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 THE NEED TO BE FINANCIALLY LITERATE  

  THE NEED TO BE FINANCIALLY LITERATE

 

What does financial literacy mean and why do we have to be financially literate?

 

The Money Advice Service (MAS) defines financial literacy as “someone who keeps track of their money, plans ahead and is able to make informed decisions about their finances, understanding the risks and benefits of particular options”.  From the above, it is clear that without financial literacy, the decisions and actions that we take about our money lack solid foundation for success.

 

When you are financially literate, you know how to distribute your income towards several financial goals, can save for difficult times and make debt repayments. It means been equipped with the relevant knowledge and skills to make sound financial decisions.

 

There are certain elements required for someone to be financially literate. Firstly, you must be able to keep track of your money. How do you do that? You must know how much you earn, (net and gross) all the sources of your income (rental income, pensions, benefits etc). To keep track of your income is to know the sources of your income and your expenditure.

 

Secondly, keeping track includes knowing how you spend your money which in financial terms is called expenditure. It is important to have a budget of how you intend to spend your money. Our attitudes and behaviour influence our spending. Without a budget, you will buy any and everything.

 

Thirdly, we must plan ahead which includes the ability to save and invest. You cannot spend all that you earn as you may not have the ability to always earn money due to ill health, unemployment etc. When life happens, we are sometimes not ready for the fall out financially. You should be able to know what saving and investment products to buy that will suit your circumstances. Being financially literate means having the ability to make decisions about the risks and benefits of your options. Ability to know what loans and credit cards to apply for, ability to compare Annual Percentage Rates (APR) which is the interest that you pay when you take out a loan. Ability to shop around and borrow money at the cheapest rate. The higher your credit score, the lower the interest that you will pay.

 

Finally, to be financially literate means, being able to make informed decisions by having the relevant information and skills required. You can subscribe to news -letters from trusted sources like Martin Lewis’ MoneySavingExpert or Experian. You can also talk to a Financial expert, use social media. Look out for free tools from your bank by checking either their website or apps.

 

It is very important to know how to protect your money. Always check your bank account regularly for mistakes and suspicious activities and identity fraud. Make sure that you are on top of your bank accounts and ask questions when you are not sure of certain transactions.

 

Every Adult needs financial literacy. Go out there and get as much information you get which will help you to make solid financial decisions. In this current dispensation, we cannot do without financial literacy. We need to be able to make informed choices to prevent financial disasters.

 

ROBERTA O AVWEROSUO-ADEDA – MIMA (Cert)

IMA ACCREDITED MONEY ADVISER

 

 

 

 

 


Net sales What are net sales?

company’s

While they may sound similar, they measure your business’s potential in different ways, and it’s crucial that you know how to calculate and interpret each. That refund would constitute a return, and that amount would be deducted from gross sales when calculating net sales. In this formula, net sales equals your gross sales minus returns minus the cost of goods sold. However, this is generally more confusing, so net sales are typically the only value presented. Gross sales are calculated by adding all sales receipts before discounts, returns, and allowances together.

debit balance

This forces your reps to focus on high-budget and high-quality deals in tandem, motivating them to prioritize big business and high-value business equally. While it can be tempting to rely on gross sales as a measure of performance (as it’s always going to be equal to or higher than the net sales), it can be misleading.

What’s the difference between gross sales vs. net sales?

However, your sales allowances and deductions should not include cost of goods sold, which is subtracted separately from your net sales total. Net Sales is the sales or revenue that your business has earned after all sales adjustments have been taken. Net sales is reported on your income statement, and should always be calculated for any business that sells products. Sales analysts get significant insight from the difference between gross and net sales.

This gives your business a healthy cash flow, but if the discount is too high or if too many customers are using it, it can affect your final sales figure. If your gross sales are high but net sales indicate that one of your products is being returned more than usual, you can use this information to identify what’s wrong.

