Page 21 of 28

Three Reasons College is Costly

College is expensive. Research shows that a typical year at a four-year institution will cost between $20,000 and $40,000. College has grown to be such an expensive proposition that to many it’s a luxury. Growing bureaucracy, increasing technology, and the cost of living have increased the price of a college education. If you’re lucky, you can qualify for a grant or scholarship. If you are not, you have to find creative ways, like Plain Green Loans, to help keep the cost of college down to a reasonable level.

More Than a House

When you think about it, your college education is actually more expensive than your home. Even if you select a state institution, where tuition rates are typically lower, you can expect to pay over $100,00 for your education. Add in living expenses, incidentals, and loss of employment, and suddenly your education is costing you even more. Whether you’re a struggling college student or earning your degree while you’re working, paying for your education will be difficult, so be sure to have emergency funds available, like those from Plain Green Loans.

But Why?

The price of education has been on the rise for decades. Like anything, as the popularity and accessibility of college grew, so did the expenses attached to it. More administrators, teachers, and classrooms to house a rising number of students were needed. Technology budgets increased as education itself hit the digital age. Finally, the cost of living has impacted the cost of a college education. Many students find themselves relying on grants, loans, part-time jobs, and other various resources in order to pay for their education.

Creative Accounting

No matter how well-prepared you are financially, over the course of four or more years you will likely find yourself in a bind. Whether you have bills due or simply need some cash until payday, sometimes you just need money. Instead of not paying your bills or pulling your belt even tighter, consider taking a loan from a company like Plain Green Loans. It can help tide you over until pay day and save you from further financial debt.

A college education is expensive, but it is an investment in your future and one that is well worth it. Prepare yourself financially as much as possible, but don’t be afraid to take out loans when you are in need of a bit of help.

Chrysler repays $7.5 billion to U.S. government

With the announcement today that Chrysler will repay its $7.5 billion bailout loan it received from the U.S. government, the auto bailout has reached another milestone.

To get out of its credit fix, Chrysler has lined up loans of $4.3 billion and will issue $3.2 billion in bonds. Italy’s Fiat, which controls Chrysler, will kick in $1.3 billion and get 46% ownership.

Private money has stepped up, thus validating the approach taken by the Obama administration. It’s also a significant victory for all the employees at Chrysler who worked through this difficult period and came out with new versions of vehicles like the Dodge Charger pictured above and the new Chrysler 200.

Has Donald Trump destroyed his brand?

Donald Trump has put his brand on all sorts of products as he leverages his success over the years in real estate along with the his status as a reality TV celebrity. Yet he turned many people off with his bizarre and mean-spirited attacks on President Obama. He questioned Obama’s birth certificate, and then moved on to questioning Obama’s qualifications to get into Harvard Law School.

Basically, he came across as a jerk. Then, Obama smacked him down by releasing his birth certificate, mocking Trump in front of the Washington press corps and then interrupting “Celebrity Apprentice” with the news that Navy SEALS had killed Osama bin Laden.

Meanwhile, the press has started to dig into Trump’s business dealings, shining a light on some of Trump’s less impressive ventures. Trump is getting sued by some who purchased condos thinking they were Trump projects, only to find later when the project folded that Trump was just licensing his name.

These stories are now all over the media. So it begs the question – did Trump screw up with his high-profile, mean-spirited attacks on the President? Is this going to hurt his brand? I always thought he was a clown, but he didn’t bother me. Now, I have no interest in supporting anything he’s associated with. Others I’ve spoken to feel the same way.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out . . .

A double-dip recession in the housing market?

Things keep getting worse in the housing market as foreclosures glut the market and depress prices. It’s so bad that some are calling it a double-dip recession in the housing market.

If the numbers showing housing prices slumming it around their spring 2009 lows aren’t troubling enough, then the surrounding context certainly is. The federal government spent trillions of dollars lifting housing — the recession’s great instigator — out of its trough. And now that home prices have collapsed again, the feds have far fewer tools available to prop them up again.

This does not bode well for the entire economy, but it just shows how long it’s going to take to work through all the excesses of the mortgage bubble. In Las Vegas, the foreclosures are now spreading to upscale homes as well, giving high rollers the opportunity to come in and scoop up real estate gems on the cheap.

Fortunately, there is one silver lining, as young people now actually have hope of getting an affordable home if they have decent income. With all the bad news out there for young people in the job market, at least there’s some good news. Unfortunately, many people are paying the price for the excesses of the past decade.

US Chamber of Commerce losing patience with Republicans

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner speaks at the Economic Club of New York May 9, 2011. Boehner, the top Republican in the U.S. Congress, on Monday laid down a tough new yardstick in talks over the nation’s debt, telling Wall Street that spending cuts must exceed any boost to the U.S. borrowing limit. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton (UNITED STATES – Tags: BUSINESS POLITICS)

The Chamber of Commerce supported Republicans in 2010 with a ton of financial support, assuming that the GOP would be pro-business. Instead, the House Republicans and most Republican Senators are more than happy to hold the American economy hostage to their ideological demands.

The Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to Congress on Friday urging legislators to quickly raise the debt ceiling, while also warning of catastrophe should the government continue spending at its current rate.

The Chamber, which represents business interests, helped elect many of the Republican members of Congress who are now threatening to vote against raising the debt ceiling. Republicans are demanding major cuts to government spending and long-term programs in return for their support.

The Chamber understands the consequences of messing around with the full faith and credit of the United States, while the Tea Party crowd seems happy to let the whole system collapse just to make a point. Remember the TARP vote and how many Republicans were willing to let all the banks collapse? Nobody should be surprised.

« Older posts Newer posts »