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Low-Income Home
Energy Assistance Program

Help for when you need it.

Families that are struggling financially may qualify for up to $1,000 in financial assistance toward their energy bill under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). This program has two components that provide financial help: 

1. the Energy Crisis Intervention Program and 
2. the Home Energy Assistance Program. 

The California Department of Community Services & Development (CSD) oversees this federally funded program and contracted community organizations handle enrollment.

With many people struggling to pay their energy bill because of job losses due to COVID-19, SDG&E wants customers to be aware that this program is available to them. However, SDG&E is not responsible for administering the program. 

For more information, click below:

Kikoff Financial has been a GREAT Credit Builder for me...

 

FInancial Analysis Report: Who has the most recent bitcoin move right, the bulls or the bears?

 

Can i borrow $100?: Check out this Cheat Sheet on How to Handle 4 Awkward Financial Situations

Money may make the world go round, but it can also make for some awkward social situations. Whether it’s your best friend who’s always a little short on cash when the check comes, a relative who expects freebies and handouts, or a roommate who doesn’t get that bills have a due date, you’ve probably found yourself having to broach the potentially uncomfortable topic of money. And if you’re like many people, you may have found yourself dancing around the issue rather than confronting it head on.

“It is such a loaded conversation, and there is so much subtext and hidden meaning wrapped up in money,” Daniel Crosby, a behavioral finance expert, told Reuters. “Money is shorthand for happiness, power, and personal efficacy, so it can be very scary.”

Anxiety related to talking about money may be why you find yourself picking up your friend’s bar tab (again), loaning money to a spendthrift relative when you can’t afford it, or whipping out your credit card when it comes time to pay for a way-over-budget bachelor party weekend. Those moves may allow you to skirt some potentially awkward chats about money, but they’re likely to do damage to your finances and your relationships over time.

The next time you find yourself in an awkward money situation, don’t let fear take over. Instead, consider these tips for getting out of four sticky financial scenarios.

SOURCE

Gen X|Y: The Debt Generations...

Credit cards are hailed as convenient tools, a way to build credit and earn points or rebates. However, there is another side to credit card spending, experienced by many who pay less then their balance month after month and one that can lead to a downward spiral that is difficult to rebound from.


Generations X and Y, those aged from 14-42 are being hit the hardest. Unlike their Baby Boomer parents, they are more likely to start off their working careers already in debt. While student loans and other education related debt make up a great chunk of that for many, credit card debt is also quite high and on the rise for young people-some high-school students even have their own credit cards, something unheard of a generation ago.

So with all that money going to iPhones, PSPs, and the latest designer duds, is this generation just plain spoiled? Not so fast grandpa. Many in this generation are broke-or close to it-but the blame came be placed squarely on starting out in debt and having to struggle with high-interest rates, not on extravagant living.

According to personal finance counselor Sophia Jackson, credit card debt is an epidemic among the under-30 crowd. College students average $2,200 in balances on their plastic, says Bankrate.com. Graduate students have more than double that amount, and high interest rates translate into hefty monthly payments and long-term balances for many.

The bottom line is that most teens and young adults just don’t have the life experience needed to comprehend the implications of paying back their loans or debts when they take them on. And let’s get real for a minute, how can a 19-year-old student be expected to grok the reality of paying back thousands of dollars in college expenses when he’s buying books, food and clothes, excited about the upcoming semester, sports and college life? The numbers don’t have much basis in reality, and it’s a natural assumption to think you’ll be able to pay off the balances as soon as you graduate and land a high-paying job. Combine this with the fact that college teaches you nothing about personal finance and you’re facing a financial mess right at the start of your adult life.

Many will pay minimum payments on their loans for years, either not realizing how much is going to interest just to service the debt or simply not having anything extra to throw at the principal. With young credit, new credit or no credit, interest rates are often in the high double digits, lowering the chance of fast repayment.

Ironically, low credit scores from high debt-to-income ratios, high credit card balances and missed or late payments can affect your job and income potential. Many employers do routine credit screenings and background checks on applicants; security clearances are also in jeopardy for those with bad credit.

A weak economy further impacts your ability to repay loans. When high-paying jobs are scarce, many find themselves jobless for short periods or working lower-paying jobs than they expected. Without lifetime savings or investments, the younger generation falls into the trap of adding on more credit card debt or, at best, is only able to pay minimums on current debt and not get ahead of their bills.

Sounds pretty grim. But there is hope. The best solution is for Generation X to avoid new debt and pay off old debt as aggressively as possible, and for Generation Y to avoid the debt trap at all costs. It would be wise to put off credit card use at least until entering the workforce and becoming more familiar with personal finance, basic budgeting and personal accounting.

The young who are able to invest for retirement, rather than simply service their debts, will be in the best position for financial success. Invest what you can now, even as little as $100 a month will likely return huge dividends when you retire.

A basic understanding of personal finance, debt management, budget management and accounting will go a long way toward helping you avoid the debt trap. Learn how to manage your money and you may even leave a legacy for those generations to come.


Mint Tip: 
Pay your credit cards in full each month: The average American carries $8,500 in credit card debt. At a minimum payment of $100/mo, it takes 6.7 years, and $4,257 in finance charges before you’re in the clear.

SOURCE

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Lindsay Lohan wreaks havoc while visiting New York City for fashion week

Lindsay Lohan during fashion week in NYC

Lohan in NYC showing off her busty bust

(Friday, Sep 16, 2011) Damn, as if she hasn't gotten herself into any more trouble then she needs to be already, Lindsay Lohan continued her reign of destruction and upheaval during New York City's Fashion Week when she threw more than a tantrum at the V Magazine Black and White Ball at The Standard Hotel. 

The Cut reports that without warning Lindsay Lohan stood up from where she was hanging out with a friend and threw a drink -- glass and all -- hitting a cocktail waitress.

Lohan's aim wasn't that great because she reportedly screamed at the waitress, "Not you, him!" pointing to a man in a white T-shirt.

That man was V magazine photographer Jasper Rischen who confirmed the incident when he tweeted:

"Wow. Lindsay Lohan is as trashy as they always say. She threw drinks and glasses to me as we tried to take a shot for @vmagazine. C.*.*.t."

Lohan must have found it horrible that a photographer who works for the magazine of the party she was attending would have the audacity to try to photograph her.

But the evening's drama didn't end there. According to The Cut, the 25 year old actress along with designer Cynthia Rowley and another friend moved to another section of the bar, "sucker-punching a seemingly innocent bystander as she walked past."

And then in what might have been the strangest part of the night, the website reports that the bar's lights went up and the music went off, and a man yelled "She's bleeding!" The Cut explained:

Medics surrounded a brunette woman, lying with her black sheer-stocking-ed legs elevated on a white leather couch, adjacent to where Lohan had been sitting. When they lifted her up to place her on a stretcher, the back of her black dress was soaked in blood and broken glass, a security guard confirmed after she had been rolled out. By then, the crowd had thinned out.

Wild child Lindsay Lohan may be responsible for putting an abrupt end to 

      V magazine‘s bash at the Standard Hotel’s Boom Boom room last night in NYC

According to the blog Scallywag And Vagabond, no one is sure if Lohan is to blame, but from the looks of it the woman was hurt badly. With Lindsay's history of legal troubles, she better hope it had nothing to do with her glass throwing antic because this is the last thing she wants to be involved in .

Lindsay Lohan Throws A Glass At A Photographer, Misses And Hits A Cocktail Waitress At Fashion Week Party: