(NAPSI)-Figuring out how to pay for your child’s education does not have to be stressful or confusing. Regardless of your family’s financial circumstances, the following tips can help simplify the process.

“The key to paying for college is to take charge of the process: Investigate aid options, contact your prospective colleges’ financial aid offices for more information, and keep track of deadlines,” says Linda Bell, director of financial aid at Lehigh University, in Bethlehem, Pa. “Keep a file for each college during the search and retain the folder for the college you decide to attend until you graduate and repay your loans.”

She offers this advice:

• Start saving now. Whether your child is 6 months or 16 years old, your savings can reduce the amount you may have to borrow later, and some savings plans, like 529 plans and Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, offer tax benefits. Contact your financial adviser for more information.

• Expand your college search. Private colleges and universities value geographic diversity and often have more resources to devote to financial aid. While your local state college or university probably has lower tuition and fees, out-of-state private institutions may offer more generous financial aid packages.

• Complete the FAFSA. Regardless of your income, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as possible after January 1. The FAFSA determines your eligibility for federal and state grants, work-study and federal college loans. Some private colleges also require the CSS/PROFILE. Check with the financial aid office.

• Apply for scholarships. You can find information about federal grants and scholarships in the Student Aid Guide on the Department of Education’s web- site (http://studentaid.ed.gov), and at your prospective college’s financial aid office. Check websites like www.fastweb.com for private scholarships, and don’t forget about scholarships that your employer or community organizations may sponsor.

• Be proactive. Keep track of the deadlines and required application materials. If you have any questions, contact the school’s financial aid office. E-mail is the best form of communication because it’s easy to keep track of. Financial aid offices and the Department of Education should be able to help you for free.

For more information, visit www.lehigh.edu/assistance.

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RALEIGH, N.C. –
An agency that accredits high schools in a North Carolina county is sending a special review team to assess recent changes in the school system.

AdvanceED said in a letter to the Wake County school district that it wants to determine whether the changes are negatively impacting the ability of schools to meet standards. The agency is asking for details about the district’s controversial proposal to move away from a diversity policy toward neighborhood schools.

The review comes in response to a complaint filed earlier this year by the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP. The NAACP has accused the school board of harboring “racist attitudes,” something board members vehemently deny.

Dr. Mark Elgart, the president and CEO of AdvancED, said the organization is in the beginning steps of its probe.

“Our primary concern is are they governing in the best interest of the students and the community and to not only look at the process they followed but the determination regarding student assignment,” Elgart said by phone.

School board majority member John Tedesco tells NBC-17 he believes

Read More:MYNC.COM

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MANAGING YOUR MONEY Is It The Right Time To Buy A Home?

(NAPSI)-If you’re thinking about buying a home, now might be the right time. Mortgage rates remain at historically low levels, and housing prices have yet to rebound from their recent declines. As those conditions aren’t expected to last, smart homebuyers need to consider their options, especially if they are making low down payments. There are two main options for first-time buyers and others putting less than 20 percent down: loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and loans insured by private mortgage insurance (PMI). Premiums are tax deductible, and the insurance may be cancelable when equity in the home reaches 20 percent. Both programs have changed in the past year, and more changes may be ahead. While FHA pricing has often been more favorable compared to PMI, rates are going up. Earlier this year, the up-front premium required on FHA loans jumped from 1.75 percent to 2.25 percent of the base loan amount, adding $1,000 to a $200,000 mortgage. Now the FHA wants to raise its maximum mortgage insurance premium, a change that could take the monthly premium on a $200,000 mortgage from $92 to $125. PMI offers many premium plan structures that now make pricing very competitive. In general, PMI pricing is more affordable than FHA’s for borrowers putting down 10?15 percent and can match FHA on loans with 5 percent down. The minimum required FHA down payment is 3.5 percent, but new credit guidelines require a credit score of 580 to qualify for the 3.5 percent program. Borrowers with less than a 580 credit score must put at least 10 percent down. PMI mortgages with 5 percent down are available nationwide, with 3 percent down for some loans that meet Affordable Housing Guidelines. PMI can also offer extra benefits at no extra cost to the borrower. Genworth Financial, for example, purchases job loss protection that helps make a borrower’s mortgage payment (principal, interest, taxes and insurance) in the event of involuntary unemployment up to $2,000 a month for up to six months during the benefit period, with a maximum of three monthly payments per job loss occurrence. Genworth also provides free homeowner assistance to borrowers in financial difficulty as long as they have mortgage insurance with the company. In 2009, it completed nearly 20,000 mortgage workouts, saving over $2.6 billion of mortgages from foreclosure. More information is available at www.SmarterMI.com/MI-vs-FHA.aspx. Understanding your mortgage financing options can save you money and could even save your home.

