Research Blog : money

Is There a Web Site with Local Job Information? Indeed, There IS!

Bufkinite@evpl — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 22:47:00 GMT

Some of the most popular workshops being offered at the library recently have involved how to polish your resume, or sharpen you interview skills. With the tight job market, even highly skilled and trained people are getting all of their job-hunting tools sharpened, and are ready to take the next step. Now, where can they go to find information on local job opportunities?

Indeed.com, the second largest employment web site in the world, has a website about Evansville area employment opportunities, which aggregates all the information they have about employers, companies, jobs, and employment resources in one easy-to-navigate interface. The top section, "Popular Jobs and Salaries," provides a bar-graph style comparison of different jobs based on how much they pay, while lower sections list links to Evansville companies that are currently hiring, as well as links to pre-selected searches, such as production jobs, or clerical jobs.

Once you have performed a search for jobs, and have a list of jobs, you can limit it further in a number of ways. You can limit it to within 5 miles of your location, by salary range, by company, or by any combination of these and many other criteria.

This site is listed on our Useful Websites web page, where a huge variety of resources, selected by librarians for accuracy, timeliness, and dependability, are sorted and classified for your convenience. For instance. the Indeed.com web site is listed under both "Job Search" and "Employment Information and Services."

Check it out!

$8,000 Homebuyer Tax Credit…

SuDocQueen@evpl — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 01:33:00 GMT

There’s a lot of information out there about this credit, but I always like to get my information straight from the horse’s mouth, so I went to www.usa.gov and found this nifty little question and answer page from www.irs.gov. It does a great job of explaining the current $8,000 credit and the previous $7,500 credit and includes additional links for people who want to know even more.

Www.usa.gov also offers a great page for homeowners and prospective homeowners that’s full of helpful links, from how to avoid foreclosure to useful tips for current homeowners and how to protect yourself and your belongings when hiring movers.

If you checkout the RESOURCES FOR HOMEOWNERS or MORTGAGES – FEDERAL PROGRAMS, ETC be prepared to be taken to new pages with tons more helpful links!

Sound financial advice…

SuDocQueen@evpl — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:49:00 GMT

There’s a lot that goes into understanding money management, from learning how to budget, to how to save and invest wisely. You have to look in a lot of different places for good advice on these subjects which takes a lot of time. So, the U.S. Financial Literacy and Education Commission decided to lend a helping hand and shorten the search for information. They’ve created http://www.mymoney.gov/default.shtml. The website pulls together good, solid advice on all aspects of budgeting and financial planning throughout life. It includes calculators, advice on avoiding scams, how to deal financially with life changing events, taxes, and even information on starting a small business.

There’s an immense amount of information right at your fingertips from the site, but if it’s all just a little overwhelming to you, and you’d prefer to sit down with some good old-fashioned paper in your hand, you can do that too. You can order their free “My Money” Tool Kit from the website, or over the telephone. Just call 1 (888) Mymoney. That's 1 (888) 696 – 6639, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. eastern time (except Federal holidays). The tool kit won’t give you quite the depth and breadth of information that the website will, but it will offer a good start for those seeking basic financial advice.

Crackdowns on "government grants" and other scams

googler@evpl — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:11:00 GMT

I was very happy to see this release from the FTC, about crackdowns on a large number of scammers who have been taking advantage of the economic turndown. And not just the fake government grant schemes -- the list includes an amazing array of scams, including an admittedly imaginative ruse involving non-existant jobs as "certified rebate processors."

The scammers used websites, robocalls, telemarketing, infomercials, classified ads, and internet ads to push their schemes. They promised earnings, money-back guarantees, refunds; they claimed to be associated with government agencies, with Google, with shopper's clubs. To a con artist, tough times just present new opportunities to bilk people.

The FTC has produced a new consumer education video featuring a former scammer who hawked phony business opportunities and ultimately served prison time for deceiving investors. In the 10-minute video, the former scammer gives an insider account of how these operations use high-pressure tactics and celebrity endorsers to trick cash-strapped consumers, and how consumers can protect themselves by demanding written disclosures on earnings and other sales data. (More FTC videos can be found here.)

If you find yourself with unexpected charges or unable to secure promised refunds, you can file a complaint at the the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,500 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics.

Kids eat free!

googler@evpl — Sat, 30 May 2009 19:32:00 GMT

I just came across a vast list of restaurants that routinely offer free or discounted meals for kids (variously defined). This might take a little effort, because you need to pay attention to the age limits, the days of the week, and of course always call ahead to see if our local restaurant offers the promotion (which they are not obligated to do).

But if you're looking to save some money when you take the kids out for dinner, this is a great place to check.

(Link found at the Frugal Living blog.)

Free e-book on personal finance

googler@evpl — Fri, 08 May 2009 14:24:00 GMT

The Simple Dollar, a personal finance blog that I've seen cited many times, is giving away a 50-page PDF, "Everything You Need to Know About Personal Finance on Just One Page." Definitely worth the 4.4 MB download, it starts off (just as it says) by giving you one single page of core advice on earning, spending, and investing, then fleshes it out over a mere 49 pages.

