1. Sell your stuff. We all have extra “stuff” around our house that we don’t use. Gather it all up and sell it. For more expensive items, consider Craigslist or eBay. For other items such as clothes or smaller household goods, have a garage sale.
2. Take out a short term loan. There are plenty of places you can get short term loans from pay day loan companies to credit card advances. These loans are available quickly, and are the fastest way to get the money.
3. Borrow from your peers. A relatively new place to borrow money is through peer-to-peer lending sites. You submit some documents related to your credit, the peer-to-peer site assigns you a letter grade based on your credit worthiness, and other members can choose to fund your loan, essentially investing in your loan.
4. Borrow from friends or family. If you want to preserve the relationship, care must be taken here. Take the time to fill out a “contract” detailing how much was borrowed, what the interest rate will be if applicable, what day you will pay each month, and how much you will repay monthly. Then, make sure you make the monthly payments on time.

If you are in the position where you need money quickly, consider using one or more of the strategies above. If you are taking out one of these loans, make sure you completely understand the terms of the agreement and, most importantly, that you have a plan for paying the debt off so you can rid yourself of this debt as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, if you don’t have one, consider starting a small emergency fund to help protect you in the future from unexpected expenses. Even contributions as nominal as $5 or $10 a week can slowly grow your emergency fund. In addition, every time you have an extra windfall such as a work bonus, overtime pay, or a tax refund, consider funneling that money into your emergency fund too. Then, just be sure not to use the emergency fund for any purpose other than a true emergency. With diligence, the next time you have an emergency, you will be able to draw some or all of the money from your own savings.

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This is why accounting and CRM systems are so closely linked. As you probably know, CRM stands for customer relationship management and, like accounting, it is an important part of any business. A good piece of CRM software can help a business
to keep track of customer data, including all of its clients and the progress of sales as they proceed.

As well as being very useful for any members of staff who are involved with sales and customer service, this is also useful from an accounting point of view. This is because a good CRM system helps to keep everything in order. After all, accounting isn’t
necessarily all financial and so the rest of the company’s records also need to be clear and accounted for. This helps to make the company more accountable to stakeholders – and also makes it more efficient as it will always know what is going on and where relevant information is.

For instance, as well as financial information, the accounting department might also be interested to see how much your contact list has grown in recent months. This is something they would be able to glean from your CRM software, as this would act as a central database with all of the relevant information stored on it. They might also want to check particular sales to make sure the figures they have got match up; the information stored in the CRM system could again be useful here, especially if an accurate and comprehensive record has been kept.

Other members of staff are also likely to need to account for their actions in the course of their work. A good example here is communications: if someone has the responsibility to send out a regular email newsletter to your company’s contacts, they might need to keep a regular check on this to evidence their actions. CRM solutions can be used to schedule and administrate communications such as this, meaning that they can act as a valuable accounting tool for more than just money.

Overall, CRM software does not replace your ordinary accounting software as its primary focus is on customers rather than financial issues. However, it is easy to see how these two areas overlap, as well as how a good CRM system can aid your
accounting processes and make sure your business keeps accurate records for all aspects of the company. This way, if your business is ever subject to an audit you should be able to prove that you have followed procedure as necessary and that you
have a high quality system in place to account for all of the actions you undertake.

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The Cash for Clunkers program is now dead. There is no more money left for the program. Dealers will have until tonight to file any claims for deals made and many dealers have already stopped doing Clunker deals since last Thursday and Friday.

The controversial program offered rebates of up to $4,500 to those people who were trading in cars that had 18 MPG or less to purchase brand new cars. The original money for the program ran out quickly and additional funds were approved by Congress to extend the program.

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Did you know that today is Earth Day? In honor of today, I’m going to outline some ways to go green and save some green, too! I believe that going green is biblical. Yes, you heard that right.

The Bible talks about being good stewards on this earth. That means making sure that we’re not wasteful and being good stewards of this planet that God has given to us to take care of.

1. Save Energy

I have CFL’s (compact fluorescent light bulbs) throughout my entire house. If you haven’t made the switch yet (shame on you), buy CFL’s and replace when your regular bulbs burn out. They may be a little more expensive but they last longer and use less electricity than regular light bulbs. So you’ll save money in the long run and help the environment!

