Make Sure Your Holiday Charity Contribution Counts

Written by Sherri Allen


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The internet also provides some excellent resources for researching charities before you make contributions. Here are a few:

* Charity Navigator (http://www.charitynavigator.com/) -- Charity Navigator helps charitable givers make intelligent giving decisions by rating and providing information on over 3,100 charities. You can search their extensive charity database by category, region or keyword.

* Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance (http://www.give.org/) -- This organization developed "Standards for Charity Accountability" to assist donors in making sound giving decisions. You can read their evaluations of charities based on their compliance with these voluntary standards.

* American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP) (http://www.charitywatch.org/) -- The AIP is a nationally prominent charity watchdog service whose purpose is to help donors make informed giving decisions. They producerepparttar Charity Rating Guide and Watchdog Report, which provides information on approximately 500 national charities. At Charitywatch.org you will find a list ofrepparttar 112320 charities that receiverepparttar 112321 highest ratings from AIP, as well as tips and hints for giving wisely.

Don't risk ruining your Christmas spirit by finding outrepparttar 112322 charitable contribution you made went to an organization that spends your money unwisely or in a manner other than what was represented. By doing just a little homework, you can be confident that your donation is spent onrepparttar 112323 people and causes you want to support.

Sherri Allen is the editor of SherriAllen.com, an online publication devoted to topics such as family, food, garden, house & home, and money. For great articles, information, tips, recipes, reviews and coloring pages, visit http://www.sherriallen.com/


Where can I get a home loan? Here Are The Top 5 Mortgage Lending Institutions

Written by Syd Johnson


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Mortgage Bankers These firms deal exclusively with home loans and give yourepparttar widest possible selection of home loan products. You can find local and national Mortgage Bankers by doing a quick search on Google or Yahoo. Go torepparttar 112319 website of several different firms, fill out an online application and you can be approved in a few hours.

Government Agencies The agencies that lend mortgage money includerepparttar 112320 Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Veteran’s Administration (VA) andrepparttar 112321 Farmers Home Administration (FmHA). Contact each agency directly to see if you meet their requirements.

Private Sellers An often overlooked financing alternative is to see if you can lease a property from a homeowner with an option to buy later on. Ifrepparttar 112322 homeowner hasrepparttar 112323 resources, they can also finance your move in with a low interest loan.

Check out these resources individually or discuss your options with a loan officer.

This article may be freely distributed as long as there's an active link to http://www.rapidlingo.com Syd Johnson Editor


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