$$$ Financial Freedom Friday $$$ Attitude'll Determine Your Altitude

Great Information on credit card debt!

Get Out of Debt and Get Rich
With the right attitude and a little credit know-how, anyone can climb out of the hole and stay debt-free for life.
source

"My name is John, and I'm a recovered compulsive debtor." John and thousands like him meet across America -- in church basements and high school auditoriums -- every week. They talk about blowing the mortgage payment on gourmet restaurant meals, then scrounging to find enough coins for the tollbooth. They know that sick dread while opening the mailbox, wondering which bill is now due. They've seen how debt can destroy marriages and even lead to suicide.

They're members of Debtors Anonymous, a 12-step program modeled on Alcoholics Anonymous. They are clerks and executives, artists and electricians. Some have trust funds, others make minimum wage. Some overcharged on credit cards, others bought "fully-loaded" cars with seven-year loans, still others moved into lavish homes with interest-only mortgages. What they have in common is an overwhelming temptation to spend more than they earn. If you think that makes them different from the rest of us, consider this:

Americans bought over $2 trillion worth of stuff on credit last year.

Current outstanding debt on credit cards -- that's the "revolving" part that we don't pay off every month -- totals nearly $700 billion, up from just $50 billion in 1980.
Three of five American families can't pay off their credit cards each month. Their running balance averages about $12,000, which is one-fourth of the median household income.
By the mid-1990s, credit card debt held by Americans living below the poverty level more than doubled.

Senior citizens, once noted for their frugality, are sinking deeper into debt: Their average credit card balance increased by 89 percent between 1992 and 2001.

Total consumer debt in the United States comes to over $7,100 per person -- and that doesn't include mortgages.Grim as that sounds, there's help to be had. With the right attitude and a little credit know-how, anyone can climb out of the hole and stay debt-free for life. Just ask Wayne and Rebecca Denton of Clayton, North Carolina. In the 1990s, while Rebecca was in nursing school, Wayne, a lawn-care technician, began putting all their purchases on eight credit cards. By 1998 they were $88,000 in debt -- more than their combined annual income of $61,000. At first Wayne tried to hide the debt from Rebecca. But it got so bad that he couldn't even make the late-payment penalties, much less pay the bills. Eventually the phone was shut off, and Wayne had to borrow money from relatives just to buy food. The couple hit bottom when Rebecca considered filing separation papers. "But the lawyer told me that we'd be fighting over assumption of debt," she recalls. "I was shocked. In most divorces, people fight over assets. We had no assets." Rebecca says she "cried to God to save my marriage." The turning point came when she bought a $12.95 workbook by radio host and debt-reduction guru Dave Ramsey. The couple cut up their credit cards, and started working overtime to pay the bills. "Instead of getting mad at each other, we got mad at the debt," says Rebecca. Seven years later, with one son and another on the way, the Dentons are debt-free, living in a larger house and building up their savings. "It's been a radical change in our thought process," says Rebecca, "but I wouldn't trade it for anything." They keep one credit card for buying gas, which they pay off every month. And they read the fine print. "The credit card companies are really trying to put one past you," says Rebecca. It wasn't always that way.

Back in the 1950s, banks introduced credit cards to promote customer loyalty, especially the kind of customer who would pay the bill in full each month. The business grew steadily but remained fairly genteel until the 1980s, when a series of state and federal deregulations made it possible for banks to charge more interest and operate nationally. Nationwide marketing opened the floodgates. In 2003, banks mailed out 5.2 billion offers for credit cards. Today more than 75 percent of American families have at least one credit card, which makes it possible to rent cars, shop on the Internet, and buy plane tickets. "You need a credit card," says Terry Savage, the syndicated Chicago Sun-Times financial columnist.

What you don't need, she adds, is the long-term debt. Banks make more interest when people pay over time; that's why minimum payments on credit cards have shrunk to as low as one percent of the total balance. With payments that small, it sounds so easy. But wait: The average college student owes almost $2,800 on plastic, and that doesn't include student loans. If she pays $50 a month, assuming an 18 percent interest rate, it will take her more than ten years to pay off the credit card -- at a total cost of $6,154.

