For those who are eligible for financial aid should take advantage of that opportunity to obtain the funds for school. There are a number of students who do not know how to go about obtaining government grants. It’s easy! Fill out the FAFSA form online when you do your yearly taxes then stop by your financial aid office located at your school. Schools sometimes like to make it a hassle and will give you the run-around (trust me, I know). I have to say that it is totally worth it.

For those of you that are not eligible for government grants, here are some tips to help you bring in some extra revenue to pay for schooling:

Sign-up for scholarship mailing lists. There are so many scholarships offered that anyone can obtain. Apply for as many as you can/have time for. The list is sometimes endless.

Save Save Save! If you have a job I can’t stress more to save as much as possible. Sure, I know that you have bills to pay, but instead of eating out so much or purchasing those little trinkets you will end up throwing away next year when you switch dorms, put that money towards your college funding.

Get a job while in school. I know it’s hard to work and go to college at the same time, but sometimes it is absolutely necessary. Even if you have to get a part-time job it will be worth it in the end. A number of students graduate with a massive amount of debt that will take them double the amount of time they spent in school to pay it off.

Start a small business. There are many affiliate type programs or multi-marketing businesses out there that you can bring some extra cash in with that don’t require a lot of your time. For more ideas of how to do this you can check out a website we have designed specifically to help those market products or even build their own websites.

These are just a few ideas of ways you can bring some extra money in to help save for college or pay as you go. If you are eligible for financial aid I would highly suggest you do all you can to get that for yourself. Trust me, you will be happier by taking this route as opposed to graduating while swimming a pool of debt.

In order to obtain overdraft protection on your account a credit card must be issued from the same bank of which your checking account resides in. Along with this feature fees will be required if you do happen to overdraw on your account and in comes your overdraft protection.

A couple facts:

-Overdraft protection transaction fees range anywhere from $25 – $35

-Each transaction made to make overdraft protection kick in and after will have a fee tacked on to it. If you purchase items from 4 different stores, you will be charged that transaction fee 4 times.

Overdraft protection can save you from bouncing checks and other fees that stores charge for bouncing checks, however, it can also end up costing you large sums of money if not careful. Always keep track of your spending!

Many American’s will be affected by the inflation in the US economy that is occurring. Whether you like it or not, interest rates will be rising with the moving economy. Many American’s are unaware that they even hold an adjustable rate mortgage loan. If you are unsure as to what the details are of your current mortgage loan, I would suggest you find out quickly. You could find yourself in a bind and strapped for cash if not prepared for the changes to come.

The number one thing I would suggest to you is to get in depth with your mortgage information. Get all the details and decide if you will be affected by the changes to come in the near future. Search out all your options, whether it be refinancing or increasing your income. Rising rates could drastically affect you and the economy.

If you know absolutely nothing mortgages yet you hold one, take the initiative to educate yourself. There are many resources available to you. There are a number of lenders willing to give you a free quote on refinancing your home and can provide you with a fixed rate.

How do you consolidate? It’s simple, by rolling all your student loans into one and locking it into a single rate, you can decrease your payments and your accumulated interest. If you are still in school the best rate you could get would be a 4.75. As for those who are on a repayment plan, the best rate you could get before June 30th would be 5.375—or course these figures apply to Stafford loans that were taken out after the year 1998.

Word of warning: Those who have already consolidated their student loans previously are not eligible to reconsolidate.

If you currently have a student loan, whether you are still in school or on a repayment plan, now is the time to consolidate for a better rate.