Gross sales formula:

Thus, if sales are to be reported separately from the income statement, the amount should be reported as net sales. Gross sales and net sales will feature in your financial statements, specifically as the top line on the company’s income statement . To calculate your gross sales, simply multiply the number of units you’ve sold by the unit price. So, if you sold 200 units in Q1 and the unit price is $40, your gross sales revenue is $8,000 for that quarter.

  • Our experts love this top pick, which features a 0% intro APR until 2024, an insane cash back rate of up to 5%, and all somehow for no annual fee.
  • For example, if your net sales figures are considerably lower than your competitors, there’s cause for investigation.
  • The calculation of net sales gives you a better idea of how much money you’re actually making from your sales.
  • The bottom line refers to a company’s earnings, profit, net income, or earnings per share .
  • A business might start by declaring its gross sales , then listing the different sales deductions made as line items .
  • In the month of May, your business sold $62,000 worth of products on credit.

Pipedrive’s Gross Sales vs Net Sales management software allows sales teams to track revenue, sales and invoices – all from one location. If you find your business offering allowances on a regular basis, something needs to change. Continually offering allowances not only impacts your revenue, but it can make it harder to accurately forecast your future sales.

Why it’s important?

https://www.bookstime.com/ sales are the total revenue a company makes from selling items during a period. Gross sales are calculated by taking total sales and subtracting the cost of the goods. An item that costs $3 and sells for $10 would have a $7 gross profit.

Gross Revenue vs. Net Revenue : An Explainer – Marketscreener.com

Gross Revenue vs. Net Revenue : An Explainer.

Posted: Fri, 27 Jan 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Gross revenue is often used to determine your ability to generate sales from your core business and see if you have a product-market fit. Higher gross revenue signals that consumers are interested in and willing to buy your product .

Calculating your gross sales vs. net sales

This is because these types of activities are expected to generate more sales, regardless of the resulting net sales. When charted over time, gross and net sales help identify if there are issues in the quality of a product and if the customer base is responding to it adversely. For example, if gross sales are high, but net sales are low and it is primarily due to returns then it helps analysts identify a need to increase product quality.

  • When you can show an increasing trend in gross revenue, that’s a good sign to investors that you’ve found product-market fit.
  • Gross sales are calculated by taking total sales and subtracting the cost of the goods.
  • Gross sales can be an important tool, specifically for stores that sell retail items, but it is not the final word in a company’s revenue.
  • While interest payments are another item that you’ll deduct from your gross revenue to calculate your net revenue, dividend payments usually are not.
  • Unless you offer tremendously specified goods or services, it’s always a balancing act.
  • As a sales manager, you can create a plan around working with other teams to address customer concerns and discuss ways to add value to increase profits.

FINANCIAL DISCIPLINE – ROBERTA O AVWEROSUO-ADEDA , IMA ACCREDITED MONEY ADVISER( MIMA)

We all have money and use it in various ways. I don’t believe anyone would deliberately waste his or her money. To be disciplined is to train oneself to obey rules or codes of behaviour. To discipline yourself is to CONSISTENTLY behave in a certain manner or do certain things to achieve a certain goal. We all know that athletes train themselves to achieve the goal of winning medals and being the best at what they do.

To be disciplined in any aspect of our lives, we must have a goal that is the benchmark for what we want to achieve. Financial Discipline means training yourself or deciding to manage your money, spending or savings towards achieving a specific financial target. How do we achieve financial discipline?

  1. HAVE A GOAL: You cannot be financially disciplined without a financial plan. There must be something that you want to achieve. For instance, you want to buy a new microwave, car, go on a holiday or save for your children’s education. There must be something that you want to see happen as a result of your financial discipline. You should have short term goals (going out to the cinema one a quarter), mid-term goals (putting money away for a retreat) and long -term goals (putting money aside for children’s education or down payment for a house). We need goals which will guide us like a map, something that you are working towards achieving. You can see it in your mind’s eye and it takes you to where you eventually want to be or what you want to do. Gool setting is very important to financial discipline.
  2. BOOST YOUR DISCIPLINE: You must put structures in place to boost your discipline. What do I mean? Something that will ginger your discipline. The money that you need for that holiday will not suddenly appear, you will have to do something. One of my financial boosters is to transfer money from one account to another which I do not use regularly. It has no bank card and for me it’s a forgotten account. You may join a thrift group with your friends where you make specific agreed monthly contributions depending on your capacity.

