According to the surveys, more women than men believe women put too much value on a man’s finances. A large majority of men have a plan for retirement as compared to their female counterparts. While most men and women are okay with partners who make more than them.

Another interesting finding is what men and women believe are the ultimate status symbols. Fourty-three percent of women believe a beautiful home is the ultimate status symbol. While men ranked family as their first choice.

Read more at The Root.

RELATED:

Man-Cession? More Women Getting Degrees, Men Losing Jobs

Generation Y Black Women Outearning Black Men

The universal provider is constantly hit with requests for these short-term loans that should never be called loans because somehow they are never repaid. These pleas for assistance from family members in need, affectionately known as Ray-Ray sound something like this:

“I am a little short on rent this month…can I borrow $500 until I get my tax return?” (Which never comes.)
“I was laid off from work again…can I borrow $2000 until I can get back on my feet again?”
“I was evicted from my apartment…can I stay in your place rent free until I can find another place to live?”

I am NOT saying that people should not help others; however, it is time for us to speak candidly about how we are helping our close friends and family members. If you constantly find yourself in the role of the “universal provider” issuing “loans” that are never paid back, then my argument is you are not helping anybody at all.  You are enabling their dependence upon you as opposed to helping them develop their own ability to sustain their economic well being.

Furthermore, many universal providers are suffering from their own economic hardships — and this irresponsible giving can precipitate their economic demise as they squander the precious few dollars they had stored for living expenses, bills, or even retirement and other important long-term goals. So for the universal providers out there, here are 3 tips as to how you can maximize the resources in your family:

1. Use a creative promissory note – Make sure that every time Ray-Ray asks you for a loan there is a written agreement before funds exchange hands. This agreement is to outline the terms of the loan, such as how the loan will be paid back, the time-frame of the loan, and conditions if the loan is defaulted. The agreement is to be signed by both parties. Do not be afraid to enforce this agreement in a court of law. I understand this can feel cold, but it is even more cold if Ray-Ray does not pay back a debt and you find yourself in a financial bind. You don’t have to request to be paid back in monetary terms but perhaps an exchange of man hours applied to household chores, errands for your business, or even community service hours donated to your favorite local nonprofit.

You can also request to be paid back with documented proof of Ray-Ray’s efforts to improve his or her condition. Proof of enrollment in the local community college, evidence of a completed website to his or her new business, a written letter from a GED program to complete a high school degree, copies of completed job applications… all of these are evidence of tangible tasks that this individual is actually doing work to improve their economic condition. If they are not able to provide this proof, then it is time to take them to see Judge Mathis! The bottom line is there must be a measure of accountability. Without accountability, Ray-Ray will continue to tap your financial well until it runs dry leaving you both penniless and dependent upon the next family member to waste their crucial financial resources.

2. Have a family empowerment meeting – One of the most powerful financial support systems within our communities, IF we are efficient and not irresponsible in how we utilize the resources, is the family. I think we take for granted how powerful the family is. Families are great at meeting for Easter, Christmas, weddings, funerals, reunions and other normal gatherings; however, what if the family could meet specifically to have economic empowerment discussions?

I have hosted many family meetings where we are able to seek and find the necessary empowerment resources within the family. Pull ALL the members of the family together including immediate, extended, and close friends who are just like family. Have an independent person who knows a bit about finance host the discussion (preferably someone you can trust to not think of this as an opportunity to make a sale) and answer direct questions such as the following:

·         How many people are unemployed and within what fields do you have an expertise or skills? Have someone take notes of those who respond then follow up with the question, “Do we have anyone in those particular fields that can assist with a connection or resource to assist?”
·         Do we have any children who are going to college and can we all agree to establish a college savings fund in a 529 account in which we pool funds for those youth going to school?
·         Is there anybody who is in jeopardy of foreclosure or being evicted? Can we set up a roommate situation to save the home or pool funds for a mortgage in return for in-kind services rendered?
·         Do we have any current or future entrepreneurs in the family who need support and can you outline exactly the type of support you will need from the family? Is there a possibility to turn any of these business ideas into family run businesses by which we all can profit?

3.  SAY NO! – If you don’t have the money, guilt is not a good enough reason to try to come up with the money. Learning how to say no is one of the easiest yet most difficult things we need to do in our community.

