With the passing of Senator Ted Kennedy, we lost one of the most powerful public servants for our lifetime. He served as a Massachusetts Senator for 47 years but he really worked for the entire nation. He worked tirelessly for betterment of everyone. He was a democrat but he would call anyone on the carpet if they were not providing their best for the USA. It did not matter if they were Democratic or Republican.

During his tenure, he worked hard on a number of tough issues. He labored for numerous of causes that he felt would improve the nation. From desegregation to not wanting to go to war to national health insurance to backing Barak Obama early in his candidacy, Ted Kennedy has put his stamp on many controversial issues. He stood fast to his ideology during the Bork hearing against his appointment to the Supreme Court. This is a sampling of many causes he helped to stand behind.

Most people know about some of the Kennedy family legacy. The Kennedy family has been deeply entrenched in public service going back to Ted’s grandfather, who was mayor of Boston. Ted’s father was Ambassador to England. His brother was President of United States. Another brother was Attorney General of United States. His sister started the Special Olympics. Some of Ted’s nieces and nephews are in public service in many different areas. Even his niece’s husband is Governor of California.

How many people can claim this type of legacy? How many people have the opportunities available to them that the Kennedy’s had? Most people are looking into debt elimination options all while struggling to keep their job, keep their home, and avoid the stress of their financial shortcomings. Although Ted did not have any financial concerns, he did have numerous personal issues. He dealt with a child losing his leg to cancer, an alcoholic wife, plane crash, not one but 2 brothers being assassinated, and a car accident that resulted in the passenger dying. These personal issues make Senator Kennedy more vulnerable in our eyes as we try to deal with our financial concerns. As Senator Kennedy dealt with his issues, we to can turn to those that can help us. Debt settlement is one way to alleviate our financial burden.

Is your home your castle? Do you use it to mask reckless financial planning? Are you reducing your options by consistent self abusive life styles? Interesting questions considering what is going on in our country now. Even though real estate values recently have gone down your home is still your best investment.

There is a pandemic going on, and it is not the swine flu. It is call refinanceitis. Thousands of people refinance their house in order to save money. Are they really saving money, or employing an expensive procrastination strategy, I wonder?

Individuals refinance for two reasons. The first is to lower the rate reducing their monthly payment. Does this really save money? Utilizing this strategy, that house which was bought for $200.000.00 twenty years ago is now going to cost somewhere around $900,000.00 to pay off. No savings there.

The second reason is to pay off credit card debt. Well, let’s say you were going to pay off $30,000.00 of credit card debt with the equity in your property, would you save money? That 30K over the thirty years will cost around $90,000.00, too expensive for me. Credit card debt negotiation may be a better solution. Most of these programs significantly cut the amount owed. Typically the debt is paid off in one to three years; obviously much better than paying $90,000.00.

As I said your house is your best investment. You wouldn’t allow the exterior to go without paint. That reduces the value. Similarly, be financially nicer to your home. If you don’t, when you need the equity the most, such as the time retirement, it won’t be there. Remember, the best debt is the one that is paid off quickly. Credit card debt negotiation may be your least expensive solution and fastest solution for eliminating credit card debt.

“If I settle my debt, aren’t I cheating my creditors?”

I’ve had this question asked more times than I care to remember. You are only “cheating” your creditors by going through a debt settlement program if you are not in a financial hardship. Enrolling in a debt settlement program if you are not in a financial hardship is not an advisable action. A decent and ethical settlement company should analyze your financial position prior to enrollment in order to ensure you are in the optimal position for a debt settlement program. If a consumer is in a financial hardship, debt settlement can help both the consumer and the creditors looking to collect on the outstanding debts.

The Association of Settlement Companies (TASC) is one of two organizations dedicated to legitimizing the debt settlement industry. The other company is USOBA, the United States Organization for Bankruptcy Alternatives. Our company, Burden Free Inc, is a member of USOBA. Recently TASC announced that debt settlement companies are not just a good solution for consumers who have found themselves in a challenging financial situation, but also can help creditors. According to TASC, the Debt Settlement Industry returned more than $2.2 billion in consumer debt last year. In years past consumers had no alternative to bankruptcy and therefore the creditors may have never seen that $2.2 billion.

