In a recent interview with Dr. Barry Carroll, superintendent of the Limestone County Schools, he provided the following answers to questions posed to him regarding the 1-cent sales tax vote that will take place Aug. 14. Q: What options do citizens have to generate more money for schools?A: There are basically two options for increasing revenue for schools. One is through property taxes and the other is a sales tax.Q: Why did the school board decide to ask for a sales-tax increase instead of a property-tax increase?A: About a year ago, the citizens of Alabama were asked to vote on a property tax increase in order to bring all school systems in the state up to the 10-mil equivalent. For the Limestone County and Athens City Schools that was a 1.5 mil increase. Although the measure was approved statewide, more voters in Limestone County voted against the increase than for the increase, therefore, we decided a 1-cent sales tax would be our best option.

A nation in debt

The financial chickens are coming home to roost. Two sets of figures released yesterday should act as warning signals to Scots planning to head off for their customary weekend retail-therapy session. With personal debt in Scotland already standing at an average of nearly £9000 per person (excluding mortgage debt), more and more people are sliding into insolvency, according to government figures.

While second-quarter personal bankruptcies in England and Wales appear to have levelled off, the figure for sequestrations (the Scottish equivalent) was up by more than 23% on the corresponding period of 2006. That translates as a record 38 Scots going bust every single day, the equivalent of nearly 14,000 a year, compared with fewer than 5000 in 1998. At the same time, statistics from the Council of Mortgage Lenders show a 30% rise in repossessions in the six months to June.

Finance, Accounting and Consultancy

The subprime mortgage market consists of loans to borrowers with high credit risk, and the mechanisms that have evolved to originate, service, and finance those loans. While this market has existed since the early 1980s, it was not until the mid-1990s that the growth of the subprime industry gained significant momentum. .

Agrium's Earnings Exceed Previous Record by 60 Percent

ALL AMOUNTS ARE IN US$, UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED

Agrium Inc. (Toronto:AGU.TO - News) (NYSE:AGU - News) announced today its highest ever quarterly earnings, with net earnings for the second quarter of 2007 of $229-million ($1.70 diluted earnings per share), a more than 60 percent increase over net earnings of $142-million ($1.06 diluted earnings per share) for the same period in 2006. Net earnings for the first six months of the year were a record $218-million ($1.63 diluted earnings per share), more than double 2006 net earnings of $94-million ($0.71 diluted earnings per share) for the same period in 2006.

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End the Vicious Cycle of Credit Card Debt

Bills.com cites 5 ways to achieve personal financial freedom now.

"Debt has become a growing problem, and many Americans need to find a solution. With uncertainty about the future of housing prices, the high cost of oil, and record hikes in health care and higher education costs, many people are on the precipice of financial disaster. Americans are playing with fire by maintaining an average credit card debt load approaching $10,000 per household (Source: CardData.com)," Stroh said.

SimpleTuition Adds Student Loans for New Hampshire Families: Partnership with New Hampshire Non-profit Loan Corporation ...

SimpleTuition, Inc., a company dedicated to helping students and parents make sense of education financing choices, today announced a partnership with New Hampshire Higher Education Loan Corporation (NHHELCO) to help New Hampshire families plan for and fund higher education expenses.

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Pay Off Your Student Loans the Smart Way

(ARA) - Your education is the key to launching your future. After you enter the professional world you leave the college years behind to focus on your career goals. But one thing most people can't leave behind are student loans. Don't let this burden continue to weigh you down, make student loan consolidation a priority on your list of New Years resolutions.New federal rules allow the consolidation of student loans only once unless new loans are taken out. When you consolidate you can lock into a fixed interest rate that can never increase. Additionally, consolidation can reduce monthly payments that you have by as much as 60 percent. Lender discounts can lower your rate even further. If you are a new graduate and are still in your grace period, don't wait because even lower rates are available.

PLUS Loans From NextStudent Can Give Parents a Way to Help Their Children Pay for College

As parents of undergraduates review financial aid award packages for the upcoming school year, they may realize they might need a little help meeting their expected family contribution. Or some parents may have children who didn't receive any financial aid at all. When parents of undergraduates need a financial boost in order to help their children pay their unmet college expenses, a Federal PLUS Loan may be the solution they're looking for, says NextStudent, a leading Phoenix-based education funding company.

PLUS loans (Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students) are non-need-based federal education loans designed to help creditworthy parents meet their undergraduate child's educational expenses. Since PLUS loans aren't awarded based on financial need, eligible parents, regardless of their income or assets, can qualify for PLUS aid.