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BUSINESS NEWS How To Get Help Growing Your Business

(NAPSI)-When it comes to expanding your business globally, minority-owned firms have a natural competitive advantage-and a new initiative may further improve their chances at success. The minority business community has a great advantage in the global market-due in large part to language capabilities, cultural compatibility, ancestral ties and business agility. President Obama’s National Export Initiative (or NEI) calls for doubling U.S. exports within five years. Under the NEI, there will be more credit available for exporters, more government trade promotion and a sharper focus on knocking down the barriers that prevent U.S. companies from getting free and open access to foreign markets. The goal of the NEI is to increase the number of small, medium-sized and minority-owned firms exporting to more than one market by 50 percent over the next five years. The initiative also hopes to focus attention on exporting to emerging markets, and identifying market opportunities in fast-growing sectors such as environmental goods and services, renewable energy, health care and biotechnology. More than 95 percent of the world’s consumers live outside the U.S. and one of the easiest ways to grow American minority-owned businesses is to sell products and services to people outside the border of the United States. To assist minority-owned firms in breaking into global markets, MBDA Business Centers work with a variety of partners to help create strategies for growth. To help grow your export business, MBDA recommends you: • Look at industry trends and know your position within the domestic market prior to establishing an international business strategy. • Research the global market for your products and services. • Determine the effects of exporting on your current operations. • Outline what resources you will need to successfully execute your export strategy. • Familiarize yourself with various global distribution channels. • Contact an MBDA Business Center to assist you. There are more than 45 Centers nationwide. Visit www.mbda.gov to locate a Center near you. One of the easiest ways to grow American minority-owned businesses is to sell products and services to people outside the U.S.

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Patty Duke Family Reunites for Dinner: Medicare on the Menu (285) (NewsUSA) – Patty Duke is back -; and this time she’s brought the entire family. The cast of the Patty Duke Show reunited for dinner and to create a series of public service announcements to promote Social Security’s new online Medicare application. You can view the television spots at www.socialsecurity.gov/medicareonly. Patty Duke and her television family entertained American households on the Patty Duke Show in the 1960s. Now, they want to serve families again -; by telling them just how easy and fast it is to apply online for Medicare -; even if they are not ready to retire. The application takes less than 10 minutes. Even if you decide to wait until after you’re age 65 to apply for retirement benefits, most people should start getting Medicare at age 65. If you’d like to begin your Medicare coverage, you should apply within four months of reaching age 65. It’s important to note that people who already receive Social Security retirement or disability benefits do not need to apply; they will be automatically enrolled in Medicare. Why apply online? Because it’s fast, easy and convenient. You don’t need an appointment, and you can avoid waiting in traffic or in line. You don’t even have to do it all at once. Our secure technology ensures your information will be kept private. If you’re within four months of turning age 65 or older, what are you waiting for? As Patty Duke and her television family will tell you, it takes less than 10 minutes! Just visit www.socialsecurity.gov and select the “Retirement/Medicare” link in the middle of the page. And be sure to catch TV’s most famous identical cousins and the whole family for dinner at www.socialsecurity.gov/medicareonly.

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Facing Foreclosure? Don’t Lose Hope (334) (NewsUSA) – Homeowners struggling to meet their mortgage payments should not wait until they default on a payment before speaking to their lender. Hope and help are available. Hope Now, a private alliance of mortgage services, non-profit counselors and investors helped 270,000 homeowners keep their homes in April 2009. The organization reaches at-risk borrowers through its Web site, www.hopenow.com and community events, where homeowners can meet their lenders directly, as well as speak to representatives from Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Legal Aid. Hope Now also operates a telephone hotline, where homeowners can speak to non-profit counselors, at 1-888-995-HOPE. Before calling their lender, homeowners should compile their financial information. Before restructuring a loan, lenders will want to see hard numbers stating income and expenses. Homeowners also need to be savvy — scammers have found endless ways to profit from the housing crisis. Scammers sift through public foreclosure notices in newspapers or use advertisements to reach desperate homeowners. Then they take mortgage payments, home equity or ownership of the home. To avoid being scammed, Hope Now suggests homeowners be aware of potential “red flags”: * The service guarantees to stop foreclosure, no matter what. * The service collects an upfront fee. * The service tells you not to contact your lender, lawyer or credit or housing counselor. * The service only accepts payment by cashier’s check or wire transfer. * The service encourages you to lease your home so you can buy it back over time. * The service wants to collect your mortgage payments. * The service tells you to transfer your deed or title to it, or offers to buy your home at a fixed price. * The service offers to fill out paperwork for you, or pressures you to sign paperwork that you have not read or do not understand. To find legitimate help, homeowners need to contact their lender directly or call 1-888-995-HOPE to speak with non-profit counselors. To find out about foreclosure prevention options, read “Mortgage Payments Sending You Reeling? Here’s What to Do” at www.ftc.gov.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – Driver’s license photos in North Carolina will soon be captured in 3-D.

