Southfield, MI

According to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, mortgage fraud is one of the fastest growing white-collar crimes in the country. Robert Shumake found this out the hard way, when he was the victim of mortgage fraud.

When Shumake tried to sell a house that he purchased and fixed up, he found out that someone had "stolen" the property and removed his name from the title with a fraudulent quit claim deed! The new owner had moved into the home and took out building permits to work on the property.

It took 2-1/2 years and nearly $60,000 in legal fees to resolve the matter. Mortgage fraud is hard to prove with signed agreements and documents in place and recorded. It is possible to spend thousands of dollars and still not get your property back.

Anyone can be a victim of mortgage fraud, even a real estate industry professional like Shumake, who is the owner of Inheritance Capital Group in Detroit, a company who manages and develops real estate. Robert's experience led him to join with Michigan state officials to launch a mortgage fraud task force to aid victims of mortgage fraud and promote consumer awareness and prevention.

Robert Shumake's mission is to inform the public about mortgage fraud and real estate scams and to provide tips on how to protect yourself.

Robert Shumake's 10 Tips to Protect yourself from Mortgage Fraud

Mortgage fraud is one of the fastest growing white-collar crimes in the country with Michigan being one of the top 10 locations for real estate scams. The downward trend in the real estate market has encouraged mortgage fraud perpetrators to develop and utilize many schemes. The recent rise in foreclosures along with a depressed market, declining values and decreased demand has placed pressure on lenders, builders and home sellers. Fewer loans will be originated as lending practices tighten in response to the subprime lending crisis. Identity theft is a popular tool for use in mortgage fraud. With higher lending standards being enforced, individuals with good credit are valuable to perpetrators; therefore, at risk for identity theft and mortgage fraud schemes.

How it Works

Mortgage fraud is divided into two major categories; fraud for profit and fraud for housing. Fraud for housing involves misrepresenting income/expense and assets/liabilities information on an application in order to obtain funding to buy a home. Fraud for profit involves industry professionals including mortgage brokers, property appraisers and real estate agents who over state a buyer's income, assets, property value and other information to trick lenders into approving mortgages.

Sometimes people commit identity theft to obtain housing loans, sell someone else's home or take over other's property. Here are some tips to protect yourself from becoming the victim of mortgage fraud:

•· Never sign blank or incomplete documents

•· Never purchase property that you have not seen and personally inspected

•· Use only licensed mortgage bankers or lenders; find a broker through the National Association of Mortgage Brokers (http://www.namb.org)

•· Have a local, licensed real estate agent do a BPO (Broker's Price Opinion) to determine value

•· Don't be pressured into using a particular lender, real estate agent or appraiser

•· Know your rights as a mortgage borrower

•· Don't buy into get-rich-quick schemes of instant equity or investment property using your own name - investment property should be owned by an LLC to protect you from liability exposure

•· Do not work with someone who suggest that you lie on your mortgage application

•· Beware of lenders who charge excessive fees and prepayment penalties

•· Most importantly, be sure to look over and understand your truth in lending disclosure documents which spell out the terms of your mortgage, before signing a contract with a mortgage company

If you are in doubt, have an attorney look over your documents and advise you. The fee for this service is little compared to the tens of thousands you can be charged for dealing with problems caused by mortgage fraud later.

An ex-carny with an MBA and CPA by his name; part jokester, part motivator, part used-car salesman, but all businessman as he guides entrepreneurs to business ownership

Troy, MI - Woodward Promotions, LLC will be hosting a panel of experts at a weekend conference on how to prosper in difficult times. As real estate prices fall and the stock market drops, amazingly, more opportunities to make money become available. This conference is designed for real estate investors and business owners to address the problems in our economy while developing new ways of structuring their business to meet their financial goals of 2009.

With Ed King joining the panel this is sure to be an educational and an action packed event. Ed King is a very dynamic speaker who will have everyone at the edge of their seats; entertaining and educational, guaranteed, no one will be bored when he speaks!