 

  1. TRACK YOUR MONEY: Know where your money goes on a daily basis. Check your online bank balance daily. Some people just look at the statement without seeing what is happening because they do not pay attention to details. Some deductions and charges could be duplicated or simply taken in error. Know the dates when your direct debits are due on a weekly and monthly basis and who the beneficiaries are.

 

  1. RESIST IMPULSIVE PURCHASE: Buy only what you have listed on your shopping list. For instance, I have a shopping list all the time and have disciplined myself to buy what I have on that list. That is not to say I do not sometimes buy what is not on my list. Train yourself to buy what you have on the list and resist impulsive purchases which will derail your overall financial goals. You end up spending more than you can afford. You just cannot buy because its looks good.

 

  1. SAVE REGUALARLY: This is another way to discipline yourself financially. It could be any amount depending on your capacity. Take note that the seemingly “small” amount will add up with time. You can just see it as another monthly bill you must pay especially when tempted to spend it. You will need it for emergencies as we will all have them in our lives because we usually have fixed income.

 

  1. DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN WANT & NEED: We usually find ourselves caught between deciding whether to spend our money on what we WANT or NEED. A “NEED” is essential to your existence while a “WANT” is something that we desire to have BUT can do without in the short term. They usually fan our egos. You may need a jumper in the weather as opposed to going out and having a meal with your friend during the pandemic. It is very important for you to weigh your options because reaching your financial goal requires discipline.

 

  1. AVOID PEER PRESSURE: This is one factor that can affect your financial discipline either positively or negatively. The saying goes that “show me your friends and I will tell you who you are”. If you are easily influenced by other people, the likelihood is that you will not be able to make decisions about your finances. The desire to belong and always wanting to have the latest things because your friends have them can derail your financial goals as you. Be yourself, maintain your lane and stop competing with others. This can cause a lot of financial strain on you and you lose financial focus.

 

It is very important that you maintain financial discipline if you want to achieve your financial goals. There will always be a financial emergency but we can reduce the impact if we are financially disciplined. You must train yourself to abide by the financial rules that you have drawn up to achieve your financial goals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     


7 Steps to Manage Your Money

There is no time like the present when it comes to learning how to manage money better.

WHILE THERE’S NEVER A bad time to make a financial fresh start, it makes sense to rethink how you’re managing your money at the start of a new year.

“It’s a really good time to start a budget, because all your big numbers are coming in,” says Jon Brodsky, U.S. CEO of Finder, a comparison website for financial services and products. W-2 and 1099 tax forms compile income information while year-end summaries from credit card issuers such as Chase and Discover make it easy to review annual spending patterns.

However, creating a budget is only one part of how to manage money better, and if you start there, you’ll miss a few critical steps. These include mapping out your current finances and prioritizing your spending needs.

Here are seven steps to take to manage your money properly:

  • Understand your current financial situation.
  • Set personal priorities and finance goals.
  • Create and stick to a budget.
  • Establish an emergency fund.
  • Save for retirement.
  • Pay off debt.
  • Schedule regular progress reports.

 

Understand Your Current Financial Situation

 

Before you can start managing your money better, you need to know how much of it you have. “I don’t think you can move forward without knowing where you are,” says David Curry, a certified financial planner and principal and co-founder of East Paces Group, an investment advisory firm in Atlanta. He recommends people start with a comprehensive financial plan which can inventory your cash flow, income, savings, investments and more.