Debt settlement provides consumers with the ability to get out from under their financial burden without having to file for bankruptcy. Once again, by providing consumers with an alternative to bankruptcy, debt settlement companies are assisting creditors in collecting funds they normally would never get.

Anyone who has children can attest to the fact that once a year they get socked with the expenses related to sending their kids back to school. As parents, you need to plan ahead for the fact that this is going to happen. The expenses of sending your children back to school needs to be part of a family’s budget. After all, a family budget is the key to good money management. The last thing you want to be doing is trying to settle credit card debt caused because you did not plan ahead for an expense like school expenses that you knew was coming!

Unfortunately many families do not even have a budget. Add to that the fact that it becomes increasingly difficult to manage your money during a recession. Right now many families literally live from paycheck to paycheck. But budgeting may be simpler than you think. Creating a simple budget will help you manage your money.

Any budget must be realistic. A common practice is to make a list of the things you need to buy when creating a back to school budget. While this is a good plan, it may not be the logical first step. A better way to manage your money is to first figure out exactly how much you can afford to spend. After you have figured out how much you can spend, then start making your shopping lists.

One great way to give your children a reality check when it comes to back to school shopping is to involve them in the budgeting process. Their back to school list of things they think they need can often look more like a Christmas wish list. Of course the retailers want you to buy into this. They would love to see your children return to school with brand new clothes, new shoes, new back packs and so on. By letting your children be a part of the budgeting process they will be able to better understand why they do not need everything to be brand new. It also is a good life lesson in money management for your kids.

A few back to school tips are listed below:

•Shop for back to school supplies throughout the year. The basics are likely not to change much from year to year. So why not look for those supplies throughout the year when they are likely to be at rock bottom prices?
•Don't be afraid to hit the discount bins at the dollar stores, Wal-Mart, or other large retailers that provide discount prices.
•Buy clothing from the sales rack, and buy classic clothing. Don't go for 'trendy' styles, that are sure to change within the next 4-6 months.
•Shop at the Outlet Malls. Look for sidewalk sales and specials throughout the year.
•Encourage hand-me-down school supplies and clothes from older children to their younger siblings.
•Consider having your children earn money throughout the year doing chores, and using that money to pay for items during your back to school shopping. This helps your children to learn the value of a dollar.

Change is in the air. The summer is coming to a close, children are back in school, and the weather is turning cooler as we are enter the last quarter of the year. The next three months seem to go by faster than any other quarter. This probably occurs because we prepare for one holiday after another. We celebrate a wide variety of holidays from Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas, or whatever you celebrate, and lastly New Year’s. Why does it seem that these holidays are all bunched up together? Why can’t they be spread out over more months? Why is it that between Thanksgiving and New Year’s the average amount of weight gained for adults is 7 pounds? Yes, 7 pounds. Think of all the food you eat and think of the amount of alcohol you consumed for each holiday. Why do we do this to ourselves year after year? When will we learn how to control our splurges? There is no better time than the present.

As we head towards the end of the year, what did you think I meant the end of the world? As we head towards the end of the year, try reign in your credit card debt. Set a budget for what you can afford for this holiday season and stick to it. Put yourself into a better financial position by sticking with your holiday season budget. Maybe you should pay by cash only. Whatever you think might work, do it. There is no better time than starting now.

Most people think that winning the lottery would be like having a dream come true. You could buy a new car. You could by a new house or that boat you always wanted. Looking into debt solutions would no longer be an issue. Unfortunately the reality is that this dream often turns into a nightmare for people who win the lottery.

Typically when someone wins the lottery debt settlement is the furthest thing from their mind. If you won the lottery today would you settle credit card debt, or would you go shopping? Would you manage your money, or would you start spending it? The statistics show that a lot of lottery winners do the latter, and many quickly find themselves broke. You don’t have to fall into this trap though.

