From Idea to Business – SCORE Success Story

Learn how with the assistance of a SCORE mentor, this woman turned her wall art idea into a viable business.

This post is aligned with a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

Find additional information and resources on nonprofit information, educational grants and Civic Engagement programs from around the world.

Manage Your Money More Effectively

If you are not used to managing money because you have only recently become emancipated (e.g. you are a college student!) you may find yourself frittering your money away on entertainment and pizzas. Do the right thing and escape debt by properly managing your finances.

If a credit repair company guarantees that they can improve your credit history, be very wary. Companies will make a statement and say that they can fix your credit. This is a total lie, since everyone’s credit situation and different, and some are easier to address than others. As such, 100% guaranteed results are straight-up fraud.

When investing, stay away from large fees. Most brokers have hefty fees for the services that they render. Your total return can be affected by the fees they will charge you. Avoid brokers who charge large commissions and don’t invest in funds that come with excessive maintenance fees.

To understand how you spend money, keep a journal listing every cent you spend for one week. However, if you write it in a notebook that gets closed and set aside until you open it again the next day, it might become a case of “out of sight, out of mind”. Try using a whiteboard in your den or home office to document your finances. Since the notes will be constantly visible to you, you will stay aware of your fiances.

If married, make sure the partner with the better credit applies for loans. If your credit is poor, you can build it back up by paying off credits each month. After you have achieved a solid credit score, you will be in line for the loans that you need in the future.

You can’t repair your credit without getting out of debt! You’ll need to pay off what you owe first. You can do things like eating in more and limiting yourself from going out on weekends. Something as simple as taking your lunch with you to your job and eating in can help you save money; if you really want to rebuild your credit, you have to cut your spending.

Avoid incurring large debt through student loans, unless you are sure you can handle it in the not too distant future. If you have not yet chosen a major or mapped out your career path, private school tuition may not be your best bet.

Do not believe that credit repair counselors will fully help you. Some companies may say they can absolutely fix your history. They can’t fulfill such claims, because credit problems are individual. Guaranteeing success is fraudulent.

Credit Card

There’s an easy way to avoid credit card debt: don’t dig yourself into the hole to begin with. It is important to consider every credit card charge very carefully before making a purchase. Try to figure out how much time it will be to pay in full. You should stay away from charges that are not necessary, or that you can’t pay off within a month’s time.

Be certain to pay utility charges in a timely fashion each month. Paying your bills late can have negative effects on your credit history and scores. Not only this, but a lot of places will make you pay more. Avoid the troubles that are associated with paying bills late by always paying your bills in a timely manner.

You should give careful thought to exactly when you want to send your income tax return to the IRS. This will allow you to get the refund that you earned as soon as possible. If you owe the IRS money, file as close to April 15th as possible.

One of the smartest things you can do to stay in control of your finances is to lay out exactly what you need to purchase, and the amount of money you have budgeted for each item. Stick to to the budget. Remember the tips in this article, so that you can stay in the black and avoid calls from debt collectors.

SBA – Small Business Investment Companies

The Small Business Administration has inititiated the Small Business Investment Companies program to help in developing privately owned and managed investment companies which will be licensed and regulated by the Small Business Administration to provide equity capital, long term loans, and advisory services to small business requiring such services.

This post is aligned with a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

Find additional information and resources on nonprofit information, educational grants and Civic Engagement programs from around the world.

What You Need To Know About Benefits.Gov

The United States Federal Government launched the Benefits.gov Website in 2002 in the hopes of providing every American with easy and convenient online access to government benefits and programs.

This post is aligned with a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

For more information on small business grant and home ownership programs visit TopGovernmentGrants.com.

Grants from the Department of the Interior

The responsibilities of the Department of the Interior include the management and conservation of federal lands and natural resources, including the administration of programs that are associated with Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, territorial affairs, and to insular areas of the United States.

This post is aligned with a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

Find additional information and resources on nonprofit information, educational grants and Civic Engagement programs from around the world.