If you really want to help somebody, putting them in a position where they can help themselves is the most effective way of providing assistance. Giving them money is just putting gum in the hole of the dam which may seem to stop the leak temporarily, but only leads to a larger crack and ensuing flood when the dam breaks which hurts everybody.

Tough love must be tough, but it must be balanced by love so don’t ever turn down a chance to help those you love. Find a way to help that will lead to true empowerment and all of your family will be stronger for it in the end!

RELATED:

Depression-Era Levels! African-American Unemployment Hits 16

(content courtesy of eurweb)

Eddie Long’s church, New Birth Missionary Baptist in Lithonia, Ga. is taking a major hit, possibly because tithes and offering and maybe attendance is down since the controversies surrounding Long personal business and the church finances.

Because of the reduced income, the church is cutting staff and reducing employee salaries.

“Like numerous other churches and charitable organizations across Georgia and the rest of the country, New Birth and its faith community have been impacted by the nationwide downturn in the economy,” the church said in a statement.

Whether the bishop’s salary will be affected is yet to be announced. However, other employees will take a 10 percent cut.

The announcement actually comes just months after a Senate investigation into the church’s spending. New Birth was among four ministries that refused to cooperate with the investigation led by Sen. Charles Grassley.

HERE ARE A FEW MORE STORIES YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS OUT ON

(VIDEO) MARSHA AMBROSIUS TAKES A STAND ON BULLYING AND ALTERNATIVE LIFESTYLES

MAN CAUGHT HAVING SEX WITH HOGS

REPORTER STOPS STREET FIGHT DURING BROADCAST

ARE THESE CHICKS REALLY FIGHTING OVER FOOD?

STEVE HARVEY SENDS EX-WIFEY COURT PAPERS IN BOX OF CHOCOLATES

BEYONCE SHOWS OFF HER FREAKUM DRESS AND STILETTOS

JANET OPENS UP ABOUT HER WEIGHT, HER LOVE, HER FAMILY AND HER LIFE

SMOKEY ROBINSON TALKS ABOUT HIS NEW PROJECT AND HIS WORDS OF WISDOM TO EL DEBARGE

Recently, I wrapped a wad of such currency in a big rubber band, took it to my bank and demanded of my teller the corresponding bill of a larger denomination.

She was completely unable to mask her contempt.

She looked like she not only wanted to wash her hands, but to shower after handling such a large amount of small bills. She quickly stuffed them all into some circa-Scarface automated bill counter and stood as far back as possible.

Then she came over and presented me with a Benjamin, quickly waiving me away as if I were some bad date or a secret friend that she wanted to be rid of now that her real friends were on the horizon.

This started me to wondering: who even carries actually money nowadays anyway?

There seems to be no greater indicator that you are a low-grade second rater than having pockets filled with actual cash.

RELATED: How you can solve your credit problems

Now, from a production standpoint, paper money’s still good.

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing is still making 38 million bills a day with a face value of $750 milllion.

Also, despite only making up only 1% of the value of all transactions, paper money is still the most popular method of payment.

The only concern I have with what seems to be the inevitable abandonment of dollar bills is a theory my good friend, the great DJ Tone Fresh, advanced recently.

He argued that, much like New York’s E-ZPass which, on the surface, makes toll-road travel quicker and easier but which actually is no more than a thinly disguised tracking system, the current move away from a hard cash to cards and wires is another form of tracking.

RELATED: Inspired by Black customer, Apple, reverses no cash policy

“You can’t even commit a crime and go on the run any more,” Tone argues. “Your card’ll give you away the minute you buy your bus ticket.”

I wonder though, is Tone right?

Is this just another case of technology making our lives easier on the surface while actually invading our privacy?

Or are you one of those few people out there who still prefers to see “green” and NOT a computer screen?

Click here to view photos:

Share this post on Facebook! CLICK HERE:

In a recent survey 54 percent of respondents reported having less than $25,000 in total savings and investments, excluding their home or workplace pension, if any. Some 27 percent said they don’t have even $1,000.

Take a look:

RELATED LINKS:

3 Signs You’re A Financially Healthy Woman

Money Tips For Your 20’s, 30’s & 40’s

Enter HelloBeautiful’s “Beautiful Friendship” Contest!

