As if Americans didn't have enough financial problems to worry about -- with high unemployment, foreclosures, and an ongoing credit crunch -- Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is sounding the alarm on yet another potential threat to the economy: an imbalance of cash flow between America and foreign nations.

Simply put, Bernanke is worried about global trade and capital flows.

Bernanke sees America's trade deficit with other countries -- China in particular -- as financially dangerous. Even though the Fed Chairman didn't specifically cite China by name, in Bernanke's words "capital flows are once again posing some notable challenges for international macroeconomic and financial stability." Bernanke made his comments in Paris at a Bank of France meeting. Finance ministers and central bankers from G20 countries, which account for about 85% of the world's economic output, are convening for a two-day meeting in France to try to agree on a set of international policy guidelines that would help avoid the kind of financial meltdown that began in the U.S. in 2008 and spread to the rest of the world.

As millions of people have filed for bankruptcy protection in recent years, many Americans want to know how to rebuild their credit rating after a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. One perennial question I'm often asked is: What is a good credit card to obtain in order to rebuild credit after bankruptcy?

It's a dilemma for many individuals because they don't want to risk applying for cards over and over and getting rejected multiple times. Nor do those with poor credit histories want to be financially exploited by subprime credit cards that charge ridiculously punitive interest rates and sky-high fees.

Some people are even scared to open a credit card, because of problems they've had in the past. But you don't have to let fear -– or past credit mistakes –- keep you locked out of the financial mainstream.

So what should you do? My general suggestion is that you shop around for the best credit card deal, using an online comparison site, such as CreditCards.com or CardRatings.com.

Black History Month is a great time for African-Americans to reflect on a number of major issues of concern to our community. One of those issues is jobs. Even though the national jobless rate just dropped sharply to 9% for January 2011, the rate of unemployment among African-Americans remains stuck at a persistently high level: 15.7%. We can blame politicians, employers, outsourcing of jobs, or anything else that comes to mind. Or we can start to take action and empower ourselves by focusing on the things that are within our control.

And when it comes to employment, there is one thing you can consider doing to improve your own personal circumstances. What's that one thing? It's going where the jobs are.

The New York Times recently ran a very interesting piece entitled, 'A Sign of Hope for More Hiring'. Essentially, the article takes a look at job postings on the Internet to examine whether or not businesses are picking up hiring and boosting payrolls. I know a lot of you feel like that virtually no one is hiring. But indeed, there are certain industries where we are seeing quite a big surge in "help wanted" notices.

At first glance, I was shocked and appalled to hear of Terry McMillan's Twitter rant accusing Will and Jada Smith of having "pimped" and "exploited" their kids. McMillan even made the Smith children sound like badly-behaved little Hollywood monsters, saying they were arrogant and hungry for fame. My goodness. Social networking is okay. But social bad mouthing is not. And that goes for on or offline activity.

Who among us has not talked about the behavior of someone else's children in a one-on-one conversation, over the phone, or in a private setting? But on Twitter? Terry McMillan has over 42,000 followers and is a media savvy author. So even though she seemed taken aback by the public reactions to her Twitter posts, she had to at least have suspected that her comments would generate some buzz and/or controversy.

For many young couples, there is a certain amount of financial and emotional stress that comes with Valentine's Day. Among women who are dating, the message they get from family, friends and others is that Valentine's Day is the time to know if your guy is really into you. They may even start getting some Valentine's Day proposal ideas. Just as Beyonce sang: "If you like it, then you should've put a ring on it," scores of unmarried women are now telling their men: "If you really loved me, you'd make it official."

So imagine the stress right now that's weighing on countless men who feel that they have to pick the right ring and pop the question -– or risk being quickly dropped to "ex boyfriend" status -- by this Valentine's Day. After all, once they've been dating for a while, many young couples will naturally have to deal with questions from others about getting engaged and choosing "the ring."


So "the ring" is definitely being thought about right now -- by men and women alike. And not just any old ring. It's got to be a ring that a woman would be proud to wear and "show off" to anyone who cares to look. While we don't know exactly how many ring boxes will pop open after a Valentine's Day proposal, it is a safe idea to assume that most of those boxes had better contain diamonds, and big ones at that.

Real or imagined, the pressure to buy as much ring as he can (or cannot) possibly afford will confront any man who is contemplating Valentine's Day proposal ideas.

All parents worry about their children -- about their personal happiness, providing a good education for them, and of course, about their financial futures. For low-income parents, and single parents in particular, financial worries can loom especially large.

That's why I was pleasantly surprised to recently come across an offer for free life insurance for parents earning $40,000 or less who also have children under the age of 18. The life insurance offered is a $50,000 term-life insurance policy, and it covers the higher education expenses of your kids in the event of your death. If you die, the $50,000 gets paid directly to the school your kid is attending to pay for things like tuition, books, fees and educational supplies.

