Did you know that even if you are not working, you can contribute to a spousal IRA? In fact, the money can come out of your spouse’s earnings! If your joint income is less than $156,000 in 2007, you can contribute up to $4,000.

It’s never too late—or too early—to think about your financial future. So if you’re married, being unemployed is no excuse for working toward retirement! For more information on how you can open your IRA today, visit The Entrust Group, the leader in self-directed retirement plans.

A recent survey showed that the number of women CEOs is growing. The top industry is the nonprofit arena, in which 30% of the CEOs are women. The number women CEOs in the areas of health care, legal services, finance and real estate has all shown growth. It just goes to show that women are taking control of their careers and their finances! Way to go!

A recent article in USA Today under “Managing Your Money” contained great information on which websites to use to get free financial advice. I’ve condensed the information to highlight the websites that are important to women investors.

Bankrate.com supplies information on checking and savings accounts, mortgages, credit cards, and more.

Realtor.com is the official site of the National Association of Realtors. It provides the most extensive and accurate publicly available database of homes for sale.

Zillow.com is a great site to check out to find out what your house and other’s houses are worth. You can also get details on recent home sales in the neighborhoods that you are considering investing in.

BenefitsCheckUp.org is sponsored by the National Council on Aging. It provides information on more than 1,550 public and private benefit programs for seniors in every state. It’s a tremendous resource for those dealing with the financial and emotional issues around elder care.

NationalREIA.org is the official site of the National Real Estate Investors Association. Use this website to help find an association to join in your local community. It’s especially valuable to those just getting started in real estate investing.

Wisewomeninvestor.com Of course, this list wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t include my own! This is where you can get up-to-date information about becoming a successful investor and taking control of your financial life.

Are you aware that the government is considering changing the capital gains rate on wealthy individuals from 15% to 35%? So if you are an active investor and have an opportunity to take advantage of capital gains rates that are currently lower than most investors’ normal tax bracket, now is the time to plan for your future. Your retirement plan is deferred, meaning that you can use your IRA for investments that you would have in your regular portfolio and defer the tax until you are ready to take out distributions—or at age 70 ½, when you are required by law to start taking distributions.

And even better, if your investments are in a Roth IRA, the distributions are totally tax free! Confused? Want more information? Contact your local Entrust office. Entrust’s professionals understand the laws that are pending and can help you get started with a self-directed IRA today. Visit www.theentrustgroup.com for more information or to locate an office near you.

Home buyers shopping for mortgages have a new tool to calculate payments and home equity accumulation. The Federal Reserve’s mortgage calculator helps you figure out what you can afford and what’s the right type of mortgage for you. Check it out at www.federalreserve.gov/apps/mortcalc.

Have you ever considered using your IRA to invest in real estate? With so many loans in default and the subprime industry on the verge of collapse, now may be the right time to use that IRA. The mortgage bankers association predicts that adjustable rate subprime mortgages will rise, causing more foreclosures. Already at a record high, foreclosures will continue to rise into 2008. This can mean a great buying opportunity for you.

To learn more on how to use your IRA to invest in real estate, visit The Entrust Group website. Entrust specializes in administrating self-directed IRAs and can assist you with the basic steps and requirements for buying real estate with your IRA.

By law, you are entitled to one free copy of your credit report from each of the big three credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Your credit report is your financial blueprint to lenders and other creditors. It’s highly recommended to check your credit report at least once a year to make sure it is correct and up to date. Don’t make any assumptions, because over 25% of credit reports contain errors. And don’t put it on some future to-do list. You most likely won’t have time to correct any errors when you need it the most.

You can use the centralized website annualcreditreport.com to order your report or call 877-322-8228.

Don’t wait until it’s too late. Now is the time to check your credit report. It only takes a few minutes.

Are you in the market for a brand new home for yourself—one with all the bells and whistles? Now may be the time to buy. According to the National Association of Realtors, sales of new single family homes are down over 23% from a year ago. Months worth of inventory are available. In some parts of the country, builders are behind on their lender commitments, so they are motivated to sell.

A new home, with all of the warranties, upgrades, and more….Maybe it’s your turn!

How many times have you heard the saying that the customer is always right? As much as we know that sometimes that’s not the whole truth, it’s an important motto to keep in mind when working with clients. I’m freshly reminded of this because of what recently happened to me as a customer. Customer service is the public side of our professional work and can easily make or break a business.

I was recently in Milan, Italy, the capital of the Italian fashion world. Dreams of homemade pasta and sauces were floating in my head weeks before I left for Milan. So after a serious day of window shopping (after all, with the dollar so low against the euro, who can afford any clothes in Italy?), I was looking forward to an incredible meal at Il Sambuco Ristorante, which I had read about in a Fodor’s travel guide. The restaurant had been described as offering fantastic homemade pastas, sauces to kill for, scrumptious desserts and, to top it off, terrific service. I couldn’t wait to go there. The restaurant was a 30 minute, 20 euro (that’s approximately $27.50) cab ride each way, but based on the description seemed worth it all.

When we got there, I ordered all my favorites: caprese salad with organic tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and a drizzle of Italian olive oil, risotto with mushrooms and fresh Parmesan cheese, and then flavorful fish with pasta and homemade tomato sauce.

Everything was living up to the description and reputation, until I got to the main course. The fish was truly horrible and hard as a rock—forget trying to cut it with a fork, you needed a steak knife! And the taste… let’s just say I couldn’t swallow it. I called the waiter over who, by the way, did provide excellent customer service. I explained to him nicely that the dish was unacceptable and that he was welcome to try it. If he could eat it, I would admit to any misunderstanding.

He was wonderful, and said he would speak with his manager. The manager came over, but not to inquire as to how the restaurant could make their customer happy. No, instead she insisted this dish was not awful and that I needed to retract my statement. In fact, she demanded that I “admit” that I just didn’t like the dish, not that there was anything wrong with the fish. At this point, she was yelling at me, telling me that there is nothing wrong. Imagine yourself in this situation. It was laughable but also uncomfortable and unpleasant as everyone in the restaurant stared at me. Now it was more than the fish that was leaving me with a bad taste in my mouth.

In the end, my dish did get replaced, and the restaurant was kind of enough to not charge me; however, the wonderful evening I had envisioned was ruined. The experience got me to thinking about all of us who provide business or professional services. There are times when we want to bite off the head of a customer or client because of their attitude or demeanor. Sometimes, we have to be patient, count to a ten—or a million—and handle the situation like a mature adult who knows that to be successful in business, we need to give our customer what they want or need, not meet our needs. We also have to take the long view. It not just that Il Sambuco Ristorante in Milan, Italy will never get my business again, but they may not get others as a result. I’m irritated enough to complain, and I’ll be passing on my experience to Fodor’s. And so on.

An old friend of mine who passed away use to say: “It is better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”

No matter what age you are, you should be planning for retirement. According to a recent Schwab study, only 40% of Generation X has an IRA. Those who don’t have an IRA say they don’t need one, don’t have enough money to fund one, or believe the process is too complicated.

Opening an IRA is no more complicated than opening any kind of bank account. You can find out how easy it is by going to one of The Entrust Group local offices or visit them at www.theentrustgroup.com. Entrust will walk you through the process of opening up and contributing to an IRA.

Even if you cannot afford to make the maximum contribution to your IRA, something is better then nothing—and if you choose to open a traditional IRA, it’s tax deductible. Contributing annually to your IRA and putting those dollars work will bring you the peace of mind that you are establishing a financial cushion for when you want or need to retire. Additionally, if you open a self-directed IRA, you can build a portfolio of assets that you are familiar and comfortable with.