Financial experts agree that personal responsibility could prevent most debt problems; don't spend it, and you won't have to pay it back. But they still put some of the blame on banks, which lure new customers with low rates, then jack up the interest if they're late on just one payment. Many consumers are unaware that banks can raise your rate if you're late paying a completely unrelated bill, such as your mortgage. (It's in the fine print.)

Banks argue that late payments indicate credit risk, justifying higher rates. But in recent years banks have redefined what's risky -- often raising rates and charging penalties if a payment is late by even a few minutes. According to Robert Manning, a noted industry expert, late fees rose from $1.7 billion in 1996 to $7.7 billion in 2003. Officials at the American Bankers Association, the trade group representing the credit card industry, say this: "Lenders use penalty fees as a risk-management tool against customers who mishandle their finances."

Dave Ramsey has seen it all: "When you hear about a 78-year-old widow living on $800 a month in Social Security, and the credit card company lets her rack up $70,000 in debt, there's a lot of corporate immorality there." How much debt is okay? Savage recommends that your mortgage payment plus property tax and home insurance total no more than 40 percent of your take-home pay; Ramsey says no more than 25 percent. If you haven't already consolidated your student loans, do so before June 30: "Consolidation rates are the lowest ever," she says, "and if you agree to have the payment automatically withdrawn from your checking account, they'll usually knock another quarter point off the rate."

Car loans -- up to four or five years at a low interest rate -- are also acceptable. "If you need a seven-year car loan, you're buying too much car," says Savage. Total debt, though, should never be more than half your take-home pay -- and that's assuming you're putting the maximum into a 401(k) before taxes.

As for credit card debt, most experts agree that any is too much. "If you can only make the minimum payment on your credit cards," says Savage, "that's when you know that debt has become your lifestyle." Struggling to keep up with those payments, nearly 9 million Americans seek debt counseling every year.

Sadly, many will wind up deeper in debt -- victims of overpriced schemes that promise to "Pay Down Your Debt!" According to a 2003 study by the National Consumer Law Center and the Consumer Federation of America, many debt counselors are little more than telephone solicitors, raking in high-pressure "donations" from debtors -- as much as $50 a month plus a sign-up fee that can total a month's worth of debt -- in return for making payments and negotiating lower late fees and interest rates with banks.

But consumers can often get just as good a deal by calling creditors themselves. Furthermore, the plans almost never address secured debt like mortgages and car payments. That means a serious debtor could still lose his home or car, even if the credit card bills are paid -- not much of a deal. Five years ago, Dolores and Aldo Porziella of Hyde Park, Massachusetts, were in debt "up to our eyeballs" -- owing $10,000 on credit cards while getting by on Aldo's modest income as a hairdresser. The Porziellas signed on for a debt-management plan with Florida-based Consolidated Credit Counseling Services. For a fee of about $30 a month, Consolidated offered to negotiate lower interest rates on three Porziella credit accounts. But Dolores was looking for even lower rates, and after just one payment, decided to take her business elsewhere. "They may say they're nonprofit," says Dolores, "but I don't think they're in business to help you out." Technically speaking, Consolidated is not "in business" at all; it's a tax-exempt charity. In 2003 the organization reported revenues of nearly $23 million. Some of that revenue was paid to for-profit companies with ties to officers of Consolidated, for bill processing and other operations. Consolidated spokeswoman April Lewis-Parks notes that the company pays under fair-market value for such work. Lewis-Parks also says that the Porziellas dropped out of the program too soon to see results, and withheld information about some of their creditors. "We have over 50,000 clients, and we strive to provide each person with exemplary service." For just $9 a month, the Porziellas switched to Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Southern New England, part of a counseling network endorsed by Terry Savage and other experts. CCCS got the couple's Visa card rate lowered from 20 percent to 6 percent. In December the couple made their last payment on that card. Living debt-free is about more than getting creditors off your back. Knowing you have the financial leeway to weather hardships brings priceless peace of mind to Gary and Sue Cowan. When Tropical Storm Allison hit Houston in June 2001, the Cowans' home was flooded. "We had to leave our house by boat," recalls Sue, who was five months pregnant with her third child. But with their credit cards maxed out at $50,000 and no savings, they couldn't afford the repairs that insurance didn't cover. Six months later, Gary was laid off from his $60,000 technology job. "We were devastated," says Sue. The couple declared bankruptcy. Soon, though, fresh credit card offers began arriving in the mail. "Bankruptcy doesn't mean anything to them," says Sue. "They just jack up the interest rates." With Gary scraping by on a series of short-term jobs and Sue working at a grocery store, the Cowans quickly rang up $30,000 in new debt. Sue admits she was a shopaholic: "I wouldn't buy my kids' clothes at Target," she recalls. "I shopped at Dillard's" -- an upscale department store. The Cowans finally changed their habits, selling off the house to pay debts and committing to living within their means. "There's a mentality in this country that if you can afford the payment, you can afford the thing," says Sue. "Now our attitude is if we don't have the cash, we don't buy it." It's a way of life they're trying to pass on to their kids. "Our 11-year-old has $1,000 in savings, and she even made a donation to an orphanage," says Sue with pride.

