Archive for January, 2010

Financial Health and Literacy


31 Jan 2010

When it comes to reading the small print in financial contracts, very few people actually bother to read the document in whole. Whether the paperwork relates to business or personal finance, being able to have comprehensive understanding of the information included is inherent to making the best financial decisions possible. For those who cannot fully understand the language, and/or those who have difficulties with reading may suffer financial consequences if they sign a contract that is not in their best interests. For those who have competent literary skills, many tend to lose interest after a couple of pages and discontinue reading the contract.

According to the Canadian Council of Learning, almost half of Canadian adults have low literacy skills. This non-profit organization estimates that 12 million people in Canada are below the internationally accepted standard of literacy that is required to effectively cope in a modern society. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development defines literacy in five different levels; they report that the average Canadian score is 2.5 within this range. Full Article…

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Tags: Financial Financial Health

Unemployed or underemployed? Check out these breaks


30 Jan 2010

View full sizeThe economy might be on the mend. The job market is not.
 
About 360,000 Oregonians received unemployment checks last year. That’s the population of Salem, Corvallis and Eugene combined. And while Oregon’s unemployment rate was 11 percent last month, its underemployment rate is much higher — 20.7 percent, federal officials say.
 
That rate includes workers taking part-time jobs because they can’t find the full-time position they want.
 
It also counts discouraged workers, or those who’ve given up looking entirely.
 
What’s more, the percentage of workers unemployed for 15 weeks or more nationwide was 5.9 percent last month. That’s the highest its been since the government began recording it in 1948.
 
With no new extensions, about 12,000 people will exhaust their benefits in late March or early April, state employment officials say. Another large exhaustion is expected in August.
 
It stands to reason, then, that a lot of folks have drained their savings, maybe even their retirement accounts, or will do so this year. They Full Article…

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Tags: Check Underemployed Check

Disability Surveillance Footage – When a Picture Really IS Worth A Thousand Words – and Dollars


28 Jan 2010

Anyone making a claim for disability insurance benefits needs to be aware that they can, and likely will at some point be under the careful and close scrutiny of a private investigator armed with video cameras. They may be parked outside your home in the classic low-budget spy thriller van, or they may be watching from a control room in a non-descript office building thousands of miles away. But if you’ve filed a claim, chances are good they are watching.

Video surveillance is a relatively inexpensive way for insurance companies to gather additional information about the life and daily patterns of a claimant. It’s also a great tactic to intimidate policyholders. See our blog on a Good Morning America investigative news story concerning a Florida man suffering from Multiple Sclerosis. Hartford Insurance tried to scare him with a videotape, and then backed down when the powerful news show exposed this bullying practice.

Not everything that appears on video, however, is what it seems. If the videotape is being reviewed by the insurance company, chances are they will ignore the slight limp in a woman’s gait.

Full Article…

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Tags: Disability Disability Surveillance

Free tax help around Portland


27 Jan 2010

Free tax help Free sessions begin next month and continue until April 15 throughout Oregon. To find a free event near you, or to volunteer or donate to the cause, contact:

CASH Oregon, 503-243-7765 or visit its site

AARP Tax-Aide, 1-888-227-766

AARP’s Web site

The IRS, 1-800-829-1040. You might be on hold for a while, though. Volunteers trained through the federal Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) and the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Programs will provide free tax prep and filing help at 200 sites in Oregon this tax season.

These volunteers are IRS-certified and had to pass tests on their tax knowledge to help taxpayers at these events.

Here’s a list of several sites that will have regular free events between Feb. 1 and April 15. For other sites, consult the accompanying box or search here by address or zip code. Full Article…

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Tags: Free Tax Free Tax Help Help Tax Help

Using a Kitchen Incubator to Get Started


26 Jan 2010

When Bonnie Henderson decided to return to entrepreneurship after a corporate layoff in August 2008, she says the puzzle pieces seemed to fall into place like answers to her prayers. Her mother was in a position to lend her some startup funding, for instance, and friends found a terrific location for her restaurant.

But the most fortuitous accident came about when her partner, Betty Miller-Henderson, stumbled across a brand new commercial kitchen in May 2009. Not only was it convenient and affordable, but it was also more than just a kitchen facility. It was Mama’s Small Business Kitchen Incubator, a Pasadena (Calif.) facility that exists to educate, encourage, and nurture budding food businesses.

“We had worked out of some commercial kitchens further away, but that was a real trek. So when we heard about Mama’s, it was a godsend,” says Henderson, whose Bonnie B’s Smokin barbeque business started catering and delivery in 2009 and—just last week—staged a grand opening at its new restaurant in Altadena, Calif.

State-of-the-art

Henderson was the first tenant at the $3 million nonprofit incubator, says Larry Bressler, a chef instructor at Le Cordon Bleu and Mama’s general manager. The

Full Article…

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Guaranteed Payday Loan


26 Jan 2010

A new term becoming a part of our society’s daily life is guaranteed payday loan. It may be the easiest way to take money when you require it. However, there are some things to know before choosing which guaranteed payday loans to be considered. A good way to find a reputable company is by being very specific about the type of guaranteed financing. Browse on the Internet and find the company which seems most competent and reliable.

The most establishments offering guaranteed payday loan options ask for the identification, the employment proof in the form of most recent pay section, and a post dated check. Some companies will ask for a current bank statement and references. Such requirements are bloodless in the comparison to the larger lending institutions that can be a large amount of financial paperwork and be engaged for the lengthy period of time. The companies are usually interest in the employment for at least three months but supplying a verifiable source of income will most likely qualify for a guaranteed payday loan.

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Tags: Guaranteed Payday Guaranteed Payday Loan Loan Payday Loan

Refund anticipation loan? Just say no


24 Jan 2010

View full sizeFaith Cathcart, The OregonianTax refund anticipation loans might be popular this year but they’re also under greater regulatory scrutiny. For good reason, says Nicole McKinney (left). She’s used them herself but now, as an intern for Multnomah County, she tries to keep students and the unemployed from doing the same. Last week,at Portland Community College’s Cascade Campus, McKinney and Shelly Brock (center) tell Shantina Green about the free tax workshops. “You can’t beat free,” says Green, who has turned down tax refund anticipation loans in the past.  There’s a lot of pain out there: people out of jobs, adjusting to less income, coping with the increasing cost of food and services.
 
How tempting it must be, then, to get a tax refund, and get it quickly.
 
There are good ways to do it, and there are bad — ways that big banks and tax preparers such as H&R Block and Liberty Tax are more than happy to give you.
 
They’re called refund anticipation loans or refund anticipation checks/cards. Mor Full Article…

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Tags: Anticipation Loan Refund Anticipation Refund Anticipation Loan Say

Wary customers shun internet banks


23 Jan 2010

The lure of internet banks has lost its lustre in the recession

When it comes to keeping your money safe, it appears that the humble high street bank, so battered and bruised from the economic downturn, has held onto its reputation as the best place to keep cash.
According to a recent survey, the threat posed by internet banks during the recession never materialised.

Full Article…

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Tags: Banks Internet Banks

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