MyDebtFreeForum.com

Last November, my husband and I were in a rough financial spot. I was only working 3 days a week after having been laid off for 6 months, we had a new baby, and his job was, well, less than great. We had tried contacting the bank directly about a loan modification, but they wouldn't even discuss it - they wanted us to refinance, which would've meant closing costs and a down payment of at least 10%. If I had that kind of cash lying around, I wouldn't be worried about paying the mortgage, so that was a waste of time.

After seeing one of those commercials on TV for a Mortgage Loan Modification, I decided that it might be the answer. ...

There are nearly as many investing strategies as there are investors, and even more concerns and fears.

When I was first thought of investing my money, I immediately talked myself out of it. The only topic covered in finance classes in high school was the stock market, and we all know how volatile that can be. I was afraid of putting my money into a stock, and losing it all. Surely a savings account was a safer option.

Secondly, I had gotten the idea somewhere along the line that only "rich" people invested their money. I suppose I had some vague idea that investing was the territory ...

Ok!! You have arrived at the toughest and most rewarding step on the road to debt recovery - paying it down!!

By now you should have a pretty good idea of how much debt you have, what your monthly expenses are, and what your short- and long-term goals are.

So, what's the fastest way to pay it down?

Back when I first started trying to pay down my debts, I made a HUGE error. I thought "Hey, I'll be smart, and pay a little extra on everything every month, and it'll all come down faster!"

Now, this sounds like good advice. Especially when the credit card rates are crippling, and the principal on the mortgage is sooooo high even after three years, and the faster the car is paid off, the sooner your insurance ...

Janice (she's my lady) has long wanted a T-Fal 1qt. saucepan with cover. Seems the only way to get it is in a complete set of T-Fal cookware and since she already had all the other pieces she wants there was no justifying spending about $60 and probably donating the old pieces to the Salvation Army for example.

One day she came home carrying the T-Fal box under her arm. After taking out the saucepan and cover she decided the square griddle might be a pretty nice addition too (as it ...

I hear from home business owners that are starting up a business a lot. We chat back and forth and there are a few common threads or types of ideas that seem to be attractive, but in reality, are dire traps that can ruin a start-up's chance of succeeding.

One of those traps is the fallacy of tax deductions. It's a vile and wicked trap, very often promoted by people that simply want to sell you something without regards to your long term viability. Let's take a look at tax deductibility and when it's a good thing and when it's seriously stupid.

Here's something to remember. If it's tax ...

In many places, a car is an absolute necessity to get to work, get around, basically just exist and get things done. Unfortunately, they are really expensive things to operate. So, how do you reduce or even disappear the operating costs?

In the United States, the IRS will supply the means to do this. Pretty amazing, but that's the truth. Here's how it's done.

First, you need a business. Something designed to produce income, but fits the definition of a business and not a hobby. I have an EIN (Employer Identification Number) from the IRS. You can get these on line at the IRS web site.

http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/...=98350,00.html ...