Leading by example could be the best hope for a debt-free future. "Right now we're teaching our kids how to be great consumers," says Dallas Salisbury, chairman of the American Savings Education Council. "Spending is like binge drinking, and the comedown can be very harsh. Moving away from the consumption message will take a personality transplant for the nation."

If You Don't Stand For Something, You'll Fall For Anything

SACRAMENTO TV STATION APOLOGIZES TO TYLER PERRY: Flood of angry e-mails over Janet interview causes havoc.
source

*Never underestimate the power of Tyler Perry's e-mail nation.
Last week, the filmmaker vented his frustration last week with an interviewer at a Sacramento TV station who kept trying to ask Janet Jackson about her boob flash at the 2004 Super Bowl instead of questions about their new film, "Why Did I Get Married?"

In his latest letter to fans, Perry states: "After you all saw that interview that Janet and I did; you started an email campaign that ended in this man going on air and giving an apology. He got so many emails that it crashed the computer system at the TV station. The other employees couldn't get emails from what I understand."

The original interview with Sacramento's CW31 reporter Mark S. Allen can be seen here.

Allen's subsequent apology can be viewed below:




The stroke of the pen, the click of a mouse, a word from our mouths represents one thing: POWER. We have the power to change lives, move mountains, make a difference.
We're doin it with Jena 6, we did it with Tyler Perry, now let's effect change in ou own lives, and in the lives' of those around us!

Why Are They So Surprised???

TYLER PERRY 'MARRIED' TO TOP OF BOX OFFICE: Madea-less film opens at No. 1, beating Clooney's 'Clayton' and 'Blanchett's 'Elizabeth.'

Who said Tyler Perry couldn't top the box office without Madea?
After a heavy marketing push from Lionsgate that included promotional appearances on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "Regis & Kelly" and the late night talk shows – not to mention Perry's own e-mail plea for folks to see the film during opening weekend – "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?" debuted as the No. 1 weekend film with $21.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The movie, starring Perry, Janet Jackson, Malik Yoba and Jill Scott, came in well ahead of George Clooney's critically-acclaimed legal drama "Michael Clayton," Cate Blanchett's period piece "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" and the Joaquin Phoenix/Mark Wahlberg crime saga "We Own the Night."

Though "Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls" had a luke warm opening earlier this year, "Why Did I Get Married?" joined his previous Madea-starring hits "Madea's Family Reunion" and "Diary of a Mad Black Woman," which also opened at No. 1.

Disney's "The Game Plan" starring The Rock fell from its box office perch last week to No. 2, as of Sunday afternoon. But its $11.5 million was neck-and-neck with "Michael Clayton's" $11.1" in ticket sales, according to early estimates. Exact rankings will be available later today.

