Rebuilding After Katrina: Smart Energy Choices
Energy efficiency has been part of the American lexicon since 1978 when the Energy Policy Act was first enacted. Since then, energy efficient homes and increased use of renewable energy resources have become the norm in states like New York and California. Policies and programs have supported these ... more...

Hot Business Trends for 2004 And Beyond: Maybe One Will Turn Into a Creative Business Idea for You
I always look forward to the December issue of Entrepreneur magazine. Thats the issue that features the publishers annual pick of hot businesses, markets, and trends for smart entrepreneurs or those who aspire to be. Some of the high tech businesses cited like mobile gaming or online learning ... more...

MLM Survival Guide-Tips, Tricks & Traps Revealed
The purpose of this guide is to provide a step-by-step procedure for starting, operating and optimizing a MLM based business, and to do this without making serous mistakes along the way. There are volumes of books on this subject, so this guide will not attempt to "rehash" the "rose colored" views ... more...

RESPA: The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act
The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) is a consumer protection statute, first passed in 1974. One of its purposes is to help consumers become better shoppers for settlement services. Another purpose is to eliminate kickbacks and referral fees that increase unnecessarily the costs of ... more...

FTC Names Dirty Dozen Email Scams
The Federal Trade Commission is responsible for issuing and enforcing rules for consumer issues on the Internet. As part of this process, the FTC has published a list of the 12 scams you are most likely to receive as email.The Dirty Dozen ScamsThe "dirty dozen" are:1. Business opportunitiesThese ... more...

Reverse Mortgages A Tax Free Income For Senior Citizens
I fully realize if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is and There Aint No Such Thing As A Free Lunch (TANSTAAFL) immediately jumped into your head when you read the title of this article. However, if you are 62 or over, you may have just found the goose that laid the golden egg.A reverse ... more...

Back To The Future - Big Changes Are Coming, Get Ready Now
The comments below are quoted from a recent speech by Ben Bernanke, a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors..."Looking forward, I am sure that the Committee will continue to watch the oil situation carefully. However, future monetary-policy choices will not be closely linked to the ... more...

How Bankruptcy Affects Student Loans
The vast majority of government student loans cannot be gotten rid of easily, even filing for bankruptcy will not resolve these debts. The only way that these types of loans can be taken care of in bankruptcy is if you can prove that they are a substantial hardship on you and your finances and this ... more...

Avoiding Foreclosure
If you fall behind in your mortgage payments, you face the threat of foreclosure.Foreclosure means your lender can take over your home, and you must move out. If your house is worth less than the amount you owe on your mortgage loan, your lender may even seek a deficiency judgment. If this happens, ... more...

Purchase Your First Home with Confidence
If you are making the transition from renter to homeowner, you're not alone. In 2004, 40 percent of homebuyers were purchasing for the first time, according to "The 2004 National Association of REALTORS Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers."With interest rates at all-time lows and a booming real ... more...