Are Free Credit Reports a Myth?

Every time you click on a "Free Credit Report" ad, you get asked for your credit card - or bamboozled into signing up for some kind of credit monitoring service. So how on Earth can you get that free report that everyone talks about? Is it just a myth?

Annual Credit Report site
Annualcreditreport.com is the only site that is authorized by the Federal Trade Commission to actually provide free reports to U.S. consumers. You're entitled to a free report from Equifax, Experian and Transunion each year. Don't get them all at once - apply for a free report from one reporting agency, wait three months and then apply for a report from the second agency, and so on.

There really is an absolutely free credit report, you just have to know where to look!

Too Much Business Debt? Get Consolidated with the SBA!

Did you know that the Small Business Administration will help you consolidate your business loans?

Why Consolidate?

If you've run up a bunch of high-interest business credit cards, or you've got a number of small-business-loans with various lenders, consider asking the SBA to help you get them consolidated. You can end up with lower payments, lower principal and even lower interest rates, and you'll save time and stress when all your loans are in one place under one set of terms.

About Small Business Consolidation Loans:

The SBA does not provide the loans, they just guarantee the loan to help you get approval from a private lender. Consolidating your small business loans can save you a ton of time, money and stress, so don't hesitate - contact your local SBA chapter ASAP!

SBA Jobs Tour - Coming to your town?

The Small Business Administration is going on tour. Want to attend one of the SBA Small Business Jobs Act events? Check out the dates and locations of the SBA Jobs Tour, and mark it on your calendar. When you're starting up a small business, you should never turn away a resource. The SBA is an incredible resource for business owners - they'll help you get financing, and work on your business plans.. and now, with the STEP program, they may even be able to help you get a grant to start exporting your products! Check it out, you won't regret it!

Starting a Small Business

Tired of the daily grind? Sick of the suit and tie, paying for babysitters and missing out on the beautiful weather? Or.. Maybe you just can't find a decent job! With wages dropping, and unemployment and underemployment rates going higher all the time, you're not alone.

Small Business Options

Instead of wasting your time in a job you hate, or trying to find another job you'll hate, why not focus your attention on starting your own small business? Everyone has at least one skill. Put your skills to work, and do what you love. Even if you have little or no business experience, you can get start-to-finish help from the Small Business Administration with everything from financing and business plans to ongoing planning and marketing. Use the free resources that are available, to prosper. Who knows, someone may be asking YOU for a job, before you know it!

Sell Your Textbooks Online for Quick Cash

If you're a college student, you're probably feeling the money crunch as grant and loan programs tighten up, and the flow of money dries to a trickle. Many college students sell textbooks online when they have finished their classes - consider selling your used books on Amazon or eBay, to help with necessary expenses for the upcoming semester.

• Step One: Find the ISBN of your book. This number is located under the barcode, as well as inside the binding. It is necessary to have the exact information available to buyers when attempting to sell textbooks online. ISBN codes will change with each edition of a book, so students will look books up by ISBN to ensure they have the correct edition.
  

• Search for your book on Ebay, Amazon, and Half.com. Pay attention to the lowest price available for the book you are planning to list on each site. If you are planning to sell textbooks online, you will need to compete with the other people selling their textbooks. Looking up the prices other people are selling for is like reverse comparison shopping.
  

• List your book with the site that has the highest dollar amount as their lowest available price for your book, and price your book just under the lowest available price. This will allow you to receive the highest possible value, and sell your books faster. The lowest price shows up at the top of a search. This means that entering the lowest price will put you above the other people who are selling the book, and make it more likely that your book will sell quickly.

Notes:

• Always keep in mind that you plan to sell your book after class. A book in good shape will sell for more money, so keeping your books in good condition, and keep track of extra materials such as CDs, if you plan to sell textbooks online after classes end.
  

• Don't list your book in more than one place at a time. If it sells to two people at once, you'll have to cancel one of the sales, and your seller's reputation will suffer. That will cause problems the next time you want to sell something on the site.
  

Need help keeping track of expense reports? Try these Access database templates!

Access can be complicated, but you can use a pre-set template database, especially meant for expense report tracking, and save yourself the work/stress of setting up your own database. Pretty cool...