Michael Jackson Dies Awash in Debt

The death of superstar Michael Jackson is terribly sad on so many different levels. Particularly, his insatiable desire for the material trappings of success: Jackson reportedly owed over $300 million and was spending $30-40 million more each year than he brought in.
Clearly, “wanting less” is a much better prescription for contentment than “getting more.”
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Buying a Home in Foreclosure

They’re not all in run-down neighborhoods, and they’re not all in complete disrepair. As the housing market’s woes continue, more homes go into foreclosure, and more real estate investment opportunities open up. While a buyer still has to prepare and beware, it may be possible to purchase a property in foreclosure at a discount off [...]

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How Do I Dispute an Unsatisfactory Credit Card Purchase?

If you used a credit card to make what turns out to be an unsatisfactory purchase, you should first seek a refund or a replacement from the merchant that sold you the item. But if you have no luck there, you may have some recourse through the credit card company.
There are some requirements. First, you [...]

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Top Ten Money Moves for Today’s College Freshmen

With average college tuition up 6.3 percent at private schools and up 6.6 percent at public schools this past school year, money management is a bigger issue than ever on college campuses. That’s why it’s good to send your freshman off to school with a 10-point plan on how to best manage their money:

Take baby [...]

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What is a Parent PLUS Loan?

A Parent PLUS Loan is a federal student loan available to parents with good credit histories who want to help pay for their dependent child’s undergraduate education. (A similar Graduate PLUS Loan is available to graduate students.) Under the program, parents can borrow up to the full cost of their child’s college education each year, [...]

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Will the current credit crunch impact my child’s ability to get a student loan for college?

It’s hard to say whether the credit crunch will prevent students from obtaining the financing they need to pay for college. According to the College Board, last year students and their families borrowed nearly $60 billion in federal loans and $17 billion in private loans for college. In order to understand the current student lending [...]

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The Three C’s of Credit

When you’re looking for credit, it’s worth understanding what potential creditors are looking for when they’re looking at you. Traditionally, they’re looking for the three C’s: capacity, character, and collateral.
Capacity
Potential creditors want to know if you have the wherewithal to repay a debt. To this end, they’ll inquire (usually on an application form) about your [...]

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Can You Afford to Have One Spouse Stay at Home?

For many families, this is an important question. Unfortunately, most dual income couples feel that both of them have to work in order to meet their expenses and maintain their lifestyle. If you evaluate your situation financially–factoring in the cost of working and the amount of taxes that you pay while both of you are [...]

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Homeowners in Trouble Need to be Proactive

According to a November report by Standard & Poor’s, about half a trillion dollars’ worth of adjustable-rate mortgages are due to reset to higher rates in 2008 when their two-year teaser rate periods come to an end.Even though general interest rates have been headed down recently, you should know that it may not affect the [...]

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Handling Money God’s Way

Here’s a clip from a recent ABC Nightline program featuring Howard Dayton and Crown Financial Ministries:

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