Getting unsecured business loans in today’s economy may seem impossible. Fortunatly there are many programs out there that will help you out. By checking out the offerings of different banks, you may be able to find the financial backing you need. Don’t forget to look at local banks as well as the super huge chains. And remember to have a sound business plan ready before you even go in the door so that you can knock their socks off!

Did you know that it is possible to get an immediate annuity?  I really haven’t looked into how this works, but I assume that it involves some kind of up front investment.  Certainly, if this is something you are interested in you should talk to your financial advisor to see if this can be helpful for you.  Also you should think about what the tax ramifications are and see whether or not this would be beneficial for you.

As my birthday approaches, I find myself entering a new category of life: my late 30s. This is based on rounding since most people would think of this as mid 30s, but rounding doesn’t lie (over time).

Since moving out of my parents house, I’ve managed to stop receiving invitations to join AARP, but I still get solicitations for life insurance whenever I change ages. So now I’m doing the responsible thing and evaluating whether or not I need more life insurance. You know, cuz I don’t want my family to be thrown into financial chaos should I die.

Really, my husband should do this and when his birthday roles around, I should do his – that makes more sense.

Oh how I love tax time!

I’ve compiled all my data except for one item and I have to wait on the W-2 for that. I’ve printed out all my forms and done a dry run through the estimated numbers and am well pleased. I’ve figured out that I don’t need to file later like some people will since I don’t itemize or do either of the other two things that will keep some people from filing early but which I’ve forgotten for the moment.

Mind you, I really dislike doing my state taxes, but they took so much out this year, I might not owe too much this time around. Here’s hoping.

With new flood plane maps being released (at least in my neck of the woods) and with more people now being required to get flood insurance, you might find yourself in need of a new battle plan when it comes to insuring yourself and you possessions. Insurance quotes can come from many sources but going with the lowest dollar amount isn’t always the right way to go. Sometimes it’s nice to feel protected instead of just barely covered.

Listen to your agent but also ask your friends to see how their insurance has worked after they’ve made a claim.

Right now, playing the stock market is an extreme risk for all but the most experienced and most prepared people. It’s still quite volatile and there’s no way to know when a rebound is going to stick. If you choose to get into this market, be prepared to stumble a few times before you succeed. But to keep to a minimum your failures, make sure you go in armed with as much knowledge as you can.

You can’t just look at the NYSE section of the newspaper anymore. You need to find a company that will help with statistical analysis and make sure you have real time access to the current numbers. Check your Forex charts (find people who will give you the charts) and diversify.

You’re a brave soul – this market isn’t for the squeamish. Good Luck

If you’ve been injured and are unable to work, did you know that you may qualify for social security disability?  You don’t have to be of retirement age for you to get social security payments.  Just paying into the system can mean you’re qualified for disability payments.  If you find that you are no longer able to work, you may want to look into this option.

I’m definitely a person in search of a bargain.  My cost cutting measures have reached the point where the only place left to make significant cuts is the food budget.  I’ve got the cheapest car insurance, no cable bill, gone on the time-of-use plan for electricity, cut my gas bill in half and even switched to skim milk (cheaper than other milks at some stores).  But how do I make significant cuts and still feed the kids who see a fruit and then hoover said fruit.  It doesn’t matter how much fruit they eat, they want more.   And fruit is expensive.  I think we’re going to become “popvegan” (yes, I just made that up).  That would be people who eat no meat or animal by products – just butter free popcorn.  On special occasions I’ll let them add salt.

I HATE paying the bills.  It gives me a burst of negative energy that makes it difficult for me to be civil.  It’s not ME being a total meanie – it’s the bills that are MAKING me be a total meanie.  With an ‘ie’ and not a ‘y’.  I should know better than to try to come up with a budget on my daughter’s birthday.  So I officially am putting this away (just as soon as I make one vital money transfer that will keep us afloat for an additional week).  Oh how I long for the days when I could feel as if $10 in my account meant I was free an clear instead of living in this weird mire that makes me think $200 isn’t enough to cover the spending I’ve forgotten about.