Sunday's estimates are as follows:
1. "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?", $21.5 million. 2. "The Game Plan," $11.5 million. 3. "Michael Clayton," $11.01 million. 4. "We Own the Night," $11 million. 5. "The Heartbreak Kid," $7.4 million. 6. "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," $6.2 million. 7. "The Kingdom," $4.6 million. 8. "Across the Universe," $4 million. 9. "Resident Evil: Extinction," $2.65 million. 10. "The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising," $2.15 million.

*****

Congratulations, Tyler & Cast

And thank you Family, for supporting Tyler Perry!!

Ivent ;)

She's Got A Testimony...!

You know her name, but not her face: (actress Tasha Smith, below)
We know her as the kleptomaniacal twins' sexy mother on ATL, but God Almight knows her as His, baby girl! Read the awesome testimony of how God brought Tasha Smith from an unbeliever in Him, to become one of his staunchest witness!

Before You Read, look at Tasha in action (the alcoholic), and the rest of the "Why Did I get Married" cast in action:



TASHA SMITH'S TESTIMONY: 'Why Did I Get Married ' co-star discusses her conversion from atheism, being a transparent Christian in Hollywood and her passion for the arts.
credits: eurweb.com



Jersey Girl, Tasha Smith is getting comfy in Hollywood. For years the statuesque stand-up comedian with the supermodel looks has been on a steady climb in Tinsel Town. The actress convincingly played the drug-addicted Ronnie Boyce in HBO's Emmy Award-winning mini-series, "The Corner," directed by Charles S. Dutton.

We saw her in "ATL" and "Playas Ball." That was Tasha on television appearing in "Girlfriends," "The Tyra Banks Show," and the Oxygen Network's "Strong Medicine."

After depicting a trifling, unfit mother in Tyler Perry's "Daddy's Little Girls" (Lionsgate) fans and critics alike tasted the stardust of the vixen everyone seemingly loved to hate. This breakthrough performance resulted in Tyler Perry offering Smith a role written with his Madea character in mind in his next film, "Why Did I Get Married?" due in theatres October 12.

If what people are saying is true, then Tasha Smith won't need an introduction the next time her name comes up. Pre-premiere buzz pegs Smith as a show-stopper in her portrayal of Angela, an over-the-top, alcohol guzzling and scissor-tongued wife. Alongside Janet Jackson and Malik Yoba, Tasha proves she has the gusto to channel Mabel Simmons' (Madea) thoughts effortlessly.

One of three children raised by a single mom in Camden, NJ, Smith, 36, is divorced with no children. She has an identical twin sister who was a model in Europe. In her downtime, you might find the Los Angeles resident in her kitchen cooking, roller-blading down Melrose, getting her praise on to some Ben Tankard, or hanging out with her best friend, Tyra Banks (who introduced her to Perry.)

Our intimate conversation at the Women's Museum of the Arts in D.C. irradiates why she seems to have mastered the "broken woman" persona. Once a hustler and drug addict in real life, she identifies with the mentality of women living in crisis and self-defeat.

While removing her shoes to wind-down after hosting an awards gala, she tells me as a matter of fact, that she was navigating life in the wrong direction simply because, "I did not know Jesus." She was a bonafide atheist who denied Christ's very existence. As revealed in the following excerpt from the interview, Smith has been spiritually re-born, and lives a life that is the anti-thesis to her on screen image.

Who is Tasha Smith?A girl from Jersey that loves the Lord and loves people. I love my community. It just gives me inspiration the keep moving. Tasha Smith is someone trying to pursue her purpose in life. I believe I'm doing that between my acting, the school, going around speaking and trying to help plant seeds and build foundations in young people.

The Old Tasha
I was living crazy. Doing a whole of drugs, strippin' at the strip clubs, steeling bags of weed. Just doing that because of my circumstances and that environment. I just had to do something to survive. Once I came to know God, my belief system changed.

On Being An Atheist
Gosh, it's such a story, my testimony. I was atheist. (My family hates it when I say that, but it's true.) I think that happens through disappointment, hurt shame and rejection. I mean, when you grow up in an environment where they talk about God and then you live life's circumstances and then confusion comes in an you begin to ask yourself questions, the devil starts getting in your head a little bit, you know what I mean? You get angry and full of rage; you say 'how could there be a God?' All kinds of things can happen for you to choose to believe that. It's just easier when you're going through it. Not that it's easier in life. . .

