Looking for an incentive to get your personal finances in order? Black Enterprise is hosting a Financial Fitness Contest, through which a lucky applicant will be awarded $2,000 to help start or build his portfolio and a one hour personal consultation with a certified financial planner -- plus, the story of the winner's financial improvements will be published in Black Enterprise.

Now let's be clear – this is not a simple sweepstakes where you just enter your name and email address. It is going to take some time to fully analyze your assets, liabilities, financial goals and financial challenges in order to make the most of the $2,000 prize. To fully understand your personal finance situation, you will need to envision the individual challenges that you face and your goals for financial empowerment.

Imagine a Compton kid who got into skateboarding as an alternative to gang life in South Central, L.A., when it wasn't cool for black kids to skate. But he is pretty good with his board, takes that skill, builds on it, and goes from novice to pro in three short years. This man is no myth. His story is a reality. Meet Terry Kennedy, aka TK, a skateboarding pro and entrepreneur whose real story seems more like fiction than fact.

Kennedy recently gave an interview to BlackEnterprise.com in which he talked about how following his love for skateboarding positively shaped his financial destiny. For a 25-year-old man, Kennedy certainly has sharp business acumen. When it comes to finances, he makes sure that he pays Uncle Sam first. Kennedy also invests in real estate and protects his investments by retaining a good accountant. (A lot of people have lost sleep -- or even their fortunes -- due to an unscrupulous accountant.) Having a good financial foundation helps Kennedy maintain an independent source of financial security as he continues to build his brand by strengthening relationships with his present endorsers. Kennedy is also working on developing his own business opportunities, using the knowledge and wisdom of others to help him grow.

For anyone who wants to get rich quick, family misfortune is usually not the way. But for Antoine Dodson, tragedy has yielded success and a notoriety that many would-be celebrities would kill for. Many may recall the young man who angrily told the "bed intruder" that tried to rape his sister: "We're looking for you. We gonna find you... So you can run and tell that, homeboy!" Will those heart-felt words of protection, Antoine Dodson became an Internet sensation overnight. In one day, the online video of the news report featuring Antoine Dodson had over one million views.

Then the Gregory Brothers made Antoine Dodson's rant into a top-selling iTunes hit song, 'Bed Intruder Song.' Now the song is on the Billboard Top 100 as well. The Associate Press reports: "In the first 2 1/2 weeks of sales, the song had 60,000 downloads and at least 25 million views on YouTube" (via The Huffington Post). At $1.29 a pop for the 'Bed Intruder Song' on iTunes, that ain't bad. And don't forget that cash cow, ringtones!

Dodson's sudden fame came with all the trappings of celebrity life almost immediately. He now has a manager, a talent scout, photographer and lawyer, all of whom manage Antoine's burgeoning career. Antoine Dodson has tapped into the power of social networking by utilizing Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to promote his huge following. Antoine even sells official merchandise from a site where people can donate to help his family via PayPal. Antoine is everywhere making personal appearances, and more than likely getting paid for that too.

It seems like job hunting is a job all by itself these days. But what if you are looking for information to help you advance in your career s well? Job Websites may offer employment opportunities, but don't ignore the articles and career information that job sites offer as well. From learning the qualities of a great resume to interview tips, there is much that a job seeker can learn from employment websites. But job seekers are not the only ones that can stand to catch a lesson from job sites. Even the employed can benefit from articles that discuss asking one's boss for a raise or what to do when confronting office gossip. Take a look at the employment websites below. Not only do they have job postings, but they offer career information and business advice as well.

CareerBuilder: As one of the largest career information websites, the sheer size of the site can serve as a deterrent to an eager job hunter. But don't let its size scare you. This site is full of career advice, interview skills tutorials and even tips on dealing with stress on the job. Let it serve as a resource to help you find that job and grow your career.

Idealist.org: This site provides unique career information about nonprofit and government positions; however, Idealist also posts information about other career paths as well. In particular, you can learn about skill sets that transfer very well across different industries like IT, accounting or marketing abilities. Idealist also provides information for those looking for opportunities to volunteer stateside or abroad. Twitter: @Idealist

African American farmers were awarded $1.25 billion following the settlement of a class action discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1999. More than 70,000 claims have yet to be resolved in this case, and it is now 2010. As you can imagine, in the nearly ten year span that has elapsed between the awarding of the black farmers' settlement and the failure to administer to black farmers' claims, many of these farmers have died or gone bankrupt.