Turn off lights when not in use and consider unplugging unused electronics when not in use. These will suck electricity even when they’re turned off. Or you could just plug things into a power strip and turn that off when not in use.

How about setting your thermostat a few degrees higher in the summer and a few degrees lower in the winter? That will save on your energy bill and you probably won’t even notice the difference! Almost in the same vein, adjust your water heater lower. It will save you money and you probably won’t notice as well.

2. Save Water

Install low-flow toilets, shower heads, and even faucets to save on that water bill. Consider getting energy-efficient appliances that use less water (like washing machines). It’ll save you money in the long-run and you could qualify for some state-specific tax breaks.

You could set your sprinkler system to water your lawn earlier in the morning so the water doesn’t evaporate quickly. Here’s an easy one. Take shorter showers! That’ll save you some money!

You could also skip out on bottled water and use a water filtration system in your refrigerator or something like a Brita pitcher. Bottled water costs $8 per gallon if you pay $1.25 for a 20 oz bottle! And we’re complaining about the “high” cost of gas! Bottled water is also not necessarily healthier than from the tap.

3. Save on Gas

Consider walking/biking/carpooling/public transporting (is that even a word?) to work or school. This will save you money on gas and possible parking costs as well. An added benefit could be getting some much needed exercise, too! You could ask (convince) your boss if you could telecommute a day or two a week if you can do your job at home, too.

Here’s a good one: learn how to drive! Quick acceleration and hard braking will reduce your gas mileage, not to mention add wear and tear to your brakes and tires. Slowing down will also increase your gas mileage.

4. Be a Smart Shopper

Stop and think before you buy! Do you really need this or can you live without it? Sleep on it. That’s what I do. Consider buying used instead of new. Browse craigslist or freecycle to see if you can find someone who’s giving away stuff that you want or need. Borrow if you can (go to the library to check out books and movies).

Share with your neighbors! If you rent a movie, why not let your neighbor borrow it before you return it? I know this one’s hard since nobody knows their neighbors anymore.

Comparison shop. Don’t just take their word for it. Just because they say it’s on sale, doesn’t mean it’s the best price or value. Just because they’re going out of business (think Circuit City) doesn’t mean the stuff’s a good deal! Do your homework!

5. Recycle!

I’ve always lived a lifestyle of recycling. My dad taught me to recycle aluminum cans, plastic, glass, paper, etc. at an early age. Not only are you going to help the planet, you’ll make a little cash, too!

Don’t create so much trash! There are some countries in the world where there’s not enough space for landfills and it’s a crime to throw too much stuff away. Don’t use plastic or paper goods (plates, cups, etc.) if you don’t have to. Use those real dishes. That’s what the dishwasher is for!

Well, hopefully you’ve got some great ideas on how to save the planet and some cash, too! God bless!

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Happy President’s Day and happy Christian Finance Blog Inauguration Day! This day is finally upon us! This marks a new beginning for the blog! It’s a brand new theme, a brand new url (www.christianfinanceblog.com) and a whole new feed!

Christian Finance Blog is now on a dedicated host and not on WordPress.com. And what perfect timing! Christian Finance Blog turned two on February 11th. It’s hard to believe that the blog is already starting its third year in existence! I never knew I would be blogging this long when I first started back in 2007. But I’m glad I did and I want to focus more time to it going forward!

Get ready for a Presidential Giveaway tomorrow! Subscribe to the Christian Finance Blog feed so you don’t miss out on any of the great prizes that I’m going to give away! There’s going to be a lot at stake! Here’s a hint: get ready for taxes by going Turbo and “live like no one else, so you can live like no one else.”

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Also, the email subscriptions on the top right are not working right now. The feeds are also not the correct ones. Please use this feed instead and you’ll always be up to date on the blog. I’m working on fixing these problems.

I’ve also added Polls on the right sidebar. Make sure you check it out and vote on the latest poll if you haven’t already!

And remember, CFB Inauguration Day is coming February 16th!

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Did you know that the world’s richest man’s credit score is only 718? How can a billionaire like Warren Buffet have an average credit score? Even my credit score is higher than his! He really doesn’t need to even borrow money since his net worth is “only” about $62 billion. He can just pay with cash! But what’s the explanation for his average credit score?