While a financial planner can create a formal financial plan for you, there is no need to hire someone to get started. The most basic step to understanding your current financial situation is to sit down and record all your regular monthly income and expenses, says Wendy Terrill, a retirement planning consultant and the founder and CEO of financial planning firm Assurance & Guarantee in Graham, North Carolina. “A lot of people are surprised when they put pen to paper,” she says.

If needed, save receipts for a month to determine where money is spent beyond major bills like rent, utilities and debt payments. For some people, it can be a wake-up call to realize how much is being spent on items such as groceries or dining out.

 

Set Personal Priorities and Finance Goals

 

“I think it’s all about having goals,” says Timothy McGrath, a certified financial planner and managing partner with Riverpoint Wealth Management in Chicago. Defining what you’d like to achieve with your money can make the process of creating a viable budget much easier. 

Create and Stick to a Budget

 

Writing a budget designating how your income will be spent each month isn’t necessarily hard for many people. Following it, though, can be a challenge. “That right there is the hardest part,” Terrill says. People may not have the self-discipline to limit impulse purchases, or they may feel too restricted by having to plan their spending in advance.

However, the reward for sticking to a budget is having cash available to spend on those items most important to you. What’s more, it will be easier to follow a budget that is written with your priorities and goals in mind.

If you discover there isn’t enough money to pay for everything you’d like, look for ways to whittle down expenses. While eliminating small, recurring purchases such as duplicative streaming services or takeout coffee is often suggested, Brodsky encourages people to think big. For example, “If you rent and your lease is up, move somewhere cheaper,” he says. As long as it doesn’t dramatically change your quality of life, making significant changes like this will have the most profound impact on your finances.

 

Establish an Emergency Fund

 

Part of how to manage money better is to have cash set aside for unexpected events such as a lost job, illness or broken car. “Everyone needs an emergency pot (of money) for three to six months of expenses,” McGrath says.

The best way to create this fund is to include savings in your budget. How much you save can depend on how much extra money you have available, but Terrill recommends putting aside at least 10% of your income into emergency savings each month.

 
 

At some point, you may want to retire, and that will be hard to do without a retirement fund. Social Security benefits only replace approximately 40% of your income, and many employers no longer offer pensions.

Workplace retirement plans such as 401(k) accounts can be a good place to save for retirement, since contributions are automatically deducted from payroll. Plus, many employers will match a portion of their workers’ contributions, further boosting retirement savings. There are tax incentives for these accounts as well. Contributions to a traditional 401(k) are tax-deductible, while Roth 401(k) accounts are funded with after-tax dollars but earnings withdrawn in retirement are tax-free.

For those who don’t have access to a 401(k) or other employer-sponsored retirement plan, an IRA offers similar tax benefits. In 2020, total contributions to IRAs can’t exceed $6,000 for workers younger than age 50 or $7,000 for those age 50 or older. According to Terrill, you should try to save 10% to 20% of your income for retirement.

Regardless of which retirement account is used, don’t make the mistake of selecting investments based on emotions. “Don’t let fear and greed dictate your investment decisions,” Curry says. Speak to a financial professional if you need help creating an investment strategy that matches your needs and goals.

Pay Off Debt

 

Having debt can get in the way of meeting financial goals. “I don’t want my clients to carry any debt except a mortgage,” McGrath says.

Since most debt accrues interest, becoming debt-free can be a long process if you are only making minimum payments. In some cases, it may help to consolidate high interest credit cards into a lower interest loan or line of credit. “You’re going to pay it off quicker, and you’re going to pay less,” Terrill says.

However, debt consolidation only works if you commit to living within your means going forward. Otherwise, you could end up with both a debt consolidation loan and a new credit card balance. If you do get a loan, choose one with the shortest term possible. “I never recommend going beyond three years because it (seems) like forever,” Brodsky says.

Those with credit scores below 680 may not be eligible for debt consolidation loans or balance transfers, according to Brodsky. In those cases, the best strategy is to concentrate any extra money in the budget on one debt, and once that is paid off, roll its payment into another debt.

