Like it or not, many customers make a vital first impression about your company based on the printed materials they come into contact with. A high quality print adds to your business’ image while a poor print can easily destroy it. Just think back to the last time you saw printed material from a business that looked sloppy – what did it instantly tell you about that company?

Thanks to websites like PsPrint that offer discount printing, it’s easier and cheaper than ever to get great prints at very reasonable prices. Online printing services can aggregate lots of customer orders from around the country, giving them an economy of scale that your local printer just can’t match. The higher volumes handled by online printers means lower prices for you.

One of the most effective ways for your company to stay in touch with customers is the seasonal greeting card. At many online printers you can get 200 custom greeting cards digitally printed for under $100. That’s not much to pay to keep your company at the top of your customer’s minds.

So the next time you need materials printed, check online first. Chances are you will save money.

Companies like PAYware Mobile and Square are launching new mobile payment services that turn an Apple iPhone (or other similar smartphone) into a credit card processing machine with the use of an external card swiping dongle.

There are a number of Apple iPhone applications like iSwipe and iTouch2Pay that attempt to solve the same problem but Square and VeriFone’s PAYware Mobile are among the first to attempt to retrofit a merchant’s phone to turn it into a handy dandy portable credit card processing machine.

Fees for using the new mobile phone payment services range from approximately $30/month and 17 cents per transaction for PAYware Mobile to a yet to be determined pricing model from Square. When additional information becomes available from Square it will be easier to compare Square with PAYware Mobile.

The Square mobile payment service was launched by Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of the popular online messaging service Twitter, and early investors have already pegged the valuation of Square at $40 million before the service has even officially launched.

If you have filed for bankruptcy, the lenders would be leery about offering you a loan because of your spoiled credit rating. You would have difficulties to qualify for a mortgage. Even if you qualify, you would be asked to pay a significantly high interest rate.

You might be refused by an insurance company if you approach them for buying insurance. Your poor credit rating might hinder you from getting a job.

There is one more negative aspect of filing bankruptcy that hurts you. The social stigma related to filing bankruptcy is immense and can create a lot of depression in you.

Filing bankruptcy is detrimental for your credit report in different ways and it stops you from getting various financial benefits.

Because of the detrimental effects of filing bankruptcy, finance professionals advise that it is always prudent to deal with your debts before they go out of control. If they are at a controllable level, try to pay them off either on your own or through professional help. There are various alternatives to bankruptcy like debt settlement, debt consolidation and debt management. Choose the option that suits your financial situation.

Another bit of good news is that the Bureau also revised downwards the job losses by 159,000. That means the job situation has likely been improving for a longer period of time than many people had expected.

While undoubtedly good news, the most recent jobs report should be kept in perspective. While the unemployment rate did indeed drop, it is still at 10%, a historically high number. 15.4 million Americans still remain unemployed. The rate also does not account for thousands of workers who have given up looking for work or are underemployed, working only part time jobs. When those factors are taken into account the true unemployment situation looks much more bleak.

So does the latest report signal that the job situation has finally turned a corner? Certainly a month month uptick does not make a trend, but there are signs that job growth may finally be catching up to the growth of the overall economy. The manufacturing and construction sectors – which were a huge source of job losses since the recession began – have shown signs of stability. Health care and temporary agencies also added jobs in November.

The big unknown factor in the jobs recovery is how much consumer spending will rise. Early results of holiday shopping indicate that while spending has not dropped from last year it has not measurably increased either. It may not be until after the holiday season is over that we will know for certain whether this is the beginning of job gains and not losses.

As with last month, the Minneapolis and San Francisco metro areas paced the increase, rising 3.2% and 2.8% respectively. Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Washington D.C. all posted price gains of over 1% for August.

Despite the seeming strength coming back to the housing market, many analysts caution that the rise in prices may be temporary. Unemployment remains high, another wave of foreclosures may be in the offing, and an $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit is scheduled to expire soon.

Some housing experts expect home prices to recover incrementally, following the pattern of the last few months. Getting back to the mid-2006 in home prices may still be a long way away.

The Case-Shiller index is widely considered one of the most accurate gauges of home prices because it compares recent home sales with previous prices for the same home. Last month the Index rose 1.6%.

Leading economists and analysts are mixed in their outlook, but there is plenty of evidence to suggest continuing storm clouds up ahead. While the stock market may be celebrating, the larger economy still has a long way to go.

