You would think with property values going down the toilet that property taxes would follow, but that isn't the case. No matter that a property has decreased in value, the property tax might go down by a miniscule amount, but it is more likely they will either remain the same or go up.

Property taxes finance such things as road repair, libraries, schools, and fire departments. Those financial needs do not decrease because a property loses value. An extremely simplified explanation of the process is that different county departments estimate how much money they need in the coming year, and that number is then divided among the properties in the county. Basically, the tax rate is capped by voters, but the tax assessor sets the rate at or below the cap.

What all of this means to property owners within a country is that regardless of the actual value of a property, the county tax can remain the same or even go higher in order to keep public services up and running. The taxable value of a property is determined by the comparative value of the property to other properties in the county. One way property taxes could decline is if a particular neighborhood was hard hit with falling prices and other neighborhoods remained steady or increased.

There are lots of ways to INCREASE your property taxes, however. If you make an addition to your property, the property tax will increase. Tax assessors use many factors to determine property value, and the best defense is a really good offense, so it's important to know and understand property tax laws where you live.

The bottom line here is that if you were seeing lower property taxes as the silver lining in your declining property values, the news is not good. That isn't going to be a silver lining for any cloud.

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Many people think that investing in the stock market is more of less like playing Russian roulette with their life savings. The truth is, however, if you have a good stockbroker who understands your financial goals and the level of risk that you are willing to undertake, investing in the stock market can be a fairly secure undertaking.

You don't have to be rich to invest in the stock market. All of those who "play" the market aren't multimillionaires, and everybody who invests in the stock market doesn't lose their life savings. Investing in the stock market is pretty much like making any other kind of investment. The power is in information and the ability to apply the information effectively.

You should never make the mistake of "putting all of your eggs in one basket," so to speak. Even if you are investing a thousand dollars or less, it is better to diversify. The idea of diversifying is that if one investment doesn't do well, others will compensate or more than compensate for it.

If you think that you know enough about the stock market, and if you are sure that you can crunch your own numbers and are comfortable doing your own investing, then, by all means, do so. You'll save broker fees and make a little more money. If, however, you aren't that sure and would be more comfortable with a professional at the helm, then hire a good and reputable stockbroker to do your investing for you. Professional stock investors usually are paid with a percentage of the profit that they make for you.

You don't have to start out big in the stock market. As a matter of fact, it is better to start small and slow and gain momentum as you go.

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Private student loans aren't quite as easy to get today as they once were. The reason why lenders are becoming more hesitant about making student loans is probably the high default rate. That's not to say that student loans are not available at all. They are, but the requirements for making student loans have gotten more stringent.

Qualifying for a Sallie Mae student loan is a bit harder now as well. The federal program, in conjunction with alternative financing options, can be a great help to students who would not otherwise qualify.

There are two types of federally funded student loans ? the Federal Stafford Loan and the Federal Perkins Loan.

The Perkins Loan is a little different from the usual student loan in that the school attended is not the lender. Some schools do not participate in the Perkins Loan. Sallie Mae can act as the lender for a Stafford Loan. They can also act as the guarantor for the lender.

Students can also get a private Sallie Mae loan if they don't qualify for the federal program. These private loans are usually referred to as "alternative student loans." They are personal loans and are generally not subsidized by a federal program. Students (and their parents) should consider a Sallie Mae loan rather than going to a bank because the interest rates are almost always lower.

Remember that federal loans carry income and grade point restrictions. Private loans do not usually have such restrictions and generally more money can be borrowed using a private loan source.

Sometimes students need to consolidate loans so they can get a lower interest rate and lump loans together so that they only make one monthly payment. Sallie Mae can combine the payments from the various loans, both federal and private, into one convenient monthly payment.

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