Government inaction is being blamed for the lack of payment of the black farmers' claims in the form of partisan politics. Approval for the funding needed for the black farmers' settlement has failed to pass more than a half dozen times in the Senate, in part because the funding has often been tied to other bills that are blocked as politicians play their reindeer games.

This federal "dragging of feet" ironically feeds the conventional wisdom that the government systemically discriminates against black farmers -- what the U.S.D.A. was sued for in the first place. The black farmers' settlement stems from a 1997 lawsuit against the U.S.D.A., Pigford vs.Glickman, which alleged that the agriculture department discriminated against black farmers between 1981 and 1996 when they applied for federal loans for farm ownership, equipment and operations, and then failed to investigate their complaints. The U.S. Department of Justice actually found the U.S.D.A. guilty. But somehow, the federal government still hasn't been able to "find" the money needed to pay the black farmers' claims.

Reports are coming in that LeBron James recently met with a well-connected rabbi for business advice. The rabbi in question is 37-year-old Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto, a well known spiritual leader who has no formal business training. While he does not speak English, Rabbi Pinto boasts a list of followers that includes some very prominent Israeli and Jewish-American businessmen. Private sessions with the rabbi cost a pretty penny, as is evidenced by James paying a six-figure sum to meet with the rabbi on a yacht. Still it's strange that LeBron, being quite the savvy businessman himself and not being Jewish, would want to consult with the rabbi regarding business matters.

Tiger Woods went from making $92 million in endorsements in 2008 to $70 million in 2009 -- and this news has been widely discussed by major news outlets. Excuse me if I don't cry. Forbes magazine lists Woods' pre-tax income in 2009 at around $110 million. (This amount includes endorsements, prize winnings at tournaments and overseas appearance fees.) But, Sports Illustrated says that Woods has made more than $90 million already in the past 12 months. I'm sure he'll be all right after his $22 million in losses.

It's really not rational to discuss the financial consequences of a multimillionaire's financial decline when most people will not see even a $1 million in their lifetime. But, let's be completely real for a moment.

The result of stalling the bill that would allow an extension of unemployment benefits, or Tier V as some are calling it, is about to hit home as one million more Americans are set to see their government assistance run out. Yahoo News reports:

An attempt to pass another extension has become bogged down in partisan political bickering in the Senate. Relief agencies fear that failure to extend benefits will strain their resources and may worsen the U.S. housing crisis.

"This will put a great deal of stress and strain on our organization, which has already been working hard," said Vicki Escarra, chief executive of Feeding America, which has a network of more than 200 food banks. In the year ended June 30, Feeding America distributed 3 billion pounds (1.36 billion kg) of food, a 50 percent increase over the past two years.

Agreements, agreements, agreements. Anybody can make an agreement with someone else for just about anything. Let's take Mel Gibson's former girlfriend and baby mama Oksana Grigorieva for example. She signed away her ability to claim any of Mel Gibson's fortune in a cohabitation agreement, although the agreement made provisions for their eight-month old daughter, Lucia.

According to PopEater (as originally reported by Radar Online): "Mel Gibson's erstwhile lady Oksana Grigorieva 'signed a cohabitation agreement that locked her out of securing a slice of the Oscar-winning director/actor's billion-dollar fortune.'"

Cohabitation agreements essentially function like prenuptial agreements, except that they apply to couples that are only living together. One would think that agreements like these would be more common, but many people have never heard of cohabitation agreements and fail to take advantage of them.

I have been a witness to the evolution of Sean Combs. The Puff Daddy of the '90s doesn't really exist anymore. His changing names -- from Puff Daddy to Diddy -- are evidence of his transformation into the mogul we know and love.

His fashion line, Sean John, has evolved just like its creator. Sean John was primarily an urban sportswear line that evolved with its target audience, becoming more sophisticated over the years. Now Diddy's line will take its latest form in Macy's spring 2011 exclusive re-launch in a business trend that many stores and fashion houses are following.