 
 

Managing your money successfully is an ongoing process. “A lot of times, clients think they are doing a good job but how do you judge?” McGrath says.

It helps to schedule regular times throughout the year to evaluate your financial situation. McGrath says people should always know their income, savings, spending and net worth. Beyond those four numbers, use these check-ins to determine what progress has been made toward financial goals and whether any budget items need to be adjusted for the future.

 

Best Budget Apps

 

Woman walking smartphone finances
View All 12 Slides
 

AirDrop Not Working? Heres How to Fix It

It uses Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to transmit the files via a proprietary, close-range wireless communication process. Those can be text, image, or other types of files, such as playlists and locations. Press firmly or touch and hold the network settings card in the upper-left corner. If you’re not in their Contacts, have them set their AirDrop receiving setting to Everyone in order to receive the file. If they do, and you’re in their Contacts, they need to have your Apple ID’s email address or mobile number in your contact card for AirDrop to work.

At the end of 2021, Gas DAO was formed to distribute tokens to individuals who had paid a certain threshold of Ethereum gas fees. The concept was ownership of the DAO would be tied to the largest users of Ethereum. 55% of Gas DAO tokens were airdropped to 634,429 eligible wallets. Though enticing due to the nature of receiving free money, some projects lure stakeholders into increasing the stake of their airdrop by buying more tokens. Ultimately, the long-term goal may be to “rug pull” investors by dumping large amounts of tokens into the marketplace at once, crashing the price and making prior airdrops worthless. Once the list of airdrop recipients is selected, the airdrop is facilitated often through the use of smart contracts.

Reset All Bluetooth Connections

As with AirDrop on iOS, the files you send between your own devices will automatically be added to their respective apps. However, files sent to other users will prompt a pop-up window asking them to accept or decline. You can also send information directly from apps by using the share button just as you’d do on iOS. Apple AirDrop enables users of Apple devices to wirelessly share and receive documents, images, websites, videos, notes, map locations, and more with other nearby Apple devices. It’s incredibly easy to use, but the best part may be that you don’t have to use email or SMS, explains Craig Lurey, CTO and co-founder of Keeper Security. That means the recipient doesn’t have to take extra steps to download, save, and then open files.

ICOs are often initially offered first to venture capitalists. Given the extreme competition among cryptocurrency startups, an airdrop is an attempt to stand out from the crowd. Some businesses devoted to crypto airdrops offer alerts to users and listing services to startups, plus a range of marketing services to fine-tune their airdrops. As always, there are good businesses and bad in this space. In a standard crypto airdrop, participants interested in receiving an airdrop simply express their interest in order to receive the airdrop.

how does airdrop work

Drag one or more documents, photos or other files to the recipient shown in the window. Open the file you want to send, then click the Share buttonin the app window. For files in the Finder, you can also Control-click the file, then choose Share from the shortcut menu. Airdrops are one of the influential strategies in attracting new users and retaining existing users in blockchain projects. Different coins and NFTs can become more familiar to investors by implementing NFT airdrop marketing.

See Share passkeys and passwords securely with AirDrop on iPhone. If they’re not in your Contacts, you’ll see just their name without an image. Make sure that the person you’re sending to is nearby and within Bluetooth and Wi-Fi range. At Authors’ Guilds’, we create excellent content, and our method of content marketing is as multifaceted as the industry itself. We tell your story in such a way that it will speak to your audience through all the proper channels. When a person shares content with you on AirDrop, you’ll receive a notification with a preview.

On your iPhone, open the app that you want to AirDrop from. He’s written about technology for over a decade and was a PCWorld columnist for two years. Since 2011, Chris has written over 2,000 articles that have been read more than one billion times—and that’s just here at How-To Geek. And third, he advises always keeping your device’s operating system up to date so you have the latest security fixes installed. AirDrop is a safe and efficient tool to use, but as we know, cybercriminals are always looking for a new way in. Taking a few moments to update your system can save you massive problems down the road.

