Being a single mom and still providing for yourself or your children can be a very stressful and frustrating experience. There are many problems in finances for single moms and loans for single moms but getting help isn’t always easy so there are some services you should be aware of.

Education loans can be very tough to pay back, should you have debts remaining on your student loans. This may force many moms to consolidate their payments, which will put them into debt for 10-30 years, but allow them to keep out of bankruptcy longer. If you have children who wish to obtain student loans, and you are a single mother, it is harder to get such loans for a few reasons. First, women usually make less money than men. If you are a single mom, you don’t have a partner’s help with income, and also learn less than a man would. You are also less likely to have enough collateral to prove that you can pay the loans back, and you are more likely to have previous debts to pay. Education loans and single moms obviously do not mix well together, as you can see.

Like education loans, automobile and home loans operate in the same manner. You are more likely to be rejected for a house rather than an apartment, since houses on average cost much more. Automobiles also put single moms at a disadvantage- since automobiles often break down, requiring more money be spent. This makes the odds that a single mother can pay back a loan less likely, as maintenance can eat up much of a single mother’s income.

Business loans are another subject that may cause single mothers to have trouble obtaining loans. This is increasingly harder than other loans, since businesses are extremely risky operations. The odds of maintaining a successful business is usually quite low for small business owners. Having sufficient collateral is again a problem with single mothers, forcing many to not get the needed business loans to start their own business. Single mothers usually have a lower credit score, since they incur more debts than other couples or single men on average. This will also lead to a lesser chance of getting approved by credit card companies, making the buying power of single mothers even more burdensome.

However, there are ways to influence or take advantage of situations in favor of single mothers. You may speak with the Department of Social Services for things such as welfare, food stamps, child support, medical programs, and child care assistance. These programs can be found in phone books, government agencies or on this website. There is a lot of paperwork to apply, and the waiting time can be very long. The wait is often worth it, since single moms need all the help they can get.

School lunch and breakfast programs should be taken advantage of. This is a federal program that gives reduced prices or even free lunches and breakfast to kids who attend school, and eat at the school. Other grants can help you in funding for food or even gas and heating bills. Churches often have programs to help as well, and you should explore all of these options for a better life for children a single mom may have. Reduced prescriptions and free counseling are also available to those who apply- so make sure you take advantage of such offers to the fullest.

When looking to improve your credit score, you should have family members or roommates split bills, and put some bills in your name. This will improve your dependability and credit rating. Also make sure that you stay away from penalties such as bounced checks, which can effectively ruin your credit. Doing this will eventually raise your credit score enough to gain some respect among loan specialists, which can bring you to a new step above where you previously were.

When you have better access to loans, you can get lower rates. You can better obtain a business loan, for example, with your improved credit rating. You may also co-sign loans with family members to add credit to your score- and regular payments will again boost it. In case you can not make a payment, the money is then billed to your family member- so either way the bank will most likely get its money. This is the best way to obtain a loan if you are not qualified enough, and doing so is one of the best ways to improve your credit.

Over all, single moms are at a disadvantage. Statistically, they will make less money and not qualify for loans. They will also have more poor living experiences, and will have less buying power. Following the previous steps will allow single moms to achieve a better way of life for them or their children, regardless of their standing in society’s hierarchy.

The goal of SingleMomFinancialHelp.com is to help women change the world through information and education. We are creating a support structure through which all women of the world can educate one another about where they have been, where they are right now and where they are going. With help from our site and the information and articles we distribute women will be more educated in finance, business, home matters, relationships, career and higher education.

It’s no secret that the airline industry has issues. Soaring fuel costs, have left airlines scrambling for ways to increase revenues. Instead of just raising fares and cutting capacity, airlines have decided to nickel and dime travelers to death. Just yesterday the Israeli El Al airlines decided to start charging travelers more for seats in an emergency row. This follows other airlines charging for pillows, food, luggage…etc.

Customers are getting fed up with an ever expanding list of fees. In an age where most industries have made their fee structures much more simple, the airlines have decide to drive us crazy. ” Sir, you’d like ice with your beverage? That’ll be 3 bucks.” Or “Miss, I am sorry but since your shoes have high heels, that’ll be $2.”

You know, if airlines really wanted to be fair about each individuals contribution to the amount of fuel used per flight, and then charge accordingly, they could use the supermarket method. When we go shopping, for many items, we pay per pound. Fruits, vegetables, ground beef all priced according to weight. Why don’t the airlines follow suit? Why should someone who is thin, pay the same amount as someone with a bit more girth? After all, our weight-challenged traveler causes more fuel to be used than our thin traveler.

Stop the madness. Just raise fares. It’s that simple.

Aaron Katsman is Managing Editor of the Israel Opportunity Investor newsletter. He is lead portfolio manager for the Israel Growth Portfolio and Managing Director of America Israel Investment Associates, LLC. For more information, go to www.israelnewsletter.com or call 1-888-327-6179, or email aaron@profile-financial.com.

Whether single or married, in today’s day and age, women need to take control of their retirement planning. Why? There are many reason but I will list a few:

• Statistically women outlive men
• While women tend to still earn less than men, they are still earning more than ever before
• Due to time out of the workforce to have children, women tend to have less money available to put into retirement plans

According to an interesting report on MoneyCentral: “Only 29% of female retirees are covered by a pension, according to the Womens Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER), and the average payout is only $3,480 a year. Add to that today’s average Social Security payment of about $10,500 a year, and you’re living modestly at best.”

