Volunteering your time and energy to a non-profit organization, which without volunteers may not even survive, is a generous commitment. A fact many people do not realize is that their generosity comes back to them in the form of tax breaks from the IRS. Read how to maximize your charitable deductions while avoiding common mistakes.
Check out the one of the winners, Tricia Polk, of the financial makeover contest follow her on her journey as we start her makeover
http://financialmakeover2.wordpress.com/
- https://www.annualcreditreport.com , a site, jointly-sponsored by TransUnion, Equifax and Experian (the three major credit bureaus), that offers a free annual credit report (the listing of all the information in your credit history).
- www.credit.com, Get what they call a Credit Report Card for free which shows of you a snapshot of your credit reports and estimated scores. This is also an educational site with a wealth of information on scores, reports, credit cards, loans, debts and much more. The site will try to up-sell you on credit monitoring services too.
- www.creditkarma.com – Get a free credit score with no credit card to obtain it, but they will try and sell you other things based on your profile. The site also analyzes your score and gives you a grade/summary or a credit report card. This site gets right to the point and is fairly easy to navigate. Note – the actual credit score given is not a FICO score used by most lenders. But its a pretty good approximate score and it comes from TransUnion, one of the three major credit .
- www.quizzle.com – Get a free credit report from Experian and a free credit score. No credit card is needed (they don’t even need your social security number). And you can get these every 6 months. This site is also fairly easy to navigate. Note – the actual score given is not a FICO score used by most lenders. But its a pretty good approximate score and it comes from Experian, one of the three major credit
NOT FREE SITES
- www.freecreditreportcom – It’s not FREE!!!! Yes, you can get your credit report and score but unless you opt out of the 7-day trial period, you will be billed $14.95 a month for a credit monitoring package to get your credit reports.
- www.myfico.com, allows you to purchase your credit score (the number used by lenders to determine if they will extend you credit) from all three credit agencies.
- Links to the major credit reporting agencies see, www.equifax.com , www.truecredit.com and www.experian.com .
MORE INFO
- For more on cleaning-up a credit report, see the Federal Trade Commission’s “Building a Better Credit Record,” at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/bbcr.htm .
Got a Business Plan? Need help with a business plan? Want to get financing but don’t know where to start? Bank loans, Investors, Equipment Financing, Receivables Factoring – where do you start? Check out my panel at the GrowSmartBiz conference on Raising Capital with Effective Finance Strategies.
Are you a public speaker registered with a speaker’s bureau? an actor, musician, writer, etc? Whether you’re an entertainer, business person or up and coming expert, please beware of a new dangerous scam.
A few of my clients have received an email from the London Christian Conference. Others have gotten similar letters about the Youth Conference. Sometimes the emails are from Pastor Mark Graham Smith and others are from Rev. Wenger Smith and Pastor Helen Smith.
The letter states that they will pay you $9,000 to speak at their conference and take care of all travel arrangements posted below as it was sent with no edits for grammar or spelling). You must contact Dr. Darren David with the British High Commission immediately to get this done. Sounds good!
Here’s the catch. When you call, you actually have to send them money for a work permit. And you have to do this right away because the conference is a few weeks away
Another angle is that they ask for your bank account number so they can “wire” you the money…and then they try and empty out your checking or savings accounts!
Of course you’ve guessed the outcome. There is no conference and the money you spent for your “work permit” is long gone or even worse the fake wire that drained you account has left you brooke.
If you or anyone you know has received this letter, please do not reply to it! Report it as spam to your email provider and then immediately report this company to your speaker’s bureau. Reputable requests will almost always come through your representatives and never blindly to your email inbox. The following are a few tips to help you weed out the fake requests from the legitimate ones:
1. Ask that they speak to your representative or attorney first to discuss the invitation and that they send a formal contract for your services.
2. Make sure they have a website so that you can verify the information about the conference.
3. Call the conference venue to ensure that there is truly an event booked for the dates of the conference.
4. Google the organizers and the event itself. This should help determine if its a legitimate request.
5. Never give out your personal information (banking, social security number) without first verifying that this is not a scam. This is where working with a representative can really help you.
SCAM EMAIL:
Dear {Name withheld},
Thanks for indicating your interest to be our Guest Speaker at this year LONDON BARCLAYS CHRISTIAN CONFERENCE 2009. We are very excited and happy to have such a wonderful personality in our mist.The event organizing committee had a meeting earlier today to deliberate on getting you available here. We believe we serve the lord of possibilities.Arrangements are stated below.