Here’s a few things to look out for:

• Unemployment is still worsening. When the national unemployment rate goes above 10% (which is already has in many states) will this further contract consumer spending? In the U.S. consumer spending still acount for 70% of GDP. In the U.K. that figure is only 65% of GDP, so perhaps we still have a ways to go down.
• The specter of inflation. The U.S. has $50 trillion (yes, trillion) in unfunded liabilities. Many analysts fear this will lead to significant inflation in the next three years.
• What about innovation? The credit crunch has most impacted small businesses and entrepreneurs, the seat of innovation in the U.S. The number of patents files has been declining, not a good sign for America’s future innovation.

So if the stock market rally isn’t indicative of the weakness in the broader economy, what’s causing it? Many argue that we’re simply seeing the effect of massive government spending. When that spending stops will the economy be able to pick up the slack?

Given how quickly cars depreciate, it’s not difficult to get upside down in a variety of situations. Many consumers get to this point and don’t even realize it until they try to sell or trade in their car and discover that their loan balance far exceeds the value of the car.

Owing more than your car is worth is not necessarily a problem if you plan to keep the car throughout the period of your loan. But if you need to sell or trade it in, you’ll need to deal with the loan. Here are few options for what to do if you are upside down on a car loan:

Roll your old loan into a new car purchase. Some car dealers will allow you add the unpaid principal of your old car loan into the loan for a new car. You would, in effect, be paying off two loans. As you can imagine, this gets expensive and is not recommended, but if you have no other options then it may be worth exploring.

Refinance your car loan. While many people refinance home loans, not as many know that you can do the same for car loans. If you bought your car a few years ago you might find that interest rates now are much lower and you can save on your monthly payments. Just be sure that your current auto lender allows prepayment of your loan.

Make extra payments. You can pay down your car loan fairly quickly by making larger payments each month, but be sure that your lender has agreed that extra payments will go to pay down the principal owed.

Use a home equity loan to pay off your car loan. If you have access to a home equity line of credit, you can probably pay off your entire car loan at once. The advantage is that you immediately get yourself out from being upside down on your car loan and have 100% ownership. Repaying a home equity loan can also have tax benefits, so check with your accountant.

“There is as yet no data to confirm that foreclosure-mediation programs anywhere have led to a substantial number of affordable and sustainable loan modification programs,” the report stated. The laws on the books have the potential to help borrowers, but they lack the same bank accountability as the voluntary federal program.

For example, in California, the state law says mortgager providers cannot begin foreclosure until 30 days after they have contacted the delinquent homeowner to explore options for the borrower to avoid foreclosure. The law went into effect in September 2008 and had the immediate effect of slowing down the foreclosure process. However, the number of foreclosures in California has now returned to its previous levels.

To improve the state programs, the report suggested several changes including requiring banks to disclose to homeowners the cost of foreclosure versus the cost of loan modification; imposing sanctions on lenders that do not negotiate in good faith; and requiring proof of who actually owns the loan. The report recommends that banks certify compliance with a mediator o court before being allowed to proceed on foreclosure.

If you purchased your house several years ago you have probably been paying down the principal and (hopefully!) your house has appreciated in value. The difference between how much your house is worth and the amount of praincipal you still owe on your mortgage represents the equity you can tap into. A bank will also look at your ability to repay the loan when determining how much to lend.

Home equity debt comes in two flavors. A home equity loan is generally one lump sum with a fixed interest rate and repayment schedule. A home equity line of credit (called a HELOC) acts more like a credit card account – you are only charged for the money you draw down from the account.

Either home equity loan type can be appropriate for funding a college education. The biggest advantage to using home equity loans is that, in general, the interest you pay on this debt is tax deductible.

Home equity loans should not be your first choice when paying for college, as there are more suitable programs like student loans and various federal program available to help you with the cost. But if these other sources are not providing enough, think about tapping into your home’s equity.

Here are some tips on how to save on homeowner’s insurance:

Shop around. Comparison shopping for policies could take some time, but it could also save you serious money. There are dozens of homeowner’s insurance comparison websites around to make this task easier.

Increase your deductible. If you are comfortable with a bit more money coming out of your pocket in the event of a natural disaster or other damage to your building, increasing your deductible to over $1,000 can save you as much as 25% on your policy.

Get your rebuilding costs right. You should not be insuring your home for its full value, which includes both the home’s structure and the land it sits on. When calculating rebuilding costs, only include the value of the structure itself, not the land.

Improve your house’s security. Intstalling burglar alarms, smoke detectors, and dead-bolt locks can cut your homeowner’s insurance premium by over 15%.

Ask for discounts. Most insurers have a variety of discounts available, such as if you are over 55 or have an auto insurance policy with the same company. be sure to ask what’s available when shopping for a policy.

With a bit of planning you can get a great homeowner’s insurance policy without paying an arm and a leg for it.