So the question is what to do? The answer, start saving and invest ASAP. It’s probably a good idea to meet with a financial advisor and create a financial plan. There you can figure out what your expenses are, and what your income is, and create a savings plan that will enable you to achieve your retirement goals. The general rule from financial advisors is that you should try and save 10% of your gross income. While that may sound impossible, the point is to save as much as possible. An advisor can also sit with you on your expenses, and together, you may be able to find ways to cut out $50-100 a month in expenses. Chances are that a few brown bag lunches and a few less trips to Starbucks, and you will be amazed at how your situation will improve.

In later posts, Bizzywomen will provide resources and other tips for learning and understanding your investments, as well as information for those of you who happen to be do-it-yourselfers.

Aaron Katsman is Managing Editor of the Israel Opportunity Investor newsletter. He is lead portfolio manager for the Israel Growth Portfolio and Managing Director of America Israel Investment Associates, LLC. For more information, go to www.israelnewsletter.com   or email aaron@profile-financial.com.

On a day when we hear of four female suicide bombers killing more than 57 people in Iraq, it’s refreshing to read in Forbes that the number of female billionaires is up. More interesting is the number who didn’t inherit the money, rather as entrepreneurs, built successful businesses.

According to a report in Forbes there are now 7 billionaire women under the age of 40, a big increase over last year when there were just 2. This bring to 20, the number of female billionaires under the age of 50.

Another interesting fact is that of the five female billionaires in their 30’s, four hail from Turkey.

According to the Forbes report, four of the woman made their own money: “ Chinese billionaire Zhang Xin, 43, worked in a factory stitching apparel in Hong Kong at age 14 before eventually getting a master’s at Cambridge University. Today she and her husband Pan Shiyi run one of China’s most successful property developers, SOHO China, known for its sleek and modern buildings across the country.”

What’s interesting is that these women made their fortunes in predominantly male dominated businesses, like construction, tobacco and real estate.

The 4th woman is perhaps the most famous of them all. According to the report: ”British novelist Joanne (J.K.) Rowling, 42, formerly a struggling single mother who lived on welfare. That was before she penned the immensely popular Harry Potter series about a boy wizard and eventually transformed herself into the world’s only billionaire author. ”

The fact that these women are young means that they have plenty of time to grow their enterprises and and take on corporate roles, and make a big impact on the global economy.

Aaron Katsman is Managing Editor of the Israel Opportunity Investor newsletter. He is lead portfolio manager for the Israel Growth Portfolio and Managing Director of America Israel Investment Associates, LLC. For more information, go to www.israelnewsletter.com or call 1-888-327-6179, or email aaron@profile-financial.com.

Entrepreneurs are always looking for ways to make their business more profitable. They are always looking at making things more efficient. One aspect which has just started to gain momentum is trying to improve the health of your employees. The fact is that employees that are healthier tend to do better and more productive work, and are at work more often.

For many of us who sit in front of a computer screen for hours on end, gaining weight as our diet consists of eating chocolate croissants and washing them down with cup after cup of coffee, there is hope. A new trend is taking shape across the U.S.: company wellness incentives.

According to a CNN Money report: “Employee programs that promote healthy lifestyles with monetary carrots and sticks are becoming increasingly popular. In fact, 46 percent of employers offer incentive-based wellness plans, according to a recent study by Watson Wyatt and the National Business Group on Health, and that proportion is expected to grow to 70 percent by 2009.”

Employers have figured that they can save tons of money by giving financial incentives to keep their workers healthier as employees call in sick much less. This is a classic win/ win situation; employers save money and employees get healthy.

Of course, there are those critics who warn that this could constitute a hostile work environment and is illegal. After all, no one can force an employee to lose weight or lead a healthier lifestyle. To those critics I say, lighten up! (couldn’t resist).

With obesity a growing problem, it seems that employer wellness incentives are going to be more common place.

Here are three great tips for single moms in need of some financial help. I use these financial tips to help cut costs where needed. Instead of going to the store to buy products you need. I explain in the tips below how to use household items to do the same thing. This way you can save money and reduce, reuse and recycle all at the same time. I wrote these tips for single moms but they will work with anyone.

Kitchen Tip: Are you a coffee drinker? Here is a great tip to use up those used coffee grinds. If you have a bad odor coming from your refrigerator; place your used coffee grinds in an open container inside the fridge and you will find that this will eliminate odor better than baking soda! You will just need to remember to replace them once they have dried up.

Laundry Tip: It’s true what your mother told you. When washing your clothes if you turn them inside out you will avoid the extra fading caused by the agitation of the washer. Clothes get just as clean when doing this, so why not give it a try!

Pet Tip: Company is coming over and you have cat hair all over your furniture. Here is a great way to remove most of that embarrassing eye catcher. Wear a pair of latex gloves, wipe over your furniture in one direction and you will see a majority of it ball up for easy removal.

There are many other great tips like this all around. If you just keep your eyes and mind open you will start to see more and more of them every day.

Denise Bergeron

The goal of SingleMomFinancialHelp.com is to help women change the world through information and education. We are creating a support structure through which all women of the world can educate one another about where they have been, where they are right now and where they are going. With help from our site and the information and articles we distribute women will be more educated in finance, business, home matters, relationships, career and higher education.