When God 'Showed Up'
When I was 25 I had an encounter with God because my father had gotten sick. I had a time where I really challenged God like, 'if you're really God You'll show me such and such.'

And during that time one of my best friends had gotten born again. I was going through this major transition in life. I was going through this whole thing where I would question whether God was real or not. I really needed God to be real because I was so depressed and so unhappy, I felt like if there isn't a God I have no reason to live.

Because every thing else in life is so false, so fake, so untrue and why else am I here? It was just a bad time in my life and God really showed up and met me where I was. I know you hear that all the time. It sounds like a cliché, but God will meet you where you are. After I had that encounter based around a family member's death I went to church with my friend who had gotten born again and I never would read The Word.

Everyone that hurt me read The Bible. You know, you're so use to the judgmental people in the church that dog you and made you feel bad about who you are and on top of that they're doing crazy stuff too. So, I wouldn't read The Word. But when I went to this church, I said, "Show me." I was willing to listen and to see whatever it was that God wanted to show me.

There really was never a time that I was open to see that. I didn't want to see the Word, I didn't want to hear the Word so I didn't. You know it says, 'Knock and the door will open, ask and ye shall receive.' So I was knocking, I was asking, but I also know it was God's divine time where He was also drawing me. And that's where His grace comes in because His grace really saved me. I wasn't just about the family and what I was going through. . .I believe God was saying this is your season of salvation. So all of these things fit. All of it worked together for good to those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. During this time, I read The Word. This church was not deep. I mean this pastor was not some phenomenal speaker, not T.D. Jakes. or BAM Crawford. All he did was read the scripture. But it' something about God's Word. The Bible says it's like a hammer unto a rock. It'll bang some stuff up. God's Word will just bring light. It's quick and powerful, The Bible says and sharper than any two-edged sword. So when I read that Word, the Word came in and brought light. It broke down all those strongholds that were blocking me from His wisdom. His Word was just His Word and as I read His Word I see the revelation of Jesus. . . (Excitedly.) Oh my God! Not only do I have a God, I have a father and a Savior and a friend that loves me as I am. And that's something that might not always be concrete for some people, but it's spiritual so it's not always going to be concrete in the natural sense, but that was my experience and I saw it in the spirit enough to cause me to make a change.

Ditching the "Holier-than-thou" stereotype
We in the church are a hot nasty mess (and I don't even need to talk about it 'cause you already know) and we wanna talk about the world. Why don't we get our own house in order first before we start looking out in someone else's yard? Cut your own!

No compromising for the camera
I on't think that roles challenge what I believe because I feel like as an actor I know who I am in God. I understand that I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. I have boundaries, but there are boundaries I would have whether I was a Christian or not. I'm not gonna get butt naked. Certain people may have issues with roles that I do that have profanity in it. But, as actors our job is to portray humanity, all of humanity. Most characters that we see are not saved yet.

Her passion
The Tasha Smith Acting Workshop (TSAW) -- I started doing acting workshops about 5-6 years ago and my passion was just trying to help some young people in the inner city community be developed in the arts and mentored. All of a sudden it just became this incredible passion that I couldn't stop what I was doing because I saw people's lives transform. It's something we're missing in Hollywood, a place where African American actors can come get mentorship, get empowered to reach their purpose in the arts. . .We have casting agents come in and teach tem about auditioning, actors come in. If we can get then young we can plant a positive seed in them so they can grow to become the Angela Bassets and Charles Duttons of the world. They'll be full of substance, character and integrity that we'll be proud of. It's just such a wonderful thing to come to the Congressional Black Caucus the night they were celebrating leadership in the arts because that's my passion

On working with Mr. Perry and the new movie
It was a blessing working with Tyler. He's been a blessing in my life and so many people's lives. I think the movie's gonna bless people and inspire people to be married and believe in marraige again. we've seen so much tragedy in our community as far as marraige is concerned.

