Getting more financial aid

As someone who struggled financially during a long educational career, I know that times are tough and finding ways to pay for school are a top concern. That's why I'm posting the following link to a great site with fresh ideas on financial aid. Financial Aid Podcast (http://www.financialaidpodcast.com) is a great overall site for insights on paying for college; the following post addresses some of those concerns in particular: How to ask for more financial aid.

Let me know what you think....

Get out of Debt - Part 2

Though I've posted a number of finance tips in the past, recent research has turned up a host of how-to financial sites that I wish I had known about as a college student. If you are a financial wizard and understand amortization calculation, debt to income ratios and FICO scores, then the sites below are on a beginner level. However, if these terms are new to you, then the following sites are a godsend for learning about debt, money mangement, and methods of moving toward a debt-free existence.

Learning the ropes of finance 101: everything you wish someone had told you earlier...

About Debt:

1. Debt to loan Ratios the basics: http://ezinearticles.com/?Debt-To-Income-Ratio---A-Critical-Factor-In-Your-Credit-Score&id=806220
2. Debt to income ratios - part 2 from Buzzle.com
3. The Motley Fool provides a wonderful free guide and workbook for getting out of debt; this site alone is a great first step toward financial solvency.
4. Finally if you are in debt, Dave Ramsey presents an interesting take on the psychology of debt reduction with his debt snowball site.
   
5. Buzzle.com has a nice debt reduction resource list. It's a great place to survey the range of considerations necessary to make a serious go at debt.
6. The Federal Trade Commission has tons of information about credit repair, debt management, financial counseling,
   

Learn about loans and interest by playing with the amortization calculator.

Finally, the following blogs are written by people who've wrestled with debt and survived. They teach money management skills, provide goos links and provide a nice place to learn about budgeting, financial investing and resources for tracking your cash.

1. The Get Rich Slowly blog is a nice place to learn about day-to-day management issues that are critical for financial success. The tone is friendly and the posters are real folks, not account managers or sleazy "credit counselors" trolling for clients.
   
2. Ramit Sethi's I will teach you to be rich blog is valuable because it also covers business building techniques.
3. Mint Money Management free software might do the trick if you're looking for an all-in-one stop shop for organizing your finances. As always, verify that privacy concerns are respected and this could be a great tool.

So that's it, a fairly comprehensive get started set of finance tools.

Enjoy!
phree

Clean Your Credit History

This site from the Make Your Nut blog teaches you how to give your credit history a makeover. The basic premise is that you can reset your credit history by asking the credit reporting agencies to justify the negative records that show up when a credit check is performed.


Read the story, try the techniques and provide feedback below.

Contracts for Freelancers

At some time in your career you may choose to freelance. Knowing how to write a solid contract and plan for unforeseen changes/contingencies makes a huge difference in profit margins. Often it will be the difference between losing and making money on a project. Digital web magazine offers a few reasons why you should never do a project without a contract and practices that are always useful in legal negotiations.

That said the following resources are useful starting points for writing contracts that help ensure both parties conclude the project with positive results. First visit:
writing web design contracts for the non-legal. There's a rough sample that requires customization on this site too. Second creative latitude provides many great resources for the startup design company. This is the site that you must visit to visualize the many steps necessary in client and work flow management. Finally "Bulletproof Web Design Contracts" contains expert advice regarding changes/contingencies that you should consider before you begin to fine tune the contract.

If contract terms and language still make you crazy, visit this glossary to get familiar with legal phrases/terms. Though a contract is not an absolute guarantee that your projects will be profitable and hassle-free, it can provide a good foundation so that everyone involved knows what to expect as the project progresses.

Happy freelancing!

Feeeeeature Creeeeep

http://sixrevisions.com/project-management/eight-tips-on-how-to-manage-feature-creep/

Save yourself a lot of pain in your professional life and learn from the above article.

In my experience (combined with a lot of reading/discussing other artists' own trials and tribulations), learning those lessons the hard way means uncomfortable stretches of unemployment or total abandonment of the industry to avoid dealing with clients.

Hope this prevents some disasters (or at the very lest gives you a cushion to fall on)!

Repair your credit and get a free credit report

So you're a college student with credit problems. Join the club. Many students face the issue of repairing credit mistakes made before they gained financial awareness. To make the recovery easier, visit the "Make your nut" site to learn how to repair a bad credit report. Having a good FICO score is vital for securing credit and loans post-college. This site teaches you how to raise your score and get negative elements taken off of your report.

Also you can get a free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit agencies each year by visiting annualcreditreport.com.

Get out there and fix your credit!

Get out of debt - Part 1

If you're in debt and stressed, Leo Babauta's blog Zen Habits provides wonderful advice for digging your way out. Be sure to read both posts linked here. The first discusses strategies for becoming debt-free; the second covers techniques he used to pursue his dream of turning his blog into his full-time job.


Though his path is not foolproof or tailored to every situation, it does offer insights for those who would work to live versus live to work.


As always your comments and insights are appreciated.

peace,
phree

Career Tips for Illustrators

Nate Williams offers solid career tips to get your work noticed by art directors. His blog is informative and provides examples of the ideas he advocates. This is a good "get started" place for graphic designers who wish to become illustrators. Check out his bio, client list and portfolio too!

Let me know what you think....
phree

Online Porttfolios - The essentials

If you are getting ready to graduate and want to think about the basics for an online portfolio that can generate freelance work, then you must read Build a Killer Online Portfolio. The most valuable segment of this article contains information about content organization and the navigation structure of your site to achieve various objectives.

Enjoy!

Join the AIGA - Design Professionals

If you are a design major, then check out the resources offered by the AIGA (the professional association for design). Per our recent lectures in logic class, here's a link to a sample intellectual property agreement that you may want to tailor for clients or subcontractors: http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/standard-agreement. It's a very thorough document with tons of good information and I highly recommend it for those of you engaged in freelance/independent projects.

Ciao!
phree

Loan Basics 101: How much are you paying in interest?

It's good to know how much you'll be paying in interest on fixed rate loans. The amortization calculator is the answer. The calculator is especially useful for car loans, mortgages and student loans as it can show you the breakdown of your payment (i.e., how much is being credited to interest and principle).
The cost of borrowing is sobering, but necessary. Remember all of the interest you pay means extra hours in the office or on the screen. I hope you find the new info interesting...