Crypto Airdrops

Choose who you want to be discoverable to by selecting Contacts Only, or Everyone. AirDrop uses a combination of both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to transmit files, so your iPhone, iPad, or Mac have to be within about 30 feet of each other. Apple devices need to be in range of each other — about 30 feet — for AirDrop to work. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.

  • While that will work, it can be much faster to just use AirDrop to send the picture to them.
  • Once a device with AirDrop turned on is found, a peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connection is created between them.
  • After it was discovered, Apple stated that this feature was intended to reduce unsolicited content, and would become available worldwide in a future update.
  • This will bring up the apps/shortcuts you can use to share.

The projects can also consider choosing airdrop crypto promotion services to promote their services or products among the community. This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters. This communication takes place over Apple Wireless Direct Link ‘Action Frames’ and ‘Data Frames’ using generated link-local IPv6 addresses instead of the Wi-Fi chip’s fixed MAC address. Individuals can make money from crypto airdrops, though crypto airdrops are intended to increase use of a cryptocurrency across a broad range of users.

Older Macs use a legacy implementation of AirDrop that isn’t compatible with the latest iOS devices. You can use a modern Mac to send files to an older Mac, but you first have to tell AirDrop to search for the older Mac. If your Mac was manufactured pre-2012, this method might work for you. Sometimes, the “Contacts Only” option doesn’t work properly—even when email addresses and phone numbers are present. For best results, make sure both parties appear in each other’s Contacts apps. According to Apple, if your Mac runs OS X Mavericks or earlier, you have to open Finder and click on AirDrop in the sidebar to transfer files.

Tap the AirDrop button, then tap the user that you want to share with. Learn what to doif you don’t see the AirDrop user or your other device. If you share a photo from the Photos app, you can swipe https://coinbreakingnews.info/ left or right and select multiple photos. But again, you can avoid potential problems by managing your settings and only turning it on when you’re sending or receiving information from another user.

Create More Hype for the Crypto Project#

You can use the search bar, just make sure you click “Preferences” at the top of the Finder window. To do this with both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, click the relevant icon in the menu bar at the top-right of the screen. After you turn off both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, turn them back on, and then try again. Cardano is a blockchain and smart contract platform whose native token is called Ada. To encourage Bitcoin adoption as the country expanded its legal tender to Bitcoins, El Salvador credited everyone who installed the government-built wallet with $30 worth of BTC.

how does airdrop work

A legitimate crypto airdrop never seeks capital investment in the currency. On other hand, some crypto scams involve sending micro amounts of bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies to unsuspecting recipients in what is known as a dusting scam. Some of the types of airdrops above may be combined with a raffle airdrop.

As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he’s also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider. Australian security researcher Mark Dowd found a bug in AirDrop that could allow someone within the range of an AirDrop user to silently install a malicious app on the victim’s device.

Often, a project will state the number of airdrops they intend to give and encourage individuals to earn a raffle ticket. This ticket may be earned by holding tokens, earning points, or simply expressing interest. To share content with yourself, make sure you’re logged into both devices with the same Apple ID. You will not have the option to decline.

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If the airdrop is locked or on a vesting schedule, it is not taxable income until it is received and can be traded. In exchange for performing tasks, users often receive points that correspond to how large of bounty airdrop they receive. Users may also be required to earn a certain amount of points before they qualify for their airdrop. For example, a user may be eligible for an airdrop after earning 300 points with each item mentioned above is worth 100 points each. Airdrops may be based on those who express interest, hold existing tokens, are intentionally selected, or win raffles.

If using “Some Contacts,” you will need to individually select contacts. Scroll down and tap the toggle next to a contact to allow them to see your device. Nearby Share is compatible with all Android 6.0+ devices. Google Pixel and Samsung devices are the first to get it. The feature is baked into phones through Google Play Services, a component of Android devices that ships with the Google Play Store. Tap the Share button, which looks like a box with an arrow pointing out of it, and then tap the AirDrop icon, which should appear first in the list of app icons.

