Financial Education for Suddenly Single Women

Mortgage crisis?  Is it over?  Or are more foreclosures expected?

According to Ocwen Financial, whose subsidiary, Ocwen Loan Financing LLC holds 350,000 mortgages, things are looking up.  They report that since the mortgage crisis began in 2007, this is the first time they have seen the number of delinquencies flatten.

Ocwen says this is a first step and not a definitive sign that we have turned the corner on foreclosures.  They are however hopeful, that with steps they have put in place that more home owners will be able to retain their homes.

What does that mean for you?  If you are an Ocwen Financial customer, you may have options available to you to help keep your home.  Check with your customer support representative to see what they can do to help you avoid foreclosure.

Also, the federal government is also working on plans to reduce the devastation of the subprime mortgage market.

The naysayers of course are telling everyone who will listen that those living in California and Florida are in for a long wait to see a turnaround.  They claim that there was rampant overbuilding and speculation and therefore it will be a long time before Californians or Floridians see any improvement.

You decide.  Are you better off today?  Are things improving in your area?

Are homes selling in your area?  Or are people still walking away from mortgages they can  no longer afford?

I think this crisis will be fixed by mortgage lenders working with home owners to reduce interest rates and thus payments so people can once again afford to own their own homes.  Until that occurs we will not see an improvement in foreclosures.

To your financial future.

Due to weather concerns and teaching 2 basic income tax classes I overslept and did not deliver my regular Wednesday morning money matters radio show.  I apologize for those who have come to enjoy that 1/2 hour per week when we discuss financial matters.

I will make every effort to ensure that does not happen again.

In other news, the silly season is in full swing on the political front.  Only 2 months to go until the election and the mud slinging is in high gear.  Since when is a woman raising a family unqualified to handle a stressful job?   Have they tried raising a family? 

Well enough of my soapbox.  The latest topic on congress’ agenda seems to be fixing the mortgage/foreclosure crisis.  Stay tuned as we see what wonderful options congress creates to solve the problem prior to the elections in November.

Are you tracking your expenses?  Are you having fun at least once a month?  Keep up the good work!

I believe in you

I know it is the end of August. The tax year ends on December 31 for the average American. So what is she talking about - tax time is approaching? It is still months away.

Actually now is the time to review your current financial situation.

Own your own business? Do you have a retirement plan set up for yourself? Are you contributing to it? Many of these plans need to be established by December 31 though you may be able to make 2008 contributions in 2009. However, if the plan is not established before December 31 you will not be able to take the deduction on your 2008 tax return.

What about itemized deductions? Have you added up your real estate taxes, personal property taxes, state income taxes, interest you paid on your mortgage, and any charitable contributions you have made? Would sending an extra $100 to your favorite charity make it possible for you to itemize this year rather than take the standard deduction?

What about education expenses?

Not sure what all this means?

You have a couple of choices to find out more.

1st you can make an appointment with your tax professional and ask them to help you assess where you are.

or

2nd you can sign up to tax a basic tax class to learn more about doing your own taxes. Tax classes can be fun and better understanding of your own tax situation can ensure you pay the least tax you are legally required to pay.

If you choose to take the basic income tax class at H&R Block you can tell them Josette Mandela refered you.

Want to hear more about tax topics. You can listen to a reply of the August 27 radio show that I did. Go to www.blogtalkradio.com/josettemandela and hear about a variety of tax deductions and strategies for reducing your tax burden.

An educated consumer gets the best deals. So start now and have a better experience filing your 2008 tax return.

I believe in you.

Yes, it’s hard to believe. Once again I am teaching the Basic Income Tax class for H&R Block getting new preparers ready for the coming tax season. Is it something you would like to do? Do you like doing taxes? Do you find it stimulating to talk about saving money? Are you the kind of person who wants a fun, seasonal job - work 4 months of the year and have the rest of the year off?

Then consider signing up to take the Basic Income Tax class from H&R Block and pass the final exam with a score of 80 or better. You can contact your local H&R Block office for more information or visit HRBlock.com. Follow the link to tax classes and sign up.

I’ve been teaching classes for H&R Block for the last 3 years and love to see my students succeed.

Even if you do not want to work for H&R Block, take a tax class to learn how to better prepare your own tax return. Are you sure you are taking every deduction you are entitled to?