We have agreed to buy your flight ticket and to pay your Hotel accommodation expenses . Also your Speaking fee is amounted to 9,000Dollars.$5,000 (FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS) deposit is to be paid as soon as you procure all relevant travel documents so as to avoid any disappointment.You are informed to get across your Work Permit to us so your deposit can be approved according to our mandated rules and regulation.
You are advised by the Event Organizing committee to immediately contact the BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION to procure your UK Work Permit as soon as possible
This will enable us to proceed with all arrangements to welcome you here in London. Contact the British High Commission officer information below.
BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION
Name: Dr Darren David
Email:darrend@britishhighc.info
Please confirm to us the closest Airport to your location so we can start making arrangements to buy your flight tickets .Understand that you need to expedite action because of the short notice. Feel free to ask any question
We have attached a formal Letter of Invitation and contract agreement.Please reconfirm to us your office Address for our perusal and further action.Note you are meant to arrive a day before the commencement of the event.
Please return a signed copy of the contract agreement for proper documentation.We are currently working on our website.This is our first time of hosting such conference.
We await your earliest response
Be Blessed
Rev. Wenger Smith and Pastor Helen Smith
London Barclays Christian Center
Tel Phone: + 44 7024069826O
✔MONTH 1: Reality Check – Before Angela can even approach moving she needs to know just how bad or good her situation is. This reality check will help Allen’s know exactly where they are financially so that she can more effectively plan for a move. It’s time to really look at where they are in terms of savings and where they can trim. This month will look at their current monthly cash flows and determine what can realistically be done to trim the fat and save money for their move. Shannon and Angela will develop an income statement. Angela will keep a daily journal to see if her cash flow statement matches what happens in reality. By the end of the month Shannon and Angela will agree on a savings goal to be used for the move to Atlanta.
First Task: Gather all receipts, pay stubs, statements and bills to
create a cash flow statement for last month – August
2009 This will tell us exactly where you are financially.
This is your financial reality check
Did Angela complete her task???? Click here to find out: Angela Allen
As part of my financial makeover for Angela Allen, I’m posting links to websites that allow you to calculate your personal cashflow statement:
1. http://www.financemind.com/worksheet/cash-flow-worksheet.html
2. http://www.forefieldkt.com/kt/trns.aspx?xd=FP-AT-CL03-A01&il=a2&xsl=input
3. http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/calculator/banking-budgeting/bud09
4. http://www.savingadvice.com/calculators/cash_flow.php
5. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9746024
Each website allows you to calculate your net cash flows, but they are visually distinct. Some are basic while others are detailed. Some provide explanations while others are bare bones. Let me know which site is most appealing and/or user friendly to you.
Check out the one of the winners, Angela Allen, of the financial makeover contest follow her on her journey as we start her makeover
http://financialmakeover.wordpress.com/
Shannon Nash will be speaking on the Raising Capital with Effective Finance Strategies panel
Looking to grow your business? Then don’t miss the first-ever GrowSmartBiz Conference!
Join us for a premier one-day event featuring renowned small business leaders and well-known industry experts, including keynote speaker Chris Anderson.
Small business owners and entrepreneurs should attend to learn how to overcome challenges that all small businesses face. Attendees will hear from an outstanding group of panelists for concrete takeaways including:
– Proven strategies for business growth despite the current economy
– Executable, cost-effective ways to market and promote their businesses
– Knowledge of what banks believe is the key to securing small business financing
– Actionable ideas for integrating and leveraging social media into existing marketing and communications efforts
As a panelist on the Raising Capital with Effective Finance Strategies at the upcoming GrowSmartBiz conference, I am pleased to invite you to save $150 on attending what should be a great event. The conference will feature in Wired magazine editor Chris Anderson as the keynote speaker.
So if you’re a founder, CEO, owner or other executive interested in growth (who isn’t!), innovation and marketing, just click below or on the box to register and save. Remember to use the code OFFER100 to get the discount.
Click here to register – http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Fees.aspx?e=41e08ae3-2ded-4c35-9c3a-67144406dfbe
Please check out this trailer for my client’s award winning film Pariah (including Sundance Selection 2008)! Its one of the 10 national semifinalists in the Netflix Find Your Voice Competition which is a collaboration between Netflix and Film Independent. So proud of them! Please Vote!
It is really simple to support PARIAH:
1) visit www.netflixfindyourvoice.com (or click on the link)
2) watch the trailer for PARIAH.
3) vote as many stars as you think it’s worth (5 is the highest you can give).
4) pass on the word to your friends!!!
Thanks!!!!!!!! for more on the film, visit http://www.pariahthemovie.com
Note – Only 1 vote per person as multiple votes will be voided.
