Thursday Bram's blog

Negotiating Your Next Sale: Finding the Best Compromise

Negotiation has been described as the art of compromise: if two people, or businesses, are negotiating, it's very rare that they can both walk away with everything they want. Wh

How to File For Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy is the last resort to dealing with debt: when a person finds himself in so much debt that paying it off simply isn't an option, bankruptcy can be the only way to handle

The Negotiation Comfort Zone: How to Improve Your Negotiation Skills

To be a successful business owner, it is crucial to be comfortable negotiating, both in casual and formal situations.

Online Tax Payment and Filing for Small Businesses

The IRS wants businesses to pay their taxes online, as well as file their taxes online. It's faster, eliminates the need for the IRS to have people open envelopes and process pa

Take the Long View When Negotiating with Your Vendors

For many businesses, the prices your vendors ask can make or break you. And even if price is no object, your vendors' abilities to deliver products or services on time, while av

Getting Started with Preserving: Mint Jelly

When I was little, my grandmother would can all sorts of things. She had a big garden full of produce that would wind up in jars in her pantry. With a pretty big garden of my own,

Home Loans

Getting a home loan is a necessary part of the process of buying a home for most people. It can take extra work to get a good loan, but if you're familiar with the process and know

How to Prevent Identity Theft

Identity theft is a growing concern: with surprisingly little information, a thief can do lasting harm to your credit score and bank accounts. However, there are steps that you can

Credit Scores

Maintaining a good credit score is important, no matter what your financial goals are.

5 Ways to Get Junk Gone

The beginning of the new year always seems like a good time to get rid of things that you've been meaning to. But some junk you just can't get rid of on Freecyle or Craigslist. He

Beyond Tuition: Helping Out With College Expenses

My sister starts college this spring and I've been thinking about options for helping her out with her expenses beyond tuition. While I'd love to be able to just cover all her cost

Section 529 Plans

For parents interested in setting aside money towards college expenses for their children, a Section 529 account is one of the best ways to do so.

Federal Perkins Loans

Where a Stafford Loan or Parent PLUS Loan is available to just about any college student, a Federal Perkins Loan is only available to students who can expect only a minimal level o

Parent PLUS Loans

Parents can take out low-interest loans in order to help their children pay for school. With a Parent PLUS loan, parents can borrow directly from the federal government and receive

Federal Student Loans

Depending on the type of help you need with paying for college, knowing the differences between government financial aid programs can make a big difference in finding a loan that r

UTMA/UGMA Custodial Accounts

Over the years, Uniform Transfers to Minors and Uniform Gifts to Minors custodial accounts (also known as UGMA and UTMA accounts) have become less popular than college savings opti

Series I and Series EE U.S. Savings Bonds

U.S. savings bonds can provide one of the simplest approaches to saving for college. When you cash them in to pay for your child's college expenses, you will be able to do so witho

Coverdell Education Savings Accounts

The Coverdell Education Savings Account (also known as the Coverdell ESA) is a college savings option that allows you to save money towards your child's college expenses with tax a

Calculating the Cost of College

One of the hardest parts of saving for your child's college expenses is calculating just what those expenses will total. Here are some ideas to get a better financial picture of th

How to Save Money for College

There are several different options for building a college fund that will cover part or all of a student's college expenses.