The state Division of Motor Vehicles said Thursday it is planning for the changes for 2012. The new photos will come from a camera with multiple lenses. The black-and-white photograph will be laser engraved to the card to provide a clear image.

North Carolina has worked with the FBI to test whether the state’s facial-recognition software can be used to match photos of fugitives with license photos. DMV spokeswoman Marge Howell says the 3-D images will improve that effort.

Read More News:Mync.com

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The Cary Town Council adopted a $348 million budget Thursday that keeps the property tax rate unchanged at 33 cents per $100 valuation and holds the residential garbage, recycling and yard waste fees the same at $14 per month.

The total operating budget is a modest 3.7 percent higher than its Fiscal Year 2010 predecessor, which was adopted last June.

Highlights of the adopted budget:

$128 million for the State-mandated Western Wake Regional Wastewater Management Facilities (WWRWMF), which will allow Cary, Morrisville, Apex and Holly Springs to comply with the State’s requirement to return water to the Cape Fear River Basin.
It also reserves $2.7 million for street improvements and other transportation initiatives, $3 million for fire and $700,000 for park renovations and $2.8 million for general government including $700,000 for open space.

The addition of 12 new positions, four of which will be needed toward the end of the fiscal year for the new Cary Community Arts Center, which is expected to open in late Spring 2011. Three police officers will be hired to begin developing a new neighborhood crime prevention program as well as one school resource for the new Mills Park Middle School. With the adoption of the budget, 31.25 vacant positions will be eliminated, saving the Town about $1.5 million next year. Town staff will be reduced to 1,140.375 full-time equivalents, or about 8.1 staff members for each 1,000 Cary residents, which is one of the lowest citizen to staff ratios for a large community in North Carolina. Read More:Wake.MyNC.Com

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RALEIGH — Alarmed by the prospect of competing for customers against local governments, the cable TV industry is pushing for a state law to prevent North Carolina cities from offering Internet and cable systems to their residents.

The industry, led by Time Warner Cable, wants to protect itself from what it calls unfair competition. The industry’s concerns are gaining urgency as some two dozen towns in the state are either planning or exploring their own telecommunications and television service for residents and businesses: Source:News & Observer

Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/06/22/545221/cable-tv-fights-municipal-broadband.html#ixzz0rh0HwRhv

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RALEIGH — Gov. Perdue last week called on the General Assembly to pass a legislative package designed to assist small businesses in creating and maintaining jobs. The package includes tax incentives, grants and an expansion of the small business preference for companies seeking contracts with state government. Gov. Perdue made the announcement as part of a three-stop JobsNOW tour of small businesses in Asheville, Lexington and Fayetteville.

“Small businesses are the backbone of North Carolina’s economy, and a major driver in our economic recovery,” said Perdue. “They put our friends, neighbors and family members to work. They anchor our communities. Supporting small businesses means supporting jobs for North Carolinians.”

The JobsNOW Small Business Package is focused on three areas of assistance:
1.Tax relief and tax incentives to boost the bottom line for small businesses
?Small Business Start-up Tax Relief – encourages investment in innovative small businesses by allowing favorable capital gains treatment of the founding interests in the business.
?Small Business Health Insurance Credit – provides a credit of $250 per employee to businesses that provide health insurance to employees making less than $45,000. Applies to businesses with fewer than 25 employees. The credit was previously enacted and expired this year.
?Qualified Business Venture Tax Credit – expands this credit by raising the cap from $7.5 million to $10 million to spur more investments in entrepreneurial businesses.
?State tax break for small business equipment purchases.
2.Statewide support for small businesses
?Community Colleges – restore funding to the statewide Small Business Assistance Network within the state’s 58 community colleges.
?“InSource NC” – helps North Carolina businesses find the goods and services they need from other North Carolina businesses, through web-based buyer-supplier networks.
?Help North Carolina businesses capitalize on federal Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer contracts by providing a matching state grant.
?Main Street Solutions – expanded grant funding for the revitalization of downtown districts in small towns, supporting small business growth.
?North Carolina Tourism Promotion – increased investment in marketing and advertising of North Carolina as a national tourism destination.
?Help small businesses get credit by funding the N.C. Small Business Assistance Fund that helps guarantee the remaining 5% on qualifying 95% SBA-backed small business loans.
?N.C. Farm Innovation Fund — provides direct assistance to small family farms to improve energy efficiency, develop new markets and cultivate new value-added products.
Read More:CarolinaNewsWire