comprehensive list of grad schools, go to Petersons.com/gradchannel. This is a Web site that will let you find a school according to the area you want to study. You can also check out the Department of Educations' Web site.

If you're going to be going for your MBA degree, you'll want to familiarize yourself with the graduate management admissions test, or the GMAT. The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) Web site can give you more information.

Otherwise, schools are going to be looking at your academic record and any practical experience you may have in the business industry, like that Web site you put together for your friend or the bootleg business you ran out of your college dorm.

How can I know the authenticity of a Web site? -- Smita in N.J.

The bad news it that it can be difficult to make absolutely sure you're on a legitimate site. But there are some red flags to watch out for.

No. 1: Make sure the suffix makes sense. If you're dealing with a U.S. company, the suffix you're familiar with is DOT COM or DOT ORG.

If it's an international company, you'll see suffixes like DOT I-E or DOT D-E. You'll also want to look closely at the Web site to make sure there are no spelling errors and that zeros are not substituted for O's. And according to experts, the more complex the Web address is, the greater chances it's a fraudulent site.

With gas prices being as high as they are I only drive my truck when necessary. I have put only 3,000 miles on it since 2005. Does NOT using the car hurt it in any way? -- Jim, Washington D.C.

Well Jim, the short answer is that having your car sit around for a long time doing nothing can hurt it. In fact, you may run the risk of mechanical breakdown if you leave your car outside for weeks at a time. That's because moisture can get into your engine parts and your oil. To prevent this, take your vehicle out at least once every two weeks. You'll also want to change your oil every six months.

How about tips on charity fundraising for the busy worker? (I am running a marathon for charity in October, and need some more ideas!) -- Jarvis

For find some creative ideas on how to raise money for fundraising, check out fundraiserhelp.com. This Web site will also give you tips on how to be more effective and organized in your efforts. The Web site Justgive.org can also help spark your creativity when it comes to fundraising ideas.

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Gerri's Mailbox: Got questions about your money? We want to hear them! Send questions to toptips@cnn.com or click here - each week, we'll give answers on CNN, Headline News and CNNMoney.com. Top of page

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Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.