Choosing a bookkeeper

Choosing a registered financial accounts manager is not a simple task, and it is unlike hiring an employee or a contractor for your company and business, as you will need to entrust your financial records and important information to your bookkeeper. The services of a bookkeeper can bring great advantages to a company, as well as able to influence the way your business is managed. That is why choosing a bookkeeper should not be taken lightly, and you will need the best bookkeeping service to meet all the needs of your business without costing a bomb.

So, when you are going about choosing a bookkeeper, here are a few aspects that you will need to consider.

First of all, you will need to look for standard qualifications in a bookkeeper. You will need to find out what level of qualifications they possess, and you should request to see their certificates to know what they qualify, when did they obtain the qualification, and whether their knowledge is up to date or not. They need to hold a manual bookkeeping qualification that also gives them a basis to understand computerised business accounts. Read full post…

School Board President files for chapter 7 bankruptcy

Last week, Milwaukee Public School Board President Michael Bonds filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy.  Bonds said, “Filing for bankruptcy was a very difficult decision, but I had to do what was in the best interest of my family.”

Bonds told sources that he began to struggle financially after him and his wife experienced a 35 percent reduction in income in the last year.  Bonds’s salary as an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee decreased by 7 percent over the last year due to furlough delays by the state.  Furthermore, Bonds’s wife’s salary dropped from $127,000 a year to $99,000 a year in a move from a high school principle to an elementary school principle.

Moreover, the couple lost tax deductions after their sons moved out of their house.  Lastly, Bonds noted that their home experienced a drop in value.  The MPS Board President listed $242,490 in assets and $331,375 in liabilities.

An Introduction to the Types of Checking Accounts

Today, checking accounts can be opened from most banks, financial institutions and credit unions. The checking accounts they offer range from those that are for personal use to those which are best used for business-related financial transactions to many others. Because of the wide variety of checking accounts that you can open, it is imperative that you know what the different types are and what features they have to end up with one that would suit your needs.

Personal Checking Accounts

This is the most common type of cash account which is normally opened by individuals who are looking for a more convenient way to pay bills or goods and services from different merchants. There are two categories of personal checking accounts and they would be basic checking accounts and free checking accounts. Basic personal checking accounts would be those which have limitations on the number of checks which can be written every month. They also usually charge a maintenance fee that needs to be paid on a monthly basis. Read full post…

Happy Memorial Day!

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. As we remember those who have died for our freedoms and those who continue to serve our nation, let’s remember that we have the freedom to be DEBT FREE!

You have a biblical right to absolve yourself of your debts according to the bible. Remembering our service men and women who have also made the ultimate sacrifice of their lives so that we are FREE should inspire us all to take action in our lives to live as free people.  Free from being a slave to debts by filing bankruptcy would be an honor. E

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Personal Bankruptcy Myths Revealed

I see it every day. Potential clients who have spent their savings and borrowed against their retirement accounts because they’re told that,

“Bankruptcy is the worst thing for your credit,”

“It’s rarely the best option,” etc.

The shame and guilt that go into financial problems compounds the negative stigma that bankruptcy holds and by the time my clients come to my office, they have nothing left to protect.

I like this article by Angie Mohr over at Financial Edge, but she is incorrect in saying that bankruptcy is “rarely” the best option.  The problem with that statement is that people will hesitate to even consult with a bankruptcy lawyer to determine whether filing is right for them. With the economy still flat-lining and California unemployment holding steady at 12%, we cannot afford to maintain our current way of life for much longer.  What I did like about Ms. Mo

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Pre-Bankruptcy Credit Counseling Requirement

Individuals are required receive credit counseling from an approved agency within 180 days before the bankruptcy filing date. This requirement was enacted in 2005 as part of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act, and is meant to encourage debtors to pursue non-bankruptcy alternatives. In reality, pre-bankruptcy credit counseling has no impact on the number of bankruptcy cases filed.

In a few limited circumstances credit counseling is not required. These circumstances are identified by the federal law as:

(1) incapacity where the person is so impaired by reason of mental illness or deficiency that the individual is incapable of making rational decisions; (2) disability where the person is so physically impaired that the individual is unable, after reasonable effort, to participate in an in person, telephone, or Internet briefing session; or (3) active military duty in a military combat zone (currently Arabian Peninsula Areas, Kosovo area, and Afghanistan).

The law allows individuals to receive credit counseling after the bankruptcy filing under the following conditions:

(1) exigent circumstances exist that merit a waiver; (2) the individual requested credit counseling services from an approved nonprofit budget and credit counseling agency, but was unable to obtain the services during the 5-day period before filing bankruptcy; and (3) the request and explanation is satisfactory to the court.

Note that procrastination, inability to pay for the counseling, incarceration, etc.

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Stealing home with a HomePath mortgage

If your past contains bad credit, mortgage lenders aren’t exactly beating down doors to lend you money. However, the Fannie Mae Homepath program does allow home loans for people with sort of bad credit–scores as low as 620–when they buy Fannie Mae foreclosure homes. This program is called HomePath, and it permits things that other Fannie Mae loans don’t.

  • 3 percent down payment minimum with 660 credit score
  • Fannie Mae condo requirements relaxed
  • Some bad credit okay (no 60-day mortgage late payments in last 12 months)
  • High debt to income allowed (45 to 50 percent)
  • No mortgage insurance or funding fee required

Finding a HomePath property and making an offer

Someone’s loss can be your gain. Fannie Mae foreclosure homes can be bargains, and the HomePath website lets you search easily for homes by area.

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Atheism Good for Business? Why I Love the United States.

One thing about people in the United States: even though we’re knee-deep in a depression, with bankruptcy cases to the right of us and the left of us, we’re looking hard for the next business niche that promises brisk business.

On the one hand, it’s made me a little nervous that Costco has been selling lots of survival food (did everyone get the memo but me?) to people who are concerned that our just-in-time inventory system is especially bad at handling disruptions.

But a recent news article told me that we would, as a country, go down swinging, and maybe even survive.

This story takes a moment for the set-up, but it’s worth the wait.

See, the vast majority of folks in the United States are Christians of some flavor or another, according to the CIA Factbook. Read full post…