Its A Great Time for Home Buying with VA Loans

With mortgage rates being at all time record lows, if you're in the market for a home, now is the best time to best time to be shopping.

I predict that come spring, as the flowers bloom and the snow melts, we'll see the market begin to recover and real estate prices to be on the rise.

For military members, I strongly encourage you to check out the VA home loan rates - a great program putting veterans of our Armed Forces into quality, affordable housing.

With an application process that's significantly less complicated than in years past, all interested individuals need to do is supply proof of income, their DD214 form, employment history, references, and an original VA Certificate of Eligibility.

If you are an active member military or non-active duty veterans of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or National Guard, you owe it to you and your family to get information on these home loans designed just for you.

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American Residential Law Group Can Help Reduce Your Monthly Mortgage Payment

I know as we head into the holiday season that there's plenty of people who are still struggling with their mortgages while we weather this economic storm.

If you are facing forclosure, please visit American Residential Law Group for information on how you may be able to stop foreclosure and reduce your monthly payment.

Homeowners who can't refinance with your lender because the value of your home has fallen below the amount of the mortgage also qualify for this free service offered by The Fair Home Loan Bureau.

Relieve yourself of one more stress this holiday season by reducing your monthly debt with help from FHLB.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of American Residential Law Group.

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How to Earn Extra Cash for Christmas While Working From or Out Of Your Home

Yeah, I know. My last post was just about Halloween - and now here I am yapping about Christmas.

But no sooner will the Halloween candy treats be gone until Christmas is knocking on our doors.

I'm not sure about you, but I'm always up for extra ways to earn cash for Christmas. Like my Halloween costume ideas, I may not always be original, but they're good ideas nonetheless. Such as:

• Gift Wrapping Services:  While I enjoy shopping,  I hate wrapping.  And I know I'm not alone.  For a reasonable fee, many of us would be happy to turn this chore over to someone else.
• Gal/Guy Friday:  The weeks just before Thanksgiving through the New Years are busy, busy, busy.  Offer to run errands (such as bill paying, short list grocery shopping, dog walking, Airport shuttling, etc.) for a fee.  Not only will you earn a rate set by you, but you'll also be servicing customers during a generous tipping season.
• Santa Letters:  Children love Santa Claus.  And parents like manipulating their children's behavior with the threat of Santa Claus.  Create a simple site and getting ready to write.  If you enjoying doing this, you can keep it up all year with letters from the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, etc.
• Mystery Shop:  Nope, all offers aren't a scam; but companies that want to pay for the information are.  Get free products, set rate pay, and more just by reporting about a store's customer service, cleanliness, and more.  Visit www.volition.com for FREE information on how to get started.
• Bake:  Who doesn't love to give fresh, homebaked goodies to friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues?  Yet some of us don't have the talent.  If you do, put it to use - and those us without the Martha-Stewart-gene will thank you!

There's a few ideas that will hopefully get you started.  If you'd like to add any to the list, please feel free to comment! :)

Happy Holidays,

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Money Matters by Susan Hirshman

The author of Does This Make My Assets Look Fat shares her tips on how to manage your finances and invest like a pro!

Financial expert Susan Hirshman, author of the brand new book "Does This Make My Assets Look Fat" answers our readers' burning money questions and breaks down the concept of investing and budgeting and puts it into terms any woman can understand.

As Susan sees it, the rules of successful dieting are the same rules that apply to successful money management. In her new book, Susan offers women a 3-phase personalized plan that follows common dieting programs to help them understand their finances.

Susan's program completely removes the intimidation factor that often accompanies the words 'personal finance' and 'investing' and provides women with all the information they need to take control of their financial situations once and for all.    

Question from Joey at Real Mom Media: If you have a small business-at what point should you get an LLC or become a 'company'? (I've been doing a LOT more blog advertising, sponsorships, ambassador programs-and not sure how to claim them...)

Answer: To LLC/S-corp or not to LLC/S-corp that is the question? Thankfully, the answer to this question, does not take as much introspection and contemplation as Shakespeare's to be or not to be. If you can answer yes to these questions (especially 1 thru 3), you should talk to a CPA and create the entity that is right for you:

Is the business more than a hobby? In other words, is it a viable business?
Is the business starting to accumulate assets and debt?
Do you want to limit your liability ( in case of law suits etc) to your corporate assets vs your corporate and personal assets?
Do you anticipate having employees?
Are you concerned about IRS audit risk?

Keep in mind that creating an entity is an additional cost. You have filing fees, legal and accounting fee's etc. The benefits generally outweigh the costs. The bottom line is, in most cases, it makes sense to become a company sooner than later.

Susan L. Hirshman is a former managing director at JP Morgan. She holds an M.B.A. from Baruch College and is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Financial Planner and a Chartered Financial Analyst. She currently lives in Manhattan.

If you have a money question for Susan, email us at beth@rolemommy.com.

*This post is sponsored by the Role Mommy Writer's Network.

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Find Legal Answers to Your Debt Questions

Within the last year, I've noticed a steady increase in searches that include terms such as "debt reduction," "pay off debt," and "how to avoid foreclosure."

No doubt this is a result of the current state of the American economy.

As the availability of jobs decreases and more businesses close and/or relocate overseas, more Americans are looking for a way to manage their debt and save their homes.

American Residential Law Group is a blog operated by experienced attorneys and sure to be the much-needed free resource for those searching for the answers to one of life's hardest situations.

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