Ed King is a former Price Waterhouse consulting manager and author of two small business how-to books. He spent 15 years in carnivals running rigged games of chance in mall parking lots across the country. Since 1981, King has been working with Wayne State University to help entrepreneurs overcome the hurdles that trip most small businesses. He figures his years of hawking fuzzy dice and cheap trinkets have helped him with assisting small business owners. "I got into this because I was sick of seeing all these people starting a small business who just didn't know what they were doing," said King. "The task can be daunting. It is estimated that one-third of all start-ups fail within six months and 9 out of 10 companies operating today will eventually fail or just quit trying."

Ed King and Wayne State have developed a fool-proof plan to provide as much information as possible about as many things as possible. "We pride ourselves on squeezing as much information as we can into our classes," said King. "I don't know where else you can get so much information, in your face, in a user-friendly level." In Ed Kings' classes, students learn how to read a balance sheet and income statement, increase the efficiency of a sales staff, calculate a business's return on investment, write an attractive advertisement, reduce taxes and much more. Students have a lot of fun learning; Ed King has just as much fun teaching; the bottom line is his classes provide valuable information that they can use in business.

Ed King graduated from the University of Michigan, with honors, and with an MBA in Corporate Finance. He recently completed work on his Profit Forecaster/Analyzer software, a program that will help the small business owner in moving away from "crisis management" through financial projections.

Come to this information-packed weekend event to hear a panel of experts speak on many real estate and business related topics, February 6 - 8, at MSU-Mec at 811 W. Square Lake Road; Troy, MI 48098. Learn more at http://www.woodwardpromotions.com and register for this event; seats are filling up quickly; register today.

Contact:

Woodward Promotions, LLC

PO Box 698

Farmington, MI 48332

248-991-1851

"Financial Aid Information" Financial Aid Protocol -Parents Fail The Grade!

December 6, 2008 - West Bloomfield

The Financial Aid Office is not a fast food drive thru. You cannot have it your way.

Many people have their own opinion of how a FAO should be operating. The purpose of the financial aid office is to disperse funding to qualified individuals within both government and that particular college's guidelines. Unfortunately, your opinion doesn't matter. Make sure that you carefully review the policy and procedure process for any college you may want to attend. It will give you an inside perspective as to how that particular FAO office operates. This can assist in dismissing any unrealistic expectations that you may have and help to you to be better informed.

The Financial Aid Office is run by ordinary people assign to do an extraordinary job.

1. Be nice and courteous.
2. Submit your documents in an organized and easy to read format.
3. Give them whatever they ask for.
4. Keep any explanations to the point and brief.
5. Only give them exactly what they ask for. Nothing more. Nothing less.
6. Don't be late! If you have a deadline to keep, prepare to comply early. That will help to avoid being tardy and potentially forfeiting needed funding.
7. Don't Lie. Any false information you give to the FAO is fraud and punishable by law. So don't do it even if you think it's a small matter.
8. Send them a thank you note even if you didn't get the money that you though you should.

The Financial Aid Office is not a confessional. They cannot forgive your past failures.

Many parents think that a sad story for a will give them an edge in getting financial aid. Unfortunately, you may have had a major setback but that doesn't necessarily mean that your situation will qualify you for "professional judgment". This is the discretion that a FAO may have to grant special funding in certain situations. Remember, they process thousands of applications and you are one among thousands. They have already heard every story under the sun. If you think you have a special circumstance that would merit a "professional judgment". Make sure you know the rules for special consideration before you state your case. The way you present your story can make a difference.

The Financial Aid Office has limits.

FAO can only award what is available from their sources. This is important to know because every college doesn't grant the same funding to every student. If a college has limited sources, their funding awards will be smaller than their counter part. Make sure that you know this long before filling out applications or making a commitment to any particular college.

Never agree to an award if you do not understand it.

After a college receives your package, the student will receive an award letter. Buyer Beware! It is very important that you review this document thoroughly especially the codes and symbols many colleges use to define their funding options. Ask questions if you don't know the answers. In most cases you can accept or reject any portion of the award that you desire.

Ask for our free report or an audio cd.