Mr Toad visited Wall Street today. You know – it was a ‘wild ride’. Down about 1000 pts and then rebound but not to where it was. Greece is freaking people out. Somehow the fact that they’re trying to accept a bailout is a bad thing. And then there was some ill explained glitch with Proctor & Gamble stock that added to the freak out. I don’t think we can expect anything good from tomorrow (that’s my 10 hours in advance prognostication. Take that to the bank.

I’m updating my finances and through some strange method of balancing the books I have managed to have enough in my checking account to cover the bill to the tax man without dipping into my savings.  I’ve checked twice (and will probably check a dozen more times) but somehow my cash flow is looking…good.

Now I’ve jinxed it and some bill I forgot about will materialize and have to be paid immediately in order to keep living – like a breathing air bill or something like that.  And a part of me hopes that happens anyway because there’s no way I live in a reality where I can write a check and expect it to clear with no problem.  That would mean I’m *gasp* upper middle class! Ich!

During our outings to look at houses (yes, we move again) we saw a house with a flier that pictured a beautiful blue pool. When we saw it, of course, it had been awhile since the picture had been taken and the pool turned a bit green. I remember when we were selling our house and we had to keep it spotless everyday. We slaved to get it done and now the economy has turned and people have given up hope. So much so that they don’t even try to clean their pools or change their spa filters or skim leaves off the top after a storm. It’s really a very sad state of affairs.

I got my W2 the other day (making $5000 less in taxable income than I thought – OH YEAH!) and now I’ve got to get around to finding forms and filling them in. I like to start out by doing an estimate (over estimating all income and underestimating all deductions thereby freaking myself out) and then I make a list of all the documents I need to get actual results. Then as those come in I place them randomly around the house so that I can’t find them until April. I might modify the practice this year so that they are all in one place but that the place is secret so that I still can’t find it till April.

The worry of never finding what I need and having to file an extension gives me a little thrill.

In tough times like these you may be looking for ways to downsize or bring in some extra money.  One person in my family found that life was more green (as in flush with money) after getting rid of her car and thereby eliminating the car payment and the insurance payment as well.  It makes sence that the bigger the car the bigger the payment so you can imagine that many people are thinking about how to sell motorhomes that they no longer can afford.  Sure these things have lost value because of the price of gas but if you own yours outright, you are in a position to sell at a low, low price and still make a good deal of money. (Maybe not compared to what you paid for it, though.)

I bounced a check. It’s embarrassing to admit since I had the money in my savings account. I’m also quite willing to blame them since they took over a month to deposit the check. But still….

So now I’ve decided everything costs to much and I’m cutting costs. I’m getting a couple insurance quotes and I’ve resolved for the millionth time to drink more water (free at my local drinking fountain).

Don’t worry, I don’t think it’s so bad that I’ll have to stop going to movies and returning with my witting and sarcastic remarks about them (or maybe you wish I would?)

I am so MAD right now.

Just as I was thinking of calling my credit card to have them lower my interest rate, I got a notification from them that I was late on my last payment.  Those (insert derogitory name here)s didn’t post my last payment.

You know – the one that doesn’t show up in Quicken when I checked my dowloads on my computer.

The one that doesn’t show up as posting to my checking account.

The one that doesn’t show up in the history of bills paid from said checking account.

Sure I don’t CLEARLY remember making a payment in the last month but I always pay my bills so I must have paid this one.  And since I refuse to be mad at myself for what appears to be my error, I blame the credit card company and I’m mad at them.

And do you know what I’m going to do about this wrongful situation?!

Do you have ANY IDEA what I’m going to do?!

That’s right – nothing. (Well, I’ll probably go ahead and pay them.  But not in full – that’s what they WANT you to do.)

When it comes to cutting corners to make ends meet, some of us consider all the deductions taken at work and see how we can fiddle with that. Like any company we look at payroll as a way to reduce costs. I myself have started nixing some of the life insurance for our kids.

What sorts of things should you not touch? I think medical insurance goes without saying. If there’s a cheaper plan offered maybe look into it but definitely don’t get rid of it completely. Then there’s the option of getting rid of your disability insurance. Many of us haven’t invested in that in the first place but for those of us who have I think should keep it if it isn’t costing you too much. Most of the time it’s just a few dollars per month so it may be worth it even though the risk of disability is low.