College is a very expensive time in a young person’s life. The cost of attending a university increases almost every year and many families are not able to afford this substantial cost and must find alternate funding. The student himself must usually pay for some part or all of his education and survive with part time jobs. With families that do not have a lot of money, Perkins loans are a great option. Based on the income of the student and his family if a dependent, Perkins loans are low-interest and are subsidized by the government. During school and nine months after leaving, there is no repayment and the interest is being paid for you. Qualifying for these loans is determined after filling out the FAFSA, which is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This form will help your school determine which loan and grant programs you will be eligible for when you attend their school.

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Debt and finances are two things that most of us deal with on a daily basis. As consumers, we want more and more things, but often make less and less money, so we put it on a credit card or fail to foresee gaps in our budget. Eventually, we will have to pay for our purchases and interest accrues as well as the stress of having to deal with creditors if we start to get behind on our bill paying. We may even have to resort to payday loans to make ends meet, often due to our horrible spending habits. When we have a spouse or significant other, we can often rely on them to help us out paying bills and budgeting, but when single, the burden solely rests on us. There are strategies and tips for singles that can help them get through financial problems and even help them become successful in saving money for the future. Retirement is always just around the corner, relatively speaking, so the sooner we begin to save, the more money we will have when it comes time to retire.

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BP has been in the news for several months, ever since they lost control of one of their oil rigs out in the Gulf of Mexico.  Several states have been impacted by the oil spill as it damaged beaches and killed and harmed several marine animals and birds.  What has many frustrated about the oil spill is the time it took to get the spill controlled.  It has just been in the recent weeks that BP has finally gotten a cap on the oil geyser.  Now comes the clean up.  Unfortunately, BP is not willing to help out states.  Texas asked for $25 million in a cleanup grant from BP.  BP has denied it.

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The U.S. Treasury has found an extra $48 million a year in their budget just by making all government payments electronically. Instead of taking a check to get a social security cash advance to a check cashing service, now seniors will have to have a bank account or use a special debit card so they can receive their government payments. It isn’t just the Social Security program that is implementing this change. All government payments are henceforward to be made electronically.

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The state of West Virginia has never had a legal payday lending industry. Payday loans, those short-term loans which offer cash advances to be repaid by your next payday, were not allowed in the state of West Virginia and the cash advance shops were not allowed to open within the borders of West Virginia. This didn’t stop some people from getting payday loans, however, even when they resided in West Virginia, as the Internet allowed them to get them online. West Virginia doesn’t want any payday lending done in their state, regardless of its origin, and filed lawsuits against five Internet online payday lenders associated with FFD Companies and finally reached a settlement.

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The economy has been struggling as of late. With the recent mortgage crisis that brought Wall Street to its knees, many of the things we buy have become more and more expensive without us even noticing. Relatively speaking, prices rise and fall without us even noticing, but in some cases, the rise in price is so great that it is impossible to ignore. Late in the first decade of the 21st century, home prices were rising at a staggering rate. Many people who could not afford the homes in the locations they desired were able to buy their dream homes using teaser rates and adjustable rate mortgages. Many of the people in these situations had bad credit or even no credit but assumed that they would be able to afford the balloon payments that they would have to pay in five years or so.  At some point, the mortgages defaulted which had a snowball effect that lowered home prices quickly and many people were upside down and could not sell their homes for the prices they originally thought they could get with the everyday value increases they were seeing previously.

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The recession has hit some places harder than others. People in states like California, Michigan, and Florida were particularly hard-hit. With unemployment at record levels and few jobs available locally, residents of hard-hit towns are picking up stakes and moving, sometimes without thinking things through. If you plan to relocate, it’s always better to have a job lined up before you show up, rather than hoping to get one once there. Here are few things you need to consider when opting to leave for greener pastures.

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As paychecks wither in this economy, it may comes as a surprise that the simple act of eating out can cost you $2000 a year. Unfortunately, people who work outside the home have to factor in the occasional coffee, and the daily lunch costs, and many times that can significantly impact their budget, too, especially if they’re only working part time jobs. Add to that birthdays, holidays, and just the urge to eat out every now and then, and the costs of eating out quickly take a huge chunk out of what’s left of your disposable income. If you’re looking for somewhere to save big this year, consider some of these strategies to rein in those dollar munchies. (more…)

It may come as a surprise, but even small amounts of pocket change can help you build a hefty savings account. Don’t overlook the potential to save even $20 a month, if that $20 can end up being diverted to an interest bearing savings account. Over time, that $20 can grow into $240 a year, and near $1000 in four years, with the right strategies and compounding interest. Many people may overlook small ways to save thinking it isn’t sufficient to create a decent emergency buffer or worth the financial incentive. Nothing could be further from the truth. The hard numbers show that the earlier you start saving, the more that small amount grows. It also helps to create savings habits that last a lifetime.  (more…)

Regardless of your age, odds are you have had dreams of amassing the large sum of money that allows you to quit your day job and live life like you had always dreamed of. While this may be an easy task for some, many of us are shocked back to reality due simply to too many bills and not enough income to cover them all. This commonly causes most people to take on a second and possibly even a third job in order to make ends meet. Instead of being happy, most end up feeling depressed and wondering if they will ever achieve their dreams. While it may not be possible to amass a million dollars overnight unless you win the lottery, there are some things that can help you improve your current financial status. Here are some simple tips on how you can improve your net worth, regardless of how old you may be. (more…)