All You Need To Know About Debt Consolidation

Debt consolidation can be a good way to improve your financial situation and get out of debt for good. Many people don’t consider the future due to being deep in debt now. A great path to take is one that involves debt consolidation. Learn about consolidating your debt in the following information.

Prior to taking action, do a thorough review of your own credit record. The first step to helping your credit is to understand why you got to where you are in the first place. This is a good way to stay out of debt once you managed to pay back everything you owed.

Do you currently hold a life insurance policy? It is possible to cash that in and then take care of your debts. Talk to your agent about what they can offer you. You can borrow back a portion of your investment to pay off your debt.

Before going with a debt consolidation agency, make sure they are qualified. They should be properly certified. Are they backed by reputable institutions in order to prove these people are legitimate? When you know this, you will know whether or not you should choose the company in question.

Debt Consolidation

Look at how your debt consolidation interest rate is formulated. An interest rate that is fixed is the best option. You will know precisely what the cost of the loan will be. Be wary of debt consolidation programs that offer adjustable interest rates. Frequently, you end up making more interest payments than what you had originally expected.

If you’re a home owner, you might need to think over getting your home refinanced and using that money to help with your financial situation. Mortgage rates are low right now; it’s the right time to take advantage of this method. In addition, you may discover that your monthly mortgage payment is lower than you believed.

Do you have life insurance? Consider cashing it in to pay your debts. Talk to a life insurance agent in order to discover how much money you could get from your policy. Sometimes, you can borrow part of what’s invested in the policy to help pay off debt.

You might consider drawing money out of your retirement fund or 401K to pay your high interest loans. You’ll need to repay the money to your retirement account though, so make sure you take that into consideration first. Penalties and taxes will be required if you do not pay in time.

Try finding a good consumer credit counselling office in your area. They can take all your separate payments and merge them into only one payment a month. A credit counselor will not impact your credit rating as badly as going through a company offering debt consolidation.

See if the counselors at your debt consolidation agency are certified or not. Consult the NFCC to find companies that use certified counselors. In this manner, you can be sure of getting solid advice and assistance.

If you get low interest credit card offers, you should consider using them for debt consolidation. This can help you save money and help to eliminate debts with high interest rates, while making it easier by turning multiple debts into a single monthly payment. Once all of your debts have been consolidated onto a single card, get to work on paying it prior to when the introductory rate goes away.

Make sure that you fill out all necessary documentation accurately. You need to pay attention to detail. When you make mistakes on your paperwork, your loan may be unnecessarily delayed.

Ask yourself how you ended up with a high amount of debt. This is important to know before you consider loans. Just treating the symptoms will not cure the cause of your debt situation. Find the problem, stop it, and continue paying off the debts.

You can regain control of your life by consolidating your debt. Maybe you have collectors calling you and giving you grief. If this is you, debt consolidation can really be a huge help. Try some of the great tips in the article above to get on your way to being debt free.

Don’t ever take a loan from someone you haven’t researched. Loan sharks are aware that you’re in a poor situation. Choose a lender who is reputable, trustworthy and comes highly recommended.

Community Development Credit Unions

A Community Development Credit Union, more commonly known as a CDCU, is a credit financial institution which owned and controlled by its members in an effort to sustain the ability of being able to provide a wide array of financial services. Basically a Community Development Credit Union is a type of Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that is specially designed to low and moderate income people and communities with or without small businesses.

This post is part of a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

Find additional information and resources on small business grants and loans, home buyer programs and Community Foundation programs from around the world.

Shopping for a Mortgage

Shopping for a mortgage can be a very daunting task. Because of this many people will skip this step entirely. That could end up being a big mistake though.

This post is aligned with a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

Find additional information and resources on small business grants and loans, home buyer programs and impact investment programs from around the world.

Business Startup Toolkit

A toolkit developed for the Small Business Administration that let’s community-based organizations set up workshops for aspiring business owners.

This post is aligned with a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

For more information on small business grant and home ownership programs visit TopGovernmentGrants.com.