As you can see, it's very easy to miss critical planning opportunities if you do not have sufficient knowledge to preplan. There are thousands of planning strategies that are missed by most parents. If you think that you might need a consultation' please fell free to call our office. One of our certified college planners would be delighted to answer your questions. Or feel free to email your concern to Jefft@tuitionreductionplan.com.

College Funding Resources, LLC

4000 Town Center, 11th Flr.

Southfield, MI 48075

HTTP://WWW.Tuitionreductionplan.com

Jeffrey Taylor is known by many parents as Your Money Coach.

With over 20 years experience, he has helped many families plan for their children's college education.

Here are some valuable tips that he shares in his seminars:

Prepare yesterday! Waiting until today will cost you thousands of dollars.

Invest in your child's raw talent in their early years; this talent can be an effective tool to help reduce college tuition costs. A moderate ability student can get money from a college that has an interest in them; the more talent you child has, the more likely "free money" will be offered.

Choose the right school for the right reason. Colleges do a great job with marketing; they are a business seeking to make a profit. Don't let the hype fool you. Don't get caught up in the marching band or the best athletic team unless those are an important key to your selection process

Jeffrey Taylor offers free seminars to provide insightful, straightforward facts parents need to know to receive college funding and scholarships. For details on the next event visit http://www.tuitionreductionplan.com and sign up for a free membership to receive newsletters and a free electronic book (ebook) loaded with valuable tips.

You can also request to be placed on the waiting list for the next CD and book entitled "Help, I Need Money for College! Right Now Strategies for Parents that Want to Send Their Children to College without Going broke!"

The mission of the College Funding Resources is to educate parents on the strategies that can be used to fund a college education while utilizing other people's money. The subject of student financial aid is covered profusely in the media, but little is discussed about how to pay off college debt assumed by the parents. College Funding Resources provides free workshops to their local communities on the subject of using various obscure legal and ethical strategies as an alternative to college debt.

Contact:

College Funding Resources

Jeffrey Taylor

4000 Town Center; 11^th Flr.

Southfield, MI 48075

248-230-9668

Email: yourmoneycoach@gmail.com

Jeffrey Taylor, Your Money Coach asks, "Are You Setting Your Child Up For Failure?"

Southfield, MI -- As the stock market and property values have fallen, college tuition costs have gone up! What you do now will determine your child's ability to attain a higher education. Will you and your child be prepared?

Jeffrey Taylor recently spoke at a workshop for business owners where he said, "Let's face it. Colleges have to meet payrolls, run multi-million dollar facilities, and keep the best talent possible. All of that costs millions of millions of dollars and your tuition dollars fund those expenses. Higher tuition costs aren't going anywhere but up!"

Jeff went on to explain, "The best thing any parent or student can do is to take a proactive position to ensure that you get the maximum dollars possible. What did Tiger Woods parents teach us? If you know the rules of the game and teach them early enough; you can dominate your competition!"

At College Funding Resources, LLC Jeff Taylor teaches those strategies that can give a student a dominating edge over their peers. "When a parent comes to us early enough, we can assist them in saving thousands of dollars that most parents ignorantly overpay," said Taylor.

Jeffrey Taylor's seminars provide insightful, straightforward facts parents need to know to receive the most money possible to combat astronomical college expenses. For details on the next event visit http://www.tuitionreductionplan.com and sign up for a free membership to receive newsletters and a free electronic book (ebook) loaded with valuable tips. You can also request to be placed on the waiting list for the next CD and book entitled "Help, I Need Money for College! Right Now Strategies for Parents that Want to Send Their Children to College without Going broke!"

The mission of the College Funding Resources, LLC is to educate parents on the strategies that can be used to fund a college education while utilizing other people's money. The subject of student financial aid is covered profusely in the media, but little is discussed about how to pay off college debt assumed by the parents. College Funding Resources provides free workshops to their local communities on the subject of using various obscure legal and ethical strategies as an alternative to college debt.

Contact:

College Funding Resources

Jeffrey Taylor

4000 Town Center; 11^th Flr.

Southfield, MI 48075

248-230-9668

Email: yourmoneycoach@gmail.com