Sometimes reaching for your wallet is like a multiple choice test: How do you really want to pay?

While credit cards and debit cards may look almost identical, not all plastic is the same.

“It’s important that consumers understand the difference between a debit card and a credit card,” says John Breyault, director of the Fraud Center for the National Consumers League, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group. “There’s a difference in how the transactions are processed and the protections offered to consumers when they use them.”

While debit cards and credit cards each have advantages, each is also better suited to certain situations. And since a debit card is a direct line to your bank account, there are places where it can be wise to avoid handing it over — if for no other reason than complete peace of mind.

Here are 10 places and situations where it can pay to leave that debit card in your wallet:

1. Online

“You don’t use a debit card online,” says Susan Tiffany, director of consumer periodicals for the Credit Union National Association. Since the debit card links directly to a checking account, “you have potential vulnerability there,” she says.

Her reasoning: If you have problems with a purchase or the card number gets hijacked, a debit card is “vulnerable because it happens to be linked to an account,” says Linda Foley, founder of the Identity Theft Resource Center. She also includes phone orders in this category.

The Federal Reserve’s Regulation E  (commonly dubbed Reg E), covers debit card transfers. It sets a consumer’s liability for fraudulent purchases at $50, provided they notify the bank within two days of discovering that their card or card number has been stolen.

Most banks have additional voluntary policies that set their own customers’ liability with debit cards at $0, says Nessa Feddis, vice president and senior counsel for the American Bankers Association.

But the protections don’t relieve consumers of hassle: The prospect of trying to get money put back into their bank account, and the problems that a lower-than-expected balance can cause in terms of fees and refused checks or payments, make some online shoppers reach first for credit cards.

2. Big-Ticket Items

With a big ticket item, a credit card is safer, says Chi Chi Wu, staff attorney with the National Consumer Law Center. A credit card offers dispute rights if something goes wrong with the merchandise or the purchase, she says.

“With a debit card, you have fewer protections,” she says.

In addition, some cards will also offer extended warrantees. And in some situations, such as buying electronics or renting a car, some credit cards also offer additional property insurance to cover the item.

Two caveats, says Wu. Don’t carry a balance. Otherwise, you also risk paying some high-ticket interest. And “avoid store cards with deferred interest,” Wu advises.

3. Deposit Required

When Peter Garuccio recently rented some home improvement equipment at a big-box store, it required a sizable deposit. “This is where you want to use a credit card instead of a debit,” says Garuccio, spokesman for the national trade group American Bankers Association.

That way, the store has its security deposit, and you still have access to all of the money in your bank account. With any luck, you’ll never actually have to part with a dollar.

4. Restaurants

“To me, it’s dangerous,” says Gary Foreman, editor of the frugality minded Web site The Dollar Stretcher. “You have so many people around.”

Foreman bases his conclusions on what he hears from readers. “Anecdotally, the cases that I’m hearing of credit or debit information being stolen, as often as not, it’s in a restaurant,” he says.

The danger: Restaurants are one of the few places where you have to let cards leave your sight when you use them. But others think that avoiding such situations is not workable.

The “conventional advice of ‘don’t let the card out of your sight’ — that’s just not practical,” says Tiffany.

The other problem with using a debit card at restaurants: Some establishments will approve the card for more than your purchase amount because, presumably, you intend to leave a tip. So the amount of money frozen for the transaction could be quite a bit more than the amount of your tab. And it could be a few days before you get the cash back in your account.

5. You’re a New Customer

Online or in the real world, if you’re a first-time customer in a store, skip the debit card the first couple of times you buy, says Breyault.

That way, you get a feel for how the business is run, how you’re treated and the quality of the merchandise before you hand over a card that links to your checking account.

6. Buy Now, Take Delivery Later

Buying now but taking delivery days or weeks from now? A credit card offers dispute rights that a debit card typically does not.

“It may be an outfit you’re familiar with and trust, but something might go wrong,” says Breyault, “and you need protection.”

But be aware that some cards will limit the protection to a specific time period, says Feddis. So settle any problems as soon as possible.

7. Recurring Payments

We’ve all heard the urban legend about the gym that won’t stop billing an ex-member’s credit card. Now imagine the charges aren’t going onto your card, but instead coming right out of your bank account.

Another reason not to use the debit card for recurring charges: your own memory and math skills. Forget to deduct that automatic bill payment from your checkbook one month, and you could either face fees or embarrassment (depending on whether you’ve opted to allow overdrafting or not). So if you don’t keep a cash buffer in your account, “to protect yourself from over-limit fees, you may want to think about using a credit card” for recurring payments, says Breyault.

8. Future Travel

Book your travel with a check card, and “they debit it immediately,” says Foley. So if you’re buying travel that you won’t use for six months or making a reservation for a few weeks from now, you’ll be out the money immediately.

Another factor that bothers Foley: Hotels aren’t immune to hackers and data breaches, and several name-brand establishments have suffered the problem recently. Do you want your debit card information “to sit in a system for four months, waiting for you to arrive?” she asks. “I would not.”

9. Gas Stations and Hotels

This one depends on the individual business. Some gas stations and hotels will place holds to cover customers who may leave without settling the entire bill. That means that even though you only bought $10 in gas, you could have a temporary bank hold for $50 to $100, says Tiffany.

Ditto hotels, where there are sometimes holds or deposits in the hundreds to make sure you don’t run up a long distance bill, empty the mini bar or trash the room. The practice is almost unnoticeable if you’re using credit, but can be problematic if you’re using a debit card and have just enough in the account to cover what you need.

At hotels, ask about deposits and holds before you present your card, says Feddis. At the pump, select the pin-number option, she says, which should debit only the amount you’ve actually spent.

10.  Checkouts or ATMs That Look ‘Off’

Criminals are getting better with skimmers and planting them in places you’d never suspect — like ATM machines on bank property, says Foley.

So take a good look at the machine or card reader the next time you use an ATM or self-check lane, she advises. Does the machine fit together well or does something look off, different or like it doesn’t quite belong? Says Foley, “Make sure it doesn’t look like it’s been tampered with.”

from yahoo.com

Forbes magazine has named Jay-Z and Beyonce the top earning couple in entertainment — married or unmarried — for their combined $122 million banked between June 2008 and June 2009.

BeyonJay beat the competition not only via hit songs but also through endorsement deals with such companies as Budweiser and American Express. In this relationship, the wife out-earned the husband, $87 million-$35 million.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, meanwhile, placed fourth with a combined $48 million earned.

In a distant second place, with a combined $69 million, was Harrison Ford and girlfriend Calista Flockhart, most of that coming courtesy of Ford’s $65 million paycheck for “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”

Partners Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are third with a combined $55 million, thanks to “Wanted,” starring Jolie, and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” starring Pitt.

Placing 5 through 7 are David and Victoria Beckham ($46 million); Ellen DeGeneres and her partner Portia de Rossi ($36 million); and Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson ($35.5 million).

Other couples on the top 15 list at Forbes.com include Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, and Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban.

Here’s a Black Friday reality check: Of the hordes of pre-dawn shoppers who line up for hours outside stores on the day after Thanksgiving, most will not bag the best bargains that appear in merchants’ circulars.

Look at the fine print that appears next to an advertised “doorbuster deal” at the bottom of the page in this year’s circulars.

It will either say “While supplies last,” “Minimum 2 per store,” “No rainchecks” or “All items are available in limited quantities.”

A quick scan through a few of this year’s Black Friday circulars show quantities as low as a “minimum of 5 per store” on some models of large plasma and HDTVs and popular brands of home appliances such as a washer-dryer pair.

Should Black Friday deal hunters feel cheated? Yes they should, say some retail experts.

“It’s a sleazy practice,” said Craig Johnson, retailing expert and president of retail consulting group Customer Growth Partners.

“I am old school,” said Johnson. “If a retailer is advertising a juicy deal and they are not prepared to have in sufficient quantity, don’t advertise it. Or give consumers a raincheck.”

Johnson said it’s not enough for retailers to mention that they’ll have such limited quantities of a product on one of the most-hyped shopping days of the year.

“Retailers aren’t winning any customers. They are just pissing off people,” he said. “It’s poor retailing practice.”

Unfortunately for consumers, more examples abound.

CNNMoney.com spoke to industry experts to uncover a few dirty secrets of Black Friday deals.

Limited quantities. Advertising a Black Friday deal as “limited quantities” is bogus, said Johnson.

“The only time it makes sense to have only two or three [items] in stock is if the deal is on a $2 million gift product that appears in the Neiman Marcus holiday catalog,” he said.

Edgar Dworsky, a consumer advocate and editor of Consumer World, agreed with Johnson.

“C’mon guys. Give me a break,” said Dworsky. “How can you be the size of a retailer like Sears and only get a minimum of five per store, yet devote big space in your circular to advertise that deal?

Sears has not officially revealed its Black Friday sales. However, the company confirmed to CNNMoney.com that two of its post-Thanksgiving deals include a Samsung 40-inch 1080p LCD HDTV for $599.99, “Only while quantities last, minimum three per store, no rainchecks.”

The other is a Kenmore 3.5-cubic-foot high-efficiency washer and 5.8-cubic foot dryer pair for $579.98, “Limit four per store, no rainchecks.”

“Sure, you probably have more, but how do you put out a circular to millions of households and only have three?,” Dworsky asked.

When asked for a comment, Sears spokesman Tom Aiello said he was “not comfortable” addressing the issue of limited quantities for some Black Friday deals.

Such short supply on deals are not only annoying but can also be dangerous to Black Friday shoppers.

“We saw the stampede at a Wal-Mart store in New York last year on Black Friday that led to an employee’s death,” said Burt Flickinger, managing director of consulting firm Strategic Resource Group. “The stampede happened because so many of the deals were advertised as limited supply.”

One retailer, while not explaining why its advertised deals are in such limited supplies, said it is taking measures to better handle the Black Friday rush.

“From going down the line and handing out doorbuster tickets that guarantee a purchase in advance of the store opening, to printing the minimum quantities in the circular, we go to great lengths to ensure that the Black Friday consumer knows exactly how many items will be at the store and whether or not they will be able to purchase one prior to entering the store,” Best Buy wrote in an e-mail.

What do you mean this HDTV is a “derivative?” Some of the holiday electronics with those low sale prices are derivatives, models that have a few less features than a standard model in that product line, said Dworsky.

The difference can be subtle. “The image contrast ratio might be 20,000 in a derivative model versus 30,000 in a standard model,” he said. “Most consumers probably won’t even notice the difference.”

A report earlier this month in Consumer Reports called attention to HDTV models from Samsung and Sony advertised in Black Friday deals that appear to be “derivatives.” The report said these one-off TVs “with unfamiliar model numbers” are usually cheaper than the standard model in their class.

Dworsky cautions that retailers usually don’t advertise these models as derivatives. “There’s no way the average consumer will know that the TV model they are buying is not the standard one unless they are savvy enough to compare their model numbers,” he said.

Which Black Friday deals are online? “Many retailers will say that their Black Friday deals are available online,” said Dworsky. “But they’re not nice enough to tell you which ones.”

“How about telling me which exact ones so I can shop online from home and I’m not in my pajamas at 5 a.m. in front of your store,” he said.

Online deals that never get shipped. Case in point: Sears. Last year, one of Sears’ hottest Black Friday doorbuster deal was on a Kenmore washer-dryer pair for $600.

Even though the retailer advertised that deal to be in “limited quantities,” the company decided to honor every customer order made on that deal last Black Friday.

Big mistake. The manufacturer could not ramp up production fast enough. Some customers waited months before their order was shipped. Others were sold a substitute model, that was “comparable or even better” for the same deal price, said Sears’ Aiello.

Lesson learned. “We will not be doing that again this year,” he said.

Be careful if you’re shopping online on Black Friday, said Dworsky.

“Since retailers don’t have a live inventory online you run the risk of getting an e-mail weeks later that your order had been delayed or worse, cancelled, because the product is out of stock,” he said.

About those rainchecks. Finally, if a retailer does offer you a raincheck on a deal, it could still turn out to be an empty promise, Flickinger warned.

“A raincheck doesn’t guarantee that you will eventually get that elusive Black Friday deal,” he said. “Consumers can go weeks waiting and hoping, and the retailer may never get more of the product shipped to its stores.”