A discussion about the process, steps and options of starting a new business

Travel writer Jennifer Stevens (that's not her impersonating a flight attendant) advises, "No use sitting on your frequent-flyer miles any longer. Do so, and you're likely to lose them.

Airlines have been quietly - one after another - changing their frequent-flyer policies, shortening the length of time you can keep your accumulated miles.

It used to be that you could horde them for years with no penalty. But nowadays, many airlines demand...

This recently happened to me when I lost 150,000 US Airways miles I'd more-or-less forgotten about. It was a loss I could have easily avoided - and I needn't have taken a US Airways flight to do it.

I could have kept my account active, for instance, by using a small number of those miles to purchase a magazine subscription or some Starbucks coffee. I'd have been down a few miles, sure, but I'd have retained the majority. Or I might have kept my account active by accumulating a few additional miles shopping online at a US Airways partner store - like Target, Gap, or Staples. I'd have simply needed to make my purchase through the US Airways site.

Take 10 minutes this week to assess the status of your own frequent-flyer miles. In all likelihood, you're at risk of losing them if you don't take some action soon. United Airlines announced their "stay active" policy this past January, and American Airlines followed suit just last week.

To cash in your miles for products instead of flights, visit: points.com. It's free to register, and you'll be presented with all sorts of places where your miles are as good as greenbacks.

To earn miles when you make purchases from a wide range of retailers, visit each airline's frequent-flyer website and find the link for their partner offers."