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Written by Ali Lawrence
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 The question of the tax season is: How do I increase my refund for tax year 2009? The answer? Based on the myriad of tax law changes, it is highly likely that you will get a bigger refund this year. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has made changes that affect from students to small business owners to single individuals. And as if that is not good enough news already, there is even an Economic Recovery Payment. The good news follows.
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Written by Luis Cuneo, Marketing Manager, IBM Corporation
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 I recently attended the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce National Convention in Denver, CO. Prior to the conference, I took note of how the USHCC was taking advantage of social media to promote their event and encourage individuals to network prior to the conference. The communication I received came through the LinkedIn social media site.
Social media marketing is a relatively new marketing discipline. I credit the USHCC for using this cost effective tool to drive awareness of their conference. However, there are pitfalls that can dilute the effectiveness of this marketing tool.. Based on my observation and analysis of the recent conference, I have identified five pitfalls that business professionals need to avoid when using social media.
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Written by Ali Lawrence
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 Lenders and employers use credit scores to measure applicants and potential hires. Unfortunately, many of us are measured and found lacking (30 million to be exact). A low credit score is a smear on an individual’s record that can greatly impact quality of life. The good news is that a low credit score can be enhanced. The bad news is that improvement is not an effortless process.
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Written by A. Peter Bailey
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 The term networking refers to the ability and willingness to extend professional avenues and advice to colleagues and other similarly related individuals in efforts to advance professional potential. The application of this concept would seem to be a natural motivation for anyone, as people generally tend to look out for the well being of those who they know, trust, and are close to. Consequently, you don’t have to look very hard to see how cultural groups like the Jewish, Asian, Middle Eastern, and Hispanic populations employ professional networking in their communities. Entire business ventures and highly successful corporations are often dominated by closely knit circles of personally affiliated individuals, who often share the same ethnic group. However that same dynamic is not so apparent when looking at the functionality of Black professionalism in today’s world. We not only lack in supporting our own businesses, we also often fail to extend the same benefits of success to colleagues and younger generations who share our culture.
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Written by Ali Lawrence
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Credit is a way of life in America. Love it or hate it but you will have to deal with it. According to the Federal Reserve Board, the decrease in the Household Debt Service Ratio (DSR) and Financial Obligations Ratio (FOR) due to the ‘credit crunch’ has been immaterial. DSR is a calculation of the ratio of debt payments to disposable income. FOR is the DSR plus expenses such as auto payments, rent, homeowners insurance and property taxes. This means that although credit is harder to come by due to the recession, the American lifestyle has not changed. Didn’t I tell you? In the first quarter of 2009, the DSR stood at 13.48 and FOR at 18.50 and 17.31 for renters and homeowners, respectively. Consumer debt, with credit card debt accounting for a large percentage, stands at 6.02 of FOR. |
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