*****

All I can say is...this chick is fabulous! I had already given her a katrillion-gazillion cool points but after reading her testimony...she's off the charts!

I'm feeling her honesty, and it's a testament to the goodness AND POWER of our Almighty God.

Sidebar: Christians-STOP ARGUING WITH ATHEISTS. You prove why they don't believe in Christianity. Arguing will not make them want to become a Christian. It's goin to make them dig their heels in the dirt and become planted right there in their atheistic views. You win over an atheist by your behavior and YOUR PRAYERS! You plant, God waters and give increase. Trying to argue your point with an atheist, is like a black person trying to prove why it's better to be black rather than white. IT'S STUPID, AND POINTLESS.

It's God who will do the drawing as we lift Him up...give it a rest with your pious, sanctimonius self.

Did You Ask Justin Timberlake Those Questions, too??

"Why Did I Want To Get Crunk on That Man?!"
source: theybf.com

As is common when a movie is being released, Tyler Perry and Janet Jackson have been their rounds promoting Perry's new movie, "Why Did I Get Married?" One of the shows that interviewed, "Good Day" on Channel 13 in Sacramento(CBS), took several jabs at Janet Jackson. Based on what I've seen of Janet, she's always humble and gracious in interviews, and this interview was no exception. However, Tyler Perry was not having it. This idiot of an interviewer brought up of all things...THE SUPERBOWL FIASCO! That's right you heard me. Everytime the idiot took a jab at Janet, Perry stepped in and protected her. (honey, that's what a man is supposed to do!) There was no relevance of the superbowl to the movie. Now... had he brought up her marriages, I could understand him going there.

My questions are: Did Janet Jackson, uncover her own breast at the Superbowl or did Justin Timberlake??? Why is it that no one has disrespected, joked, ribbed, kidded (or whatever) Justin Timberlake regarding the Superbowl? Who designated J.J. as the scapegoat, sacrificial lamb?

Oh--you don't believe me? Well click for yourself:
watch the madness

Kudos to Mr. Class himself, Tyler Perry!

You better recognize!

$$$ FINANCIAL FREEDOM FRIDAY $$$

It's that time again...it's Financial Freedom Friday!!
Here are tips of the day from the mouth of BlackEnterprise.com:

Cutting Costs
... savvy ways to save on necessities

--Few things in life are free, but some products and services can be bought at significantly discounted prices if you're willing to make a sacrifice or two.

Electronics Savings: Planning to buy a new television, computer, or other electronics? Many stores sell display models for 10% to 20% savings since the product is technically "used." Jim Babb, a spokesman for Richmond, Virginia-based Circuit City Stores Inc., says, "We call these products 'open box savings,' and the size of the discount depends on the product." While Circuit City's open box products all carry full manufacturers' warranties, other stores may have a different policy. So be sure to ask if you're forfeiting any benefits offered to customers who pay full price.

Personal Care Cutbacks: If you're the type who likes to pamper yourself with spa services, look for the nearest school for estheticians (also check out Spa Week on the previous page). Many cosmetology schools that teach such skills as hair, nail, and skincare offer services at a discount so that students have customers on whom they can hone their skills. For example, the Georgetown Aveda Lifestyle Salon & Spa in Washington, D.C., charges $120 for its Elemental Nature Facial for Radiant Skin, while the Aveda Institute, a training facility in Washington, D.C., charges $50 for the same service. However, be cautious about having chemical products applied such as hair relaxers, advises Torrence Wimbish, manager of Salon Plaza in Largo, Maryland. "Though students may have practiced on [mannequins], it's a different ball game when you actually have to put a chemical on a human," he says.

Thrifty Sites: Visit Websites such as www.consignmentshops.com to find consignment shops that offer savings on secondhand clothing and goods such as office furniture and household items. The merchandise is typically in good condition, though you should ask about and be comfortable with the return policy before making a purchase.

******

Utilizing these tips will help you to achieve most of your short term goals.

The first step after acknowledgement is implementation!

You better recognize...money is not going to magically allocate themselves to your bank account.

You better have a bank account!!

Oh Lawd, that's a whole other topic...(posting coming soon!)