I know, I know. It sounds too good to be true. But it isn't. This offer comes compliments of a well-known and respected mutual life insurance company, MassMutual, which has been around for 160 years and is based in Springfield, Mass. So far, more than 11,500 people nationwide have received $575 million worth of free life insurance as part of MassMutual's LifeBridge Free Life Insurance Program.

When President Obama signed financial reform into law in 2010, a key goal was to create a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or CFPB -- an agency that would have broad powers to regulate everything from payday loans and mortgages to credit cards. Equally important, the CFPB would be charged with reining in predatory lending and putting and end to the financial abuses that led to the recent mortgage meltdown and ongoing credit crunch.

But six months before the CFPB makes it official debut –- on July 21, 2011 -– the agency is already facing a number of potential threats that could prove worrisome for consumers, especially minorities. According to a coalition of consumer advocates and civil rights groups, which on Friday released a progress report on the efforts thus far to get the CFPB up and running, the government has done a good job to date in preparing for the CFPB's upcoming launch. However, members of the coalition expressed serious concerns over issues which might impair the agency's ability to carry out its consumer protection mandates.


Nancy Dirkin, executive vice president of the Leadership Conference Education Fund, said it has been "extremely disturbing" to hear some politicians and others questioning funding to the CFPB and potentially "undermining" the CFPB's independence by granting veto power to other agencies.

One out of four Americans plans to make New Year's resolutions about money, according to a new survey from Sallie Mae. According to Sallie Mae, 21 percent of consumers want to save more cash. If you could stand to bolster your bank account, here are four ways to save more money and help you keep more of your hard-earned dollars in 2011:

1. Join a membership organization
Of all my tips to help you save money, joining a membership organization can be incredibly effective and easy. For example, AAA members get discounts on everything from hotel stays to passport photos. People 50 and older can join AARP and receive benefits ranging from reduced rates on health and life insurance to savings on shopping, dining, travel and more. Even professional organizations and civic groups offer various financial perks to their members.

2. Extend the life of your car
I know that Beyonce recently reportedly bought Jay-Z a $2 million sports car, but chances are you're not such a high roller. Still, if you were contemplating buying a new or used car in 2011, that could cost you thousands of dollars in new car payments, more expensive car insurance and more. Instead, save yourself big bucks by extending the life of your current car -- one of the most important ways to save more money.

With today's technology, it's not uncommon for cars built in the year 2000 or later to be able to log 150,000 to 200,000 miles. "Routine vehicle maintenance is the best way to keep your car running," says Jeff Santana, manager of the AAA Car Care Center in Springfield, N.J. "Regular trips to your mechanic can mean the difference between tens of thousands of miles in your car's life."

The Internet is abuzz about 50 Cent's recent tweets urging his 3.8 million Twitter followers to invest in a start-up company that makes headphones. It seems the rapper, actor and businessman made a fortune - around $8.7 million to be exact -- after he promoted the company, known as H&H Imports on Twitter. (Read more on BV's Entertainment Newswire.)

(But let's not forget that those millions that 50 Cent supposedly reaped were paper profits. You don't make money in stocks until you sell. That's when you lock in a real profit (or loss). And it doesn't mater if those shares are penny stocks, Nasdaq stocks, or shares listed on the New York Stock Exchange.)

In any event, some people are calling 50's social networking prowess a strike of entrepreneurial genius. After all, who wouldn't love to leverage their name, fame and brand to make millions in a single day? Others are speculating about whether 50 Cent broke the law or violated SEC regulations in Tweeting so enthusiastically about H&H, a company in which in he owns 30 million shares, or roughly 13% of the business.

This is Part Two of "15 Alternatives to Payday Loans When You Need Cash Fast." If you haven't read the first 10 alternatives, read them here.

Now, on to the final five sources of cash you can turn to when you're trying to avoid payday lenders:

11. Earn Cash By Being Neighborly
Most of us are overworked and often overwhelmed -– and that includes the people who live right near you. If you can help out someone who lives nearby, that's not just being a good neighbor, that's also a financially savvy move. Let's say you have great culinary skills. Find out if you can regularly cook or go grocery shopping for a neighbor. Someone elderly, sick or shut-in would welcome this help –- and pay you nicely too.

Maybe you're not an ace in the kitchen, but you're handy around the house. Then why not make some cash helping your neighbors relieve their stress and their workload? Provide an extra set of hands around the house and earn money for any of these tasks:

-Mow a neighbor's lawn/clear debris from their yard ($15 to $20 flat fee)
-Shovel their driveway ($15 to $25 flat fee)
-Wash their cars ($10 to $15 flat fee)
-Clean their house ($20 an hour)
-Walk their dogs ($10 an hour)