SUZE AND OPRAH ARE GIVING IT TO YOU FOR FREE...!

This is not an Urban Legend or rumor, I actually saw it on Oprah today (one benefit to me of the writers strike, I am catching up on my Oprah viewing).

Until Thursday, February 14th (tomorrow) by 5pm Pacific Time, you can get a FREE download of the entire book WOMEN & MONEY from Suze Orman.  Click on the book to go there, scroll half way down the page to where it says "download your free copy," and there you go.  The book is over 300 pages long, so please think about reading it on your computer in order to save trees.  It's available in English and Spanish.  You will kick yourself if you don't get this book - did I mention that it is FREE!!!  Tell your friends.  

EMPOWER WOMEN, CHANGE OUR WORLD...!

What can you do to improve the lives of women, if someone gives you $5,000 to start? Avon will give you that chance with their HELLO TOMORROW FUND:

What are YOU doing to change the world?

The Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund is an initiative of Avon Products, Inc. with the goal to empower women and improve society by providing individuals with cash awards that will allow them to pursue a project or initiative to better the lives of women (of all ages) in the United States.

Each week the Fund provides one $5,000 award to an individual who has submitted a compelling application that advances the interests of women and ultimately improves society. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis and award winners' stories will be shared with the world through avon.com and other promotions related to the Hello Tomorrow Fund.

I am going to apply. You should apply. You know you have good ideas on how to improve the world around you, think about it! Spend some time during your workout, your lunch break or your shower thinking of what you could do (instead of your thighs which is what I think about during all three of those activities), even putting that energy into the Universe is a good start.  Tell your friends, apply with a friend!  DO IT!

PROJECT LIFELINE, HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS IN TROUBLE...

Help is on the way:

"Project Lifeline," backed by the U.S. Treasury and Department of Housing and Urban Development, would pause foreclosure proceedings for borrowers more than 90 days in arrears while services determine whether they could make payments under new terms, the lenders said in a statement.

The effort would cover all types of home loans, unlike an earlier plan aimed at freezing interest rates for subprime mortgage holders who cannot afford rates that reset to higher levels.

Watch video, and read more as the plan is announced in greater detail throughout the day.

GETTING IN SHAPE, WITH CASH...

This morning I was looking through my new Shape magazine for my workout o' the week (I have a short workout attention span), I came across this blurb...

The average American woman under the age of 35 loses track of $2,709 in cash each year, according to a study conducted by Visa - meaning you spend $52 a week without realizing where it's gone. 

My first thought to myself was "wow", my second was "I think I probably do that," and my third was "I wonder why the cut off is 35 year old, I bet women older than that lose even more, because maybe they have more..."?  In any case, I am going to keep tabs for a couple of months on where my cash goes so I can cure my "financial amnesia."   Here are the suggestions made by Janet Bodnar, author of Kiplinger's Money Smart Women for 3 easy ways to save big:

1.  KEEP A RECORD - You don't have to write down your expenses forever, just do it for a month to see where you're bleeding funds.  You will probably be surprised.

2.  RESTRICT YOUR CASH FLOW - Start by taking a set amount out of the ATM, but tell yourself it has to last the week.  You'll think harder about purchases when you have a limited supply of money.  (My girlfriend Lou just told me she does that, and it helps her keep her spending down because she has to lay out cash, and eliminates the fear of her credit card bill).

3.  WAIT IT OUT - If you're shopping and see something you like, leave the item at the store overnight.  If you still want it the next day, go back for it.  You shouldn't deprive yourself, but you should be making conscious choices.

I would just add to #3, IF you have it in your budget, and IF you can afford it.  I am still obsessing over the Michael Kors "Astor Grommet" satchel ($498!!!), but I want a condo even more, so it will have to wait.  

MONEY BACK! MONEY BACK! NOW THAT STIMULATIN"!

I hesitate to call it "free money" since we are just getting back some of what we pay in taxes that ends up getting spent on absurd and outrageous programs and pet projects of our government...but I digress.  Money back, it doesn't hurt!

The Economic Stimulus package passed last night, and come May, the checks will start rolling out:

The bill calls for individuals earning up to $75,000 and couples earning up to $150,000 to earn rebates of as much as $600 and $1,200, respectively. Taxpayers receiving the rebates additionally will receive $300 a child. Rebates are for the 2007 tax year, and the Treasury Department will begin mailing checks in May.

Seniors and disabled veterans, many of whom would have been passed over in the original agreement, will receive $300 rebate checks. The plan passed the Senate by a vote of 81 to 16.

Yipee!  Other interesting news as a result of this package:

...the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), who set the upper limit for single-family mortgage loans to $300,700, a 9.34 percent increase over the previous ceiling of $275,000.

What could this mean for you if you are thinking of buying or refinancing (click here)?  Yeah.

$3.6 MILLION CASH? ARE YOU KIDDING? SUZE ORMAN IS MY HERO...

Oh Suze,

Here's to you and your dedication and hard work toward teaching people about the importance of saving money. $3.6 million she paid for a condo in Manhattan...in cash. What a perfect place to park that amount of money, even in a market like this. Manhattan's real estate market has not tanked like the rest of the country, instead, with the falling dollar foreign money is coming in and snatching up all the multi-million dollar condos. Here are the delicious details from The Daily Intelligencer:

This past weekend, Savings Diva Suze did not have nightmares about the credit-card bills she was going to receive after overextending herself on Christmas. This past weekend, the Observer tells us, she closed on an apartment at the Plaza. An apartment with "100-year-old mosaic tile patterns in the bathroom, walnut-bordered herringbone parquet in the living room" which she paid for in … cash. $3,610,886 and 34 cents, to be exact. There you have it. Suze Orman will outlast us all. Because only she has the Courage to be Rich.

Thanks for inspiring me to have the courage to be rich Suze! Enjoy the tile and the parquet floor!

YOU MAY NOT WANT TO WAIT TO REFINANCE THAT MORTGAGE

You MAY want to read the entire article for a more thorough explanation and education of WHY... but here is the gist of it.  

From THESTREET.COM - Terry Savage

Dangers of Playing the Refi Game
There are two important reasons not to "game" the mortgage rate if you know you need to refinance, or are one of the very few still buying a new home.

First: The Fed does not "control" long term rates! The Fed can pump liquidity into the system, and can set short-term rates. But it can't control the longer-term bond market, where trillions of dollars of debt are freely traded each day. In that bond market, the very sophisticated participants are considering the impact of all that liquidity -- and its potential to create inflation down the road.

The Other Risk: Home Prices Fall Farther
I mentioned that there are two reasons to lock in rates now. The second reason is that if we do have a continued economic slowdown, the appraised value of your home could fall still farther. In fact, if you don't have enough equity in your home, you simply can't refinance -- as millions of homeowners have already learned. They're stuck in adjustable rate loans, worrying about the possibility of higher monthly payments.

Take advantage of this possibly temporary dip in mortgage rates to start the refi process now. And as you start the process, get a written rate guarantee from your lender.

If rates drop again, and your house retains its value, you can always refi another time. But if rates rise, you may not get this chance again. And that's The Savage Truth!

READ MORE HERE