Finance

Understanding Financial Statements When Approaching Lenders
The bank, or any investor for that matter, uses financial statements to tell them what happened in the past. Statements are also used as a means to predict what will happen in the future. More ...

Small Business Tax Issues for Self-Employed Individuals
Many self-employed individuals are considered "sole proprietors" or "independent contractors" for legal and tax purposes. This is true regardless of whether you are turning a hobby into a business, selling an indispensable widget or providing services to others. As a self-employed person, you report business revenue results on your personal income tax return. More ...

What to do When You receive a Bad Check
Many people try to save time and work by filing a crime report regardless of why the check didn't clear. It's very important to determine why a check didn't clear before deciding on a course of action. More ...

Personal Finance 101
The subject of personal finance is very broad, but as a beginning, I would like to discuss what I consider the foundation of personal finance: security. Security to me means that I am prepared for the "hit by a bus" scenario. More ...

Why Budgets Don't Work and How To Fix It
This article is for those families that have sat down at a desk or the kitchen table time after time trying to develop a family budget that they can live with. Why don't they work? There are several answers to that question. More ...

Create Your Own Ultimate Debt Elimination Plan
The method is simple. 1. Set a monthly amount. 2. Pay all minimum amounts. 3. Pay extra money toward the debt with the highest interest rate. This method will ensure that you pay the least amount of interest and repay your debts as soon as possible. More ...

Debt Collector Harassing You? Know Your rights!
If you fall behind in repaying your creditors, or an error is made on your accounts, you may be contacted by a debt collector. This article answers commonly asked questions about your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. More ...

How to Dispute Dishonest Bills
Is some company trying to make you pay a bill that you disagree with? The Fair Credit Billing Act Lets You dispute billing errors, unauthorized charges, charges for merchandise you returned, or merchandise or services that you never received. More ...

How Can I Avoid Mortgage Foreclosure?
Mortgage foreclosure can occur if homeowners default on the mortgage payments. Foreclosure can lead to the lender gaining possession of a borrower's home. If the value of the home is less than the mortgage amount, the homeowner may have to pay the balance. More ...

Bankruptcy Basics
According to the American Bankruptcy Institute "household debt is at a record high relative to disposable income." The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts reported that the number of bankruptcy filings. More ...