It is only human to want to splurge if you have a large sum of money basically given to you. This is not to say that you can’t buy a new car and treat yourself to a few nice things. Rather, it is about moderation. A good rule of thumb would be not to spend more than 5% of your winnings right away. That way you will be left with 95% of the loot to invest.

If you don’t already have a financial advisor, get one. Professional advice can be instrumental in helping you deal with and hold onto your money. This does not mean that you should rely on your financial advisor completely though. Learn how to invest and save money yourself by reading books, taking classes and researching online to help you manage your money.

You need to set a budget. Setting a budget is not about being frugal. Instead, setting a budget is about being realistic and sensible. Think of it as figuring out how much you can afford to give yourself as an allowance without draining your new fortunes.

You can reduce the likelihood of going broke after winning the lottery if you take these simple steps to manage your money. You can buy some nice things and even take a vacation. But once the initial spending spree (which you did in moderation) is done, be smart with your winnings. You don’t want to be the next sad lottery story that hits the newsstands.

Arizona home owners who are already struggling to make ends meet may find themselves facing an unforeseen expense related to their mortgages. If you are one of these homeowners already stressed with money management woes, perhaps even to the point of exploring debt settlement options or debt consolidation plans, the state equalization property tax repeal bill might be a surprise you didn’t need. This is especially true right now with Christmas shopping right around the corner.

The repeal of the state equalization property tax means that even though the value of your home has been going down, your property taxes will go up. If you have a mortgage on your property, your property taxes are likely paid by an escrow account you set up when you took out your mortgage. You literally pay your taxes as a part of your mortgage payment which is then held in an escrow account.

In the event that property taxes go up you have the choice of making a higher monthly mortgage payment or paying the difference to the mortgage company in one lump sum when your tax bill is due. Many homeowners are surprised when they get a bill stating their escrow account does not have enough money to pay their taxes that recently increased. Will homeowners already having money management issues be able to come up with this extra expense?

Not likely. Most homeowners have to tighten their belts even more when it comes to discretionary spending as the holiday season approaches. Money management is on everybody’s minds right now, and unforeseen bills can ruin a family’s budget. Less discretionary spending means less money getting infused back into the economy. This of course refuels the recession. It is a vicious cycle.

Homeowners may not be the only ones who feel the pain from this property tax increase either. Businesses and utility companies who own large tracts of land will be facing very large property tax bill increases too. The additional expenses they incur will of course be passed on to you, the consumer already struggling to make ends meet.

Are you prepared for a possible increase to your property taxes this year? Thankfully, if you have excessive unsecured debt in addition to your mortgage problems, debt settlement options are available for these tough times.

It is a common problem these days: people are losing their jobs. The timing for many people could not be worse either. Many people who have recently lost their jobs were already struggling with money management. It is like you got kicked when you were already down when one day you are dealing with credit card debt, and the next day you are filing for unemployment benefits. This doesn’t have to be the end of the world though. You can survive this financial crisis.

Now more than ever is when you will need to manage your money. This is a good time for you to take a personal financial inventory. First step: calculate net worth. It only takes a few minutes to calculate your net worth. Be honest with yourself though. Value your things at today’s market value instead of how much they cost you. Add everything up and then subtract what you owe in debt. This number could boost your sprits!

Second step: evaluate your spending. You must find ways to cut down on your spending. There are fixed expenses that you can not do anything about. These are your house payment, car payment, water bill and so on. While you can’t do anything about those, there are other things you can work on. If you do have a lot of credit card debt this might be a good time to look into using a credit card debt negotiation company. Identifying and cutting out any unnecessary spending is crucial.

Third step: budget. Budgeting is one of the keys to money management. Simply defined a budget is really nothing more than a spending plan which allocates your income to cover your expenses. This obviously becomes difficult if you have become unemployed because the income you were depending on has disappeared. Since unemployment benefits only go so far, you need a budget or you will not be able to manage your money.

This all seems like a lot to do, especially when you are also devoting a lot of your time to searching for a new job. But really it is not that difficult to take a quick look at your financial inventory, identify unnecessary expenses, negotiate debt, and create a budget. Doing so could be the difference between surviving this financial challenge and going belly up.