Of course, the Library offers a huge number of personal finance books, including many titles recent enough to take the current financial situation into account. Some of the titles published in 2009 include:

Game Over: How You Can Prosper in a Shattered Economy by Stephen Leeb
The Cure for Money Madness: Break Your Bad Money Habits, Live Without Financial Stress--and Make More Money! by Spencer Sherman
Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Out of Debt by Ken Clark
Gimme My Money Back: Your Guide to Beating the Financial Crisis by Ali Velshi
The Difference: How Anyone Can Prosper in Even the Toughest Times by Jean Chatzsky
J.K. Lasser's Guide For Tough Times : Tax And Financial Solutions To See You Through by Barbara Weltman
Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity by Adam Hamilton

Free government grants? Not so fast!

googler@evpl — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:53:00 GMT

A recent post at Snopes (which is the premiere hoax-debunking website) covers the increasing "free government grant" scam, currently being perpetrated through web ads, e-mails, and even direct phone calls. (Unfortunately, while Snopes is a great source of information, it may also spawn two "pop-under" ads on your computer. These can be harmlessly closed using the X in the upper right-hand corner.)

The federal government has an official website for all federal grant applications, and there they take pains to explain that they do not offer ANY grants for personal financial assistance or debt. (There are a few grants available to individuals in addition to organizations, but they're for specific types of research, projects, etc.) Their page describing who is eligible for grants offers links to various organizations that do provide financial assistance, and also to the alphabetical list of all government benefits and financial aid programs.

At the Library, we have bought some books that may contain such phrases as "free money" in their titles, but frankly, the titles are pretty misleading. By free money, they mean bargains, discounts, and the financial aid programs linked above.

Stimulus for Seniors/Disabled

wag.mado@evpl — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 20:19:00 GMT

With all the talk regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, many who are retired or disabled have been wondering how they will recieve their stimulus money. According to the Internal Revenue, a one time payment of $250.00 will be made to Social Security recipients, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients, disabled veterans, and Railroad Retirement benficiaries. The Social Security Administration Online states that no action is needed to attain these stimulus payments. Recipients should automatically receive their money by the end of May 2009, in the same manner they normally receive their benefits. SSA also provides a very useful Frequently Asked Questions page and provides a phone number for those who do not receive their stimulus by June 4. You can even sign up for FAQ update notifications through your email if you choose.

New Database Brings the World to your Desktop

Bufkinite@evpl — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 22:26:00 GMT

A new database called Global Road Warrior brings you comprehensive information on 175 countries around the world. And when I say "comprehensive" that is exactly what I mean. There is information in over 100 specific areas for each country listed.

There is basic information like geography (including flags and maps for each country), govenment, and climate; information about the society and culture, like standard greetings and courtesies, food peculiar to the area (including recipes), holidays, religions, and sports; information about how business is conducted, with special attention given to women in business; information about the currency used there, including a currency converter; and infrastructure information including electricity, telephones, Internet connectivity and ISPs, telegram, fax, and postal services.

In addition, there is a "security briefing" for every country taken directly from the CIA's World Factbook, health and medical information, and contact information - addresses, email, and telephone numbers - for all foreign embassies and consulates within each country.

Below left is a screen shot of the home page for Mongolia. The menu on the left is standard for each country, and includes the information outlined above and much more. Below right is a close-up of the standard menu, with an example of the sub-menu choices for "Society and Culture," to give you an idea of the richness of this resource.

Teachers will especially enjoy global road warrior! The maps listed for each country include a simple outline map as well as an outline map that includes outlines of states & provinces. There is also a list of "essential terms" for each country: how to say "hello," "goodbye," "yes," "no," and the other essential words and phrases you'll need to get around.

The search interface is very easy to use, and allows you to search within a particular country, or search for a particular term across all countries. Try it today and see what you think about EVPL's newest database offering.

Business Central Now Open For...(wait for it)...Business!!

Bufkinite@evpl — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 21:21:00 GMT

On Wednesday, October 15th, the Metropolitian Evansville Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting on the second floor of Central Library to open a new, business-focused area of Central's reference and non-fiction collections.

Business Central is many things:

It's a place within Central Library, on the second floor. This location gathers legal and business reference materials, and a cooperating collection of the Foundation Center, with numberous reference resources for finding grants for non-profit and not-for-profit corporations. It also offers an extensive circulating collection of materials dealing with management, commerce, international commerce, marketing, public relations, customer relations, finance, planning, and career development and advancement.

It's a web presence with the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library web site that links to resources within the library and on the web that have to do with everything from starting a business to managing time, money, and personnel.

It's a team of library professionals who know business and the information needs of entrepreneurs and business professionals.

So whether you've already got a business up and running or are planning to start one; whether you're looking for capital or strategic planning information; whether you're doing in-depth market research, or just wanting to stay abreast of current business and economic trends, Business Central is your destination for business information!

Financial information at Kiplinger

googler@evpl — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 21:04:00 GMT

Kiplinger.com offers an amazing array of financial advice and news, all for free.

There's help for individuals and families on understanding credit, managing money, investing, and many of aspects of the basics of money. The car center allows you to compare price and features. Starting out is perfect for financial advice for those in their 20s and 30s.

For businesses, there's a business resource center, offering forecasts and advice. It includes the small business center, featuring a variety of articles and resources especially for entrepreneurs, start-ups, and other small businesses.

This site also covers up-to-date financial news and analysis, like the current banking and credit crisis. Those articles will be found linked on their front page, or in the Business Resource Center.

In all, a very useful resource for a variety of needs.