Blogs

Yahoo wrote a nice article on Unclaimed Funds this morning (on their homepage). I've reprinted the article below, and posted my comments in there with links to related information in WealthofHelp.

It was great to see we have everything (and more!) they were talking about. It also underscores how important it is to regularly check if you have unclaimed funds, especially during these hard economic times. It's like finding lost money! Here's the article:

If you're concerned about losing your home or already facing foreclosure, I strongly recommend that you actively get involved in looking for solutions. With so many Americans in the same boat, Government agencies, Non-Profits and financial institutions are coming together to help homeowners keep their property.

Below are two examples of organizations to turn to:

For many people who have lost their jobs, the prospect of losing their homes is a major concern - and for good reason. No one wants to deal with the stress and pain of going through foreclosure, being evicted from their home, and having to find somewhere else to live. And many people see mortgage lenders as being particularly unforgiving - they think that the lender would like nothing better than to take possession of their homes and sell them.

Tim Ferris says that he's been amazed for years at the entrepreneurial abilities of people from India. Tim believes that Indian culture produces an uncommon mix of innovative thinking, business-minded aggression and comfort with numbers. But the key ingredient, Tim says, is their uncanny ability at negotiation.

BusinessWeek's David Bogoslaw wrote an interesting article on Unclaimed Property. What I found interesting was that there is an enormous amount of bonds that are unredeemed, and can be claimed by the original holder of the bond -- or their hiers. Each year, according to the Bureau of Public Debt, over 15,000 savings bonds and 25,000 payments are returned to the Department of the Treasury as undeliverable. More than $16.6 billion worth of unredeemed U.S. savings bonds have matured and are no longer earning interest. So what can you do about it? Well, the U.S.

Last August, Dateline NBC helped states crack some of their toughest, unsolved cases with the result of nearly $2 million being returned to average Americans. Now NBC News' Tiki Barber and his team, including NBC News' Peter Alexander and MSNBC's Tamron Hall, are back at again, finding ordinary people who are unaware they have money coming to them in "You Might Be Rich!". See video here.

I just ran into a tax-related article that some of you may find very valid and useful. You could save thousands on your 2008 tax return, or you could wind up with a couple extra thousand dollars to spend this April.

As a quick overview, here's what's up: as part of the latest stimulus plan, Obama has officially allowed certain individuals the right to claim a $4,000-$8,000 tax credit for buying a home in 2009 (and before April 1, 2008) on their 2008 tax returns.

A very short, yet informative article post for parents interested in learning more about funding your child's advanced education can be found here.

We plan to add a basic financial aid pamphlet to our list of Guides in upcoming months. You can read more about the Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) by doing a search or by clicking here.

Q: I want to start a "minority" business. Are there funding opportunities or loans for minority business?

A: Having a strong business plan is probably the most important thing when securing funding for a small-business, no matter your heritage. However, minority small-business owners sometimes need a little extra help to secure loans and investments, when compared with a non-minority pursuing the same business venture.

Agencies and institutions who are known for servicing minority businesses will offer the most help, since they will be experienced in best addressing your needs. Let's take a look at some of those now.

Here's something that might interest you if you're an entrepreneur trying to raise capital for an idea, project or existing company: