This column is devoted to helping all of us deal with economic difficulties that are pushing America toward another depression. 

The purpose?  To offer constructive advice, tips and suggestions from readers and help alleviate the pain of job loss, loss of retirement funds, diminished savings, finding work in a different climate and society and deal with mounting bills.  If you’ve got useful suggestions to help others . . . send them to me at jbehrens@roadrunner.com.

Helping Others With Fundraising

A new company, GiveForward.org, offers ideas on how to make it easier to give and to fundraise.  “For those trying to make a difference with the recent Haiti efforts or for anyone looking to help with medical fundraising for a loved one, GiveForward, allows you to create a personal fundraising page for any person, cause or non-profit you care about and then easily collect donations from friends  and family all over the world.,” the organization says.

“Our goal at GiveForward is help as many people as possible by providing an easy-to-use tool that makes it simple to raise money online no matter what your cause might be,” GiveForward says.

Contact Karen Gleason, for www.GiveForward.org at 949-703-3409

Starting Your Own Business Gains Momentum

These are the times that try patience, endurance and souls.  Holding a job is difficult as cost-cutting and management changes alter family life, independent businesses and corporation giants.  Your future isn’t guaranteed anywhere. . . even sometimes with your own dad!

It may be the time to examine what you enjoy that could become an enterprise that others might buy or pay you to do. 

The California Society of CPAs, the nation’s largest state, non-professional association, represents more than 30,000 CPAs and they are ranked the most trusted advisers to small business.  Here are the steps the California CPAs offer to help those thinking about a small business:

1. Understand self-employment tax and how it’s calculated on the federal level and your state.
2. Make estimated tax payments on time to avoid penalties
3. Employ family members when possible to save on taxes
4. Establish an employer-sponsored retirement plan for tax and non-tax reasons. 
5. Take full advantage of business deductions to lower taxable income
6. Deduct healthcare related expenses.

Contact David Colgren, Media relations to CalCPA , email: dcolgren@colcomgroup.com   telephone 917-587-3708

Maintenance You Don’t Want to Forget

Home maintenance is something everyone talks about yet some homeowners conveniently forget.  If you want to retain the value of your home and prevent costly repairs, maintenance is the answer. . .  trust me.

This time of year when it’s too early for spring cleaning but there are items that need checking don’t overlook the following:

1. Check dryer vents and foil duct openings for buildup of dust and lint.
2. Check washing machine hot/cold and hose connections
3. lubricate and inspect garage doors and hinges
4. replace thermostat batteries
5. Check cook vent filters and clean aluminum vent screen at least twice a year.
6. Replace smoke detector batteries (normally twice a year)

www.montechewetthomes.com/maintenance-tips.cfm

Finding Ways to Earn a Living

Kate Forgach discovered that trying to find a job is work . . . more work sometimes than it’s worth.  So she went to work creating “work” for herself.  A coupon blogger, Kate decided to fill her day by putting her time to use earning some money.  She became a housesitter, a freelance writer and she added to her income by launching a housecleaning business which employs three other cleaning people.

Kate posted a blog entitled “Quick Cash: 24 ways to Make Money While Unemployed.”  She points out that the ways to make money are only limited by your imagination.

She is also employed by Coupon Sherpa and she combines her collective work sites to pay her bills.

You can contact Kate Forgach at kate@kinoll.com

Check Out A Guide to Non-Profit Careers

There are guides to about everything today and certainly there are plenty of career references.  One thing that isn’t so plentiful is a guide to careers in not- for- profit work.  While it has plenty of opportunities, salaries in most are minimal unless you have the experience and the degrees (usually a master’s in a specialty) to apply for a director or executive’s position. 

Even top positions, however, in non-profit can be lower than comparable jobs in corporate, business or government. 

Vault.com has released its first Guide to Non-Profit Careers.  The guide offers an overview of the growing field and an examination of the needs and the best and most practical ways to approach the search for a career in non-profits. 

Contact Jon Minners, jminners@vault.com  , 646-792-6205

Supporting Ovarian Cancer Research

It’s a little out of the ordinary but as a widower now whose beautiful wife died a painful death of ovarian cancer, I ask those of you who can contribute $5 to L’Oreal Paris to support the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.  For more than 12 years L’Oreal Paris has raised more than $18 million for OVCRF.  Your gift purchases the Color of Hope Cosmetics bag. 

Why is it so important? All cancer research is vital but Ovarian cancer is a stealth disease that attacks unsuspecting women without warning.  There is no known test or medical check to tell a victim that she has the disease. It needs your help.

And once detected it is fatal.  Women need protection and research is the only answer.  Please help.

www.lorealcolorofhope.com

The Mistakes That Hurt

We all make mistakes.  The difference between those who move on and those who dwell on them is the former group find solutions and resolve the problem. . . the latter bunch don’t go anywhere.

You definitely don’t want that to happen when filing your income taxes.

Even to get an extension creates more dates to remember, more problems in your already complicated life.

Here are some tips from Outright.com which can help your tax filing:

1. Don’t forget to sign the return and date it.  How simple . . . yet it happens.  How many times have you put a check in the mail after an exhaustive day of work and you can’t remember whether you did one or the other. . . or didn’t do either?  Always, always check such blanks before you seal the envelope. 
2. Check your math in the same way.  If you have a tendency as many do to simply do it in your head to get it done, make a serious point of going back over every computation after you’ve finished.  Don’t seal the return until you’ve done so. 
3. When filing for a family. . . have all the Social Security numbers in front of you.  When the IRS gets the forms, the Social Security numbers must match or it’s back to square one. 
4. Don’t mix up your deductions and credits.  Use a bookkeeping application like Outright.com to help you record everything accurately.
5. Putting the wrong bank account information on your return.  Don’t forget if you’re getting a refund the money usually is electronically deposited in your checking or savings account.  The IRS has to know where the refund is to go.  Thus, the numbers you use can either slow things down considerably or speed things along.

www.outright.com