Well, the FICO (Fair Issac Corporation) score doesn’t take into account wealth or assets. What the FICO credit score (which is the score that most lenders use) takes into account is your payment history, amounts owed, length of credit history, new credit, and types of credit used (in order of importance). It measures how much of a risk you are to a lender and has a range between 300 and 850.

The FICO credit score is important because it’s not only used by lenders (which affects interest rates on loans). Potential employers can check your credit and you may be passed up for a job because of poor credit. Landlords can also check your credit and might not rent to you. Most insurance companies are also now basing your insurance policy on your credit score. Utilities companies and cell phone companies can even use your score.

So what can you do to improve your score (or establish a score if you don’t have one?) The best thing you can do is to pay your bills on time. This includes utility bills, rent, cell phone bills, and any installment loan payments (car loans, mortgages, student loans, etc.). Pay your credit cards on time every month, or better yet, pay them off every single month. Keep your debt-to-credit limit ratio (the amount owed versus the total credit limit) low.

If you don’t have a credit score (common among younger people), you can take some steps to establish your credit. Consider taking out a credit card with a low credit limit and use it to buy things that you would buy anyway (like gas) and pay it off every month. If you’re in school, you could also consider taking out a small student loan. The longer your credit history, the better, so as your credit ages, your score will improve. I’m not saying that you should go take out lots of loans and credit cards just so you can establish your credit. Don’t borrow if you don’t have to. But you can take some steps now to establish or improve your credit. Knowing is the first step!

Source: MyFico

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On February 17, 2009, television will only be broadcast in digital rather than analog signals. What does this mean for you? You will need to buy a converter box only if you currently use an antenna to receive your television signal.

If you currently use cable, satellite, or have a built-in digital TV tuner, you do not need a converter box or need to do anything else. If you still need a converter box, you can apply for two free $40 coupons per household to offset the cost of converter boxes from now until February 17, 2009 or until they run out.

You don’t need to buy a new TV like many people were saying. All you need is a converter box so don’t use this as an excuse to buy something that you might not need.

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You can use the IRS’s own online calculator to figure out exactly how much of a rebate you’ll get and whether or not you’re eligible.

I’ve written about this special stimulus rebate here and here.

Source: IRS

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The proposed $150 billion “economic stimulus package” by President Bush is promising rebates of between $300 and $1200 or more to the low and middle class people of the United States to help kickstart the economy by giving money to those who are most likely to spend it. Why don’t you go against the current and actually save it instead of spending it?

Here are the quick facts on the proposed plan:

1. Most single taxpayers will receive a $600 check
2. Dual-income households will receive $1200.
3. For each child (dependent) you will receive $300 each.
4. Workers who made at least $3,000 but didn’t pay taxes will receive $300 ($600 for those married and filing jointly).
5. Income limitations are $75,000 for single taxpayers and $150,000 for couples.
6. Apparently all of this is based on your 2006 tax return.

The legislation has not passed yet, although it most likely will and is being pushed strongly by President Bush. But if and when it does pass, you can expect your rebate checks to come in May or June of this year (2008). Just file your 2007 taxes just like normal.

All I can say is to not act like you’ve already got the money and spend an extra $600 on something you don’t need! I’ll probably get $600 as a single taxpayer and I’ll most likely just boost my emergency savings or pay down debt or both. All I know is that I’m not going to act like I have it and spend it before I get it. It will be a welcome surprise in my budget come May or June!

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I hope that everyone had a happy holiday season and is ready to tackle another new year! I believe this year can be your turnaround year! Let this be your year of new beginnings! With a new year brings new goals, new life situations, and a fresh outlook on life. Don’t let this year be just another year. With that being said, here are my top money goals for 2008:

1. Save more, spend less. One of the golden rules to becoming wealthy is spending less than you make. Live on less than you make and you can use the extra to pay down debt or invest for your future. If you can’t do this, you need to make more money!

2. Pay down debt. Yes, even a personal finance blogger like me has debt! But I have a plan to get out of debt and although I won’t be debt-free this year, I’m still making progress. I want to pay off my car within a couple years. I’m sick of a car payment…

3. Beef up my emergency fund. I have an emergency savings account that’s not quite up to 6 months of expenses. I want to achieve that this year and some extra. I currently have my emergency fund at FNBO Direct (currently at 5.05%) and ING Direct (currently at 4.10%). If you want a free $25 bonus for opening an ING account with at least $250 to start your emergency fund, make sure to contact me.

