post — Phoebe Santo @ 10:28 am — post Comments (0)

Do you have any advice for a family of six with only $200 a month to spend on food? My wife and I are in dire need of advice, as our bills keep increasing but neither of us has gotten a raise in six years. We have two garnishments on our paychecks that effectively take 50% of what we make. After health insurance and 401(k) loans are deducted, we bring home $2,000 a month. Our rent takes $1,400 of that and utilities take most of the rest. Do you have any miracle advice for us?

Answer: Many families are facing your dilemma: flat incomes with rising costs. But your wage garnishments and 401(k) loans indicate you have a history of mismanaging your money, which has led to even more pain.

You need the advice of an experienced bankruptcy attorney. Wage garnishments by federal law aren’t supposed to exceed 25% of your disposable income, and state laws often provide even lower limits. If you can get your garnishments adjusted or have them wiped out in a bankruptcy filing, you may be able to create more breathing room.

In the meantime, see whether you qualify for the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as food stamps). If

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post — Ella Freehill @ 3:45 am — post Comments (0)

Consumer banking offerings provided by bank of America are changing as public buying behavior and government regulations are undergoing a lot of changes.

The company will soon switch to a ‘tiered program’ which is being tested for customers in Massachusetts, Georgia and Arizona for its checking products.  Once a pilot program in these states is completed, the products will be available in other states as well.

Consumers are looking at banking products that are straightforward and simple and will be available to them 24/7. In order to emerge from the downturn, the strategy being employed is to ask consumers what is important to them and delivering products to them by knowledgeable associates who will do what they expect them to do.

The consumer checking account packages will be four in number, the eBanking account, the enhanced account, the premium account and the basic ‘essentials’ account. There will be fees per month for each of these account types and these can however be avoided except in the case of the essentials account which has a $6 fee on it. By maint

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post — Ella Freehill @ 4:58 pm — post Comments (0)

Viking State Bank & Trust is a stellar bank that provides clients with consistent, high-quality financial services and products. Today, Viking State Bank & Trust is offering a checking account interest rate of .50% APY.

In order to be eligible for this checking account rate, there is a $750 minimum balance required. Rate is effective as of February 8, 2011 but is subject to change at any time without prior notice at Viking State Bank & Trust’s discretion. Please contact the financial institution directly for more information regarding this NOW Checking Account.

The Viking State Bank has been serving Northeast Iowa for the past 15 years, and since opening, the bank has grown to over 100 million in assets and 80 million in loans. They are a full-service financial institution and offer a complete line of high quality bank products. The Viking State Bank & Trust staff also makes customer service a top priority and gives each customer the friendly yet professional attention they deserve. This bank has two convenient branch locations in Decorah, Iowa.

post — Ella Freehill @ 5:31 am — post Comments (0)

Today’s certificate of deposit rate deal comes from Country Bank, a local Illinois bank that is currently offering a great 6-month CD rate of .80% APY.

In order to be eligible for this CD rate, you must deposit at least $500. Interest can be paid by adding to the face amount of the certificate, by check or by depositing directly to your checking or savings account. Please note that a penalty may apply to early withdrawals and rates are subject to change at any time.

Country Bank is a locally owned, locally controlled bank to be headquartered in Aledo, Illinois. It was founded in 2000. In 2003, shareholders approved the formation of CB Holding Corp–Country Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of CB Holding Corp. Branches can be found in Aledo and Edgington. You’re encouraged to visit the branch near you to learn more about the deposit accounts, interest rates and additional financial products and services offered by this bank.

post — Phoebe Santo @ 2:51 am — post Comments (0)

Calling all accompanying partners and trailing spouses – have you ever thought about turning your skills and experience into a career opportunity? Teaching abroad in an international school, if only on a short-term contract, could prove fulfilling on many levels.

We hate the term ‘trailing spouse’ at Shelter Offshore – it conjures up an image of a reluctant partner who drags along behind their dynamic spouse, weighing them down and burdening them in some way.  The truth is actually so far from this perceived persona – so we have renamed the traditional trailing spouse role to that of accompanying partner!

Jane Denby is an accompanying partner: “I go where my husband’s job takes me,” she says.  So far, that’s been to Oman, Brunei, Dubai, Holland – and the Denbys are now in Russia thanks to husband Patrick’s work as a reservoir engineer with Shell. 

Several years ago, knowing that her job would never be permanent for long, Jane trained as an EAL (English as an Additional Language) teacher: “to open up opportunities for me, wherever we’re living,” she explains.  As we will now show you, thanks to Jane’s example and experience, teaching abroad can be the perfect job opportunity for accompanying partners who travel with their spouse’s work overseas.

Learning to become a te

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