Classic network file sharing tools still work well with Windows PCs, Macs, and even Linux systems. You can set up a shared network folder on your local network. WIth just tools built into your operating system, you can access the network folder in your operating system’s file manager and copy files back and forth. Second, when you are using it, he recommends setting it to receive files from Contacts Only. This means that only people you know can send files to your device, eliminating the chance of a stranger sending you random files and bugs. Security firm Hexway identified an inherent AirDrop vulnerability.

Use AirDrop to share and receive photos, documents and more with other Apple devices that are nearby. Contacts Only is one of three AirDrop options you can select in the Control Center on your device. Contacts Only means only your contacts can see your device for AirDrop purposes.

You do have to have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on, however. You can use it to transfer almost anything that you can share. For example, you can AirDrop a website from your iPad to your friend’s phone, which is great if they want to bookmark it to read later. To send an item using a method other than AirDrop, choose the method—for example, Messages or Mail—from the row of sharing options . You can also use Siri to find out if there are other sharing options available.


This Blue Monday, family finances in Bexley and its surrounding areas are at breaking point according to a leading money advice charity

UNDER STRICT EMBARGO UNTIL 00.01AM 15th January 2018

• 29 personal debt currently managed by Excelling Community caseworkers in Bexley.
• 64 families and individuals currently being supported in Bexley and its surrounding area.
• Families in distress because of money problems encouraged to seek professional help.

As the post-Christmas blues take effect and credit card bills land on the doormat, many families in Bexley & Greenwich face a financial crisis this Christmas according to local debt advice charity Excelling Community which is part of Community Money Advice’s national network of advice centres where trained debt advisers offer free, confidential, face-to-face advice and support to help people find relief from debt and financial hardship. Statistics indicate large numbers of people are struggling with debt and money pressures, placing a strain upon family budgets, at a time of year when financial pressures are at their greatest.

The charity will feature on the BBC’s Inside Out programme which will focus on consumer debt problems tonight 7.30pm on BBC 1

Recent statistics from the Bank of England show unsecured consumer debt has increased by 19% in the past 5 years and currently stands at £201.5bn. Household debt has been growing much faster than household income and the Office for Budget Responsibility predicts unsecured household debt will reach 47% of income by 2021. Total consumer debt including mortgages is now over £1.5 trillion.

Lara Davies-Ero from Excelling Community, says:

“In the last year Excelling Community has helped [insert number] families struggling with debt and financial problems. Family budgets are often extremely tight and it is very easy to find debts spiral out of control, particularly when family circumstances change. Our trained advisors offer free, confidential face to face advice. Those struggling from debt tell us of the relief they find from talking with an advisor who can help them start to resolve the problems.”

“One of us had just lost their job and car, while the other was too ill to work. We have a school age family and had a massive debt, with no income – we were totally terrified that we would lose the house. When everything came crashing down, with no job and income, things couldn’t have been darker or more hopeless. The adviser was amazing! Firstly, she helped us face the reality of our situation, and went through all the figures with us. Then, she said that there was a way through all this, that there was hope and a way back to a debt free future. Now, four months later, our lives have totally turned around, thanks to the encouragement, practical support and advice. We still are working through the process to be totally debt free, but learning good money management has literally changed our lives! If you are struggling with debt like us, they can help you too.”

Contact: 07869114490


Made of Honour

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In other to enlighten our children to consciously guide their journey of life to fulfil their destiny without any stain or obstacle; Women of Faith Foundation in partnership with Youth Ngage  invited the young people to an interactive workshop for ages 10 – 18, titled: “Made for Honour”; an interesting session that addressed the issue of abstinence before marriage and other negative influences on young people.

Youth Excelling was present to help young people:

  • Understand who they are
  • Understand the essence of money
  • Understand the right kind of relationship with money
  • Know the effect of dishonouring God with our money.

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