4. Start saving for Christmas now. Christmas is not an emergency! Christmas happens to land on December 25 every year and yet many people end up charging Christmas on their plastic credit cards and end up paying way too much in interest. Start saving now and pay cash! I plan on doing that starting right now.

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$571 billion:

The aggregate value of adjustable-rate home mortgages that will reset, or switch from a low fixed rate to a higher variable rate, through the end of 2008. After living large off introductory rates as low as 1% (or zero, in the case of interest-only ARMs), Americans will pay an extra $42 billion in mortgage payments next year.

$1,018:

Average increase in monthly payments for reset mortgages. That includes even responsible prime borrowers, who will pay an average of about $450 more. But it’s the “teaser” borrowers – the big spenders who patted themselves on the back in 2003 and 2004 for that initial less-than-2% rate – who will get the strongest dose of reality: an average increase of $1825, way more than double their initial payments.

(From September 17, 2007 issue of Fortune Magazine)

The mortgage crisis of today is a great lesson on why not to take out “creative” or “exotic” mortgages like adjustable rate mortgages and interest-only mortgages. That’s why I’ve always recommended 30-year fixed rate mortgages, and even better, 15-year fixed. If you can’t afford a house with a traditional, 30-year fixed rate mortgage, then you can’t afford that house. Either look for a cheaper house or save up some more for a down payment so the loan amount decreases. But do not take out an adjustable rate mortgage at any cost. It will end up biting you in the butt later.

As foreclosure rates hit all-time highs, and many people around the country are losing their homes, it’s good wisdom not to buy anything you can’t afford. If you take out an ARM (adjustable-rate mortgage) the interest rate is fixed for a certain term (one, two, three etc. years) and then it converts into a much higher variable rate that can go up or down, affecting your payment. So just avoid it altogether!

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Want to know where you rank as far as your annual income or salary? Many people just don’t realize how well off and blessed we are in the United States compared to many of the the world’s poor. Even if you were making the federal minimum wage of $5.15 an hour (which equates to about $10,712 annually) and is definitely not a livable wage, you would actually be the 789,723,668th richest person in the world. Not only that, you are richer than 86.84% of the entire world! Doesn’t that put some perspective to your money? A person making $40,000 a year would rank in the top 3.17% in the world! A person making $100,000 a year, which is possible in the U.S., would rank in the 0.66% in the world! That’s right, it’s in the top 2/3′s of a percent! How about you? Check it out!

Source: http://www.globalrichlist.com/index.php

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It’s very interesting to look at some financial norms or habits in different cultures around the world. I recently ran across this:

“Terms of mortgages are an interesting area of cross-cultural differences in financial services. The typical mortgage in the United States is for 30 years, whereas in Canada mortgages are issued for five years, with repeated refinancing every five years. In Mexico, most people pay cash for houses because mortgages are virtually unavailable. And in Japan 100-year mortgages are quite common and often pass along with the house or flat to the next generation.” (Zeithaml, Bitner, Gremler, 2006)

100-year mortgages?! The mortgage would outlive you and me! Even in so-called industrialized countries, the differences in mortgage terms is very different. Just thought I’d share some random facts from around the world.

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Remember those massive yellow books that you used to find on your doorstep one morning? Does anyone still use those things anymore? I know I don’t. Usually I go to www.superpages.com to find phone numbers and addresses for the places that I need.

But what if you need to find a number on the road? I usually use 1-800-FREE-411 but you have to listen to ads. I really don’t mind, since the service is free, but it does get annoying after a while. What is also very annoying is that the voice recognition is terrible and almost never got the place I was looking for on the first try.

Well, now Google is offering a free 411 service with absolutely no ads (at least not yet). Just call 1-800-GOOG-411 (1-800-466-4411). It only has business numbers in it now but that’s all I use 411 for anyway. The voice recognition is very sophisticated and the system is very fast. It’s almost as good as speaking to a real person. Try it out just to hear the computer voice!

It sure beats paying for 411 on your home or cell phone or listening to ads to get the same service.

Check out the Google Cheat Sheet for this 411 service so you can maximize your time!

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