Tax laws change every year so consider taking a refresher class. Classes are starting this week. If September is too busy for you consider taking our classes starting at the end of September. The only difference is classes that start this week run 12 weeks with 2 classes per week. Waiting until the end of September has classes meeting 8 weeks with 3 classes per week.

Check your calendar and see what works best for you. I personally love working for H&R Block as a tax pro and if you like helping people save money I think you will love it too.

I believe in you.

I have recently become a newspaper columnist and posted my first article on Tuesday, July 1st. I have decided it would be a twice a month column, posted on the first and third Tuesdays of each month.

My column can be found online at Times Union community columnists, http://www.jacksonville.com/community/cc/financialfreedom/

Check it out. Let me know what other topics you would like to see in the column. Though I do these things because I enjoy them, I am more interested in helping you get your financial house in order.

Talk to me. Leave messages on the blog, comments on my column, or call into my radio show www.blogtalkradio.com/josettemandela .

I believe in you!

Every Wednesday at 8am eastern here me disccuss current news and finance. Get your questions on managing your money answered or just listen to the show. Unlike the radio shows that you listen to in your car, my shows are recorded and archived so you can listen to them later.

The link to the radio show is www.blogtalkradio.com/josettemandela

Click on this link to check out the archives, bookmark this link so you can come back again for the live show.

I believe in you! Read the rest of this entry »

Ok, so maybe suggesting Josette Mandela will become the next Neal Boortz is wishful thinking and yet….

After reading Neal Boortz colorful life story on his website I must admit, there are a lot of similiarities in our background.  Only Josette Mandela was the A-/B+ student that Neal probably loved to hate as she always was breaking those Bell curves and forcing the teachers to find more creative ways to offer passing grades to the students who did not do so well on the exams.

Anyway, what Josette Mandela and Neal Boortz have in common is having a multitude of jobs as well as being talk radio show hosts.  You can find Josette Mandela on www.blogtalkradio.com/JosetteMandela on Wednesday mornings at 8am eastern. 

I like to think that having all those different jobs make me more attuned to what my listeners are going through.  By understanding where they are coming from I can more quickly focus them on what they need to do to get out of the financial chaos they are in.

Check out the existing archives of the shows you have missed and see what you think of the newest radio talk show host.  Her topic is financial basics - figuring out where your money is going so you can then manage it.  More importantly to have FUN while managing your money so you stick with it and get where you want to be.  Her goal is to get all her loyal listeners to Financial Freedom, whatever that might mean to them.  Whether it is to work fewer hours, live in a home with no mortgage and drive a nice car or to own their own business and donate lots of time and money to charity, Josette’s step by step plan will help them reach their goals.

Hope to hear you on the show.

I believe in you!

Meet the newest radio talk show host, Josette Mandela!

Yes, I have been doing some research on bringing you more timely information and decided to create a radio talk show to go with my website and blog.  To tune in and hear previous shows, go to www.blogtalkradio.com/josettemandela .

Also go to www.blogtalkradio.com/josettemandela to see the schedule for live broadcasts, topics to be covered, and how you can join the discussion live on the air.

Feel free to leave comments here as to topics you are interested in and then check the schedule often to see when that segment will be on the air.    Don’t want to wait?

Have a burning question you want answered now about your situation?  Call into the weekly show and we can discuss it.  Remember it is a live show and there are other people on the line.  Also, the show is recorded and posted to the web so anyone who missed that week’s episode can replay it later.  You can also leave a post here on the blog and I will use the information from your question in an upcoming show.

Keep in mind the talk show is about financial basics.  Managing your money, tracking expenses, and investment strategies.  It is not designed for in depth discussion on exotic investments or even specific investment choices.  I am not a financial planner and not a registered securities trader.

This means we can not get into specifics about your investments, we can discuss what different investment options are available, how to find someone to help you with that type of investment, with the main purpose being to empower you to make decisions about your financial situation.

I believe in you!  Hope to “see” you on the show.

Yes, I have done some research and found a new medium to communicate with my loyal subscribers.

I have added an internet based radio program to the mix. You can now talk live to me about anything that confuses you about your financial situation.

Missed an episode? Then click here and listen to the replays.

I believe in you!

The long awaited membership site for The suddenly single women is officially operational.

Click on the link and see what you think.  New articles, videos, and teleseminars
will be arriving weekly so check back often.

Let me know what you think.

I believe in you.