What You Don't Know About Under and Unemployment

California's estimated under and unemployment rate of 19.6 percent is most certainly higher in inner-city areas. Pastor Vince Holmes from Zion Temple Community Church is working to help the people who represent these statistics in south Los Angeles by partnering with me to conduct a seminar open to the public, on November 28th.

While most churches are focused on Christmas programs, Pastor Holmes is putting his efforts in to providing a free day-long seminar designed to help those under and unemployed to best get through the holidays.

"Though Christmas should be a season of peace, joy and laughter, our traditions have caused it to be a time of stress and anxiety that also brings financial burden. Adding to that the reality of under or unemployment and it's potentially a season of despair for many" offered Pastor Holmes when asked about hosting the event.

Joblessness brings with it a whole lot more than the absence of a pay-check. Studies reveal that the stress and strains produced wreck havoc on relationships, marriages, and families; domestic violence increases, separation and divorce rise and with many suffering foreclosure, homelessness becomes a reality for these. Attendees can expect an intensive seminar to equip them to work through and overcome the emotional, mental, practical and spiritual aspects of under and unemployment, and preserve their family relations. Spouses of those who are under and unemployed are therefore encouraged to attend.

The program and workbook have been tremendously received by attendees and industry professionals alike. Brad Remillard, co-founder of Impact Hiring Solutions, a recruitment firm in business for over 20 years, immediately embraced the program. He'd been looking for someone who could address what he is not in business to provide, and that is the emotional, mental and spiritual components that people suffer, when under and unemployed. Testimonials and more information about the seminar can be found at www.wydk.org.

Pre-registration is strongly encouraged. Those who are pre-registered can purchase the pro-active workbook at a drastically reduced price as an additional effort to help those whose finances are scarce. Walk-ins are welcome up to seating capacity. Check-in begins at 8:00 AM with the seminar beginning at 9:00 AM and concluding at 4:30 PM. Breaks in the schedule include lunch and a Sponsor Fair where attendees can gain more information about local resources and helps.

Pastor Holmes is currently identifying businesses and individuals, who offer goods/services that benefit those under and unemployed, to become Sponsors and be part of the day. Sponsors are provided a table to present their goods/services and given time during the seminar to present to the entire group. Broadway Federal Bank on Figueroa in Los Angeles has graciously contributed to help make the day a success. To learn of sponsorship, contribute or pre-register contact Zion Temple Community Church at 323-234-3436

Zion Temple Community Church is located at 1315 E. Vernon Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90011 and has been serving the people of the community for over 75 years.

Does hosting a seminar to help those under and unemployed appeal to you? HR Departments, service organizations, professional groups, churches - any organization interested in hosting a no charge event, can. Just visit www.wydk.org for more details.

While it's true that cities in California, Florida, Nevada, and Arizona dominate the worst areas for foreclosures, accounting for 37 of the 50 markets identified with the highest foreclosure rates, the surprise now is the dramatic increase of foreclosures in non-metropolitan cities.

Among the 50 metro markets with above-average foreclosure rates, the top 10 fast-growing foreclosure cities now include: Boise City-Nampa, Idaho(up 142 percent); Provo-Orem, Utah (up 120 percent); Salt Lake City, Utah (up 105 percent); Rockford Illinois (up 64 percent); Lansing-East Lansing, Michigan (up 41 percent) and; Fort Collins-Loveland, Colorado (up 28 percent).

"These are places that were on no one's radar screen a year ago," said Rick Sharga, senior vice president at RealtyTrac, Inc., an online foreclosure marketplace based in Irvine, California.

Radically increased housing prices driven by speculation during the boom, along with the economy and unemployment makes foreclosures in California, Florida, Nevada and Arizona expected. But alt-A interest rate re-sets and pay-option-adjustable-rate mortgage loans continue to "gradually shift the nation's foreclosure epicenters in the third quarter away from the hot spots of the last two years and toward some metro areas that had avoided the brung of the first foreclosure wave," said James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer of Realty Trac, in a recent press release.

Rising unemployment was also cited as a reason for foreclosures jumping 5 percent ahead of the second quarter of this year and surging 22.5 percent ahead of last year. The official unemployment rates reported by the Labor Department do not include laid-off workers who have settled for part-time work, or those who have given up looking for new jobs. When these numbers are factored in the total through September is 17 percent. "We're really not going to see foreclosure activity get down to anything near normal until 2012," Mr. Sharga concluded.

If you are in foreclosure or fear you soon will be, getting the right advice is crucial.
You are vulnerable and a target for many scammers once the public notice of default is filed. One scam offers the delinquent homeowner the opportunity for their payments to be taken over, when in reality the Scammer rents out your house and keeps the rental income, without paying the lender and you loose your home, any equity in it and your credit is trashed. Aimee Jackson, a woman who nearly lost her home but managed to save it stated, "Run don't walk away from anyone who claims that 'For $1,000.00, they can save your house."

Aime now works to help others save their homes and offered, "Ninety percent of the foreclosures I review have some kind of mistake in which the law firm or servicing agents were negligent. There is a lot of fraud going on." If this is true in your case, it could work in your favor. Aime's web site is: www.advocateaime.com

One family in Washington shared their story: "I fell one month behind in my mortgage payment due to lost hours at work. For $1,445 plus help with my increased winter utility cost of $565, I could have kept my home and moved on with life. However, because I didn't have $2,010, the snowball effect has happened. I lost my home, I lost my job, and my family will soon split up. I have lost all hope!"

In most states, the process of foreclosure can take up to a year to complete. You can avoid the "snowball effect" if you are pro-active and act early in the process.

If you can make up the missing payments, fees and any legal charges, some lenders will allow you to keep your original loan. Others will insist you refinance with another lender. You can also stop the foreclosure process, at least temporarily, by filing a lawsuit or filing bankruptcy. For either legal option to work, you'll have to come up with a payment plan to fix the deficit and you'll incur additional legal costs.

Generally, borrowers have 90 days from the notice of default to make up the deficit before the lender sends out the "notice of sale," which sets a date for the sale of the house, usually within 15-30 days. This is the time you'll receive notice to vacate. Depending upon your loan, even once your home is sold by the bank, the bank may be able to file suit against you for your unpaid balance of your loan.

There are more options available today than any time. Getting the right advice before you decide on Modification, Foreclosure, Deed-in-lieu, Short sale, Bankruptcy or Forbearance, is essential. And before you decide on your particular response to default, make certain you check with your accountant to know how your taxes will be affected. Especially if you used your home to get cash out in the past, or the home is not owner occupied. According to the Internal Revenue Service:

"Normally, debt forgiveness results in taxable income. But under the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007, enacted Dec. 20, taxpayers may exclude debt forgiven on their principal residence if the balance of their loan was $2 million or less. The limit is $1 million for a married person filing a separate return. Details are on Form 982 and its instructions, available now on this Web site (http://www.irs.gov/irs/article/0,,id=179073,00.html)."

"The new law contains important provisions for struggling homeowners," said Acting IRS Commissioner Linda Stiff. "We urge people with mortgage problems to take full advantage of the valuable tax relief available."

But above all act swiftly because the sooner you do the better your chances of reducing your loss and financial exposure.

My husband, a six-figure income earner, lost his job in the early 90's when the economy was bad because of the illegal actions of the financial partner. Greed has always been a rather destructive human characteristic. We've suffered bouts of under and unemployment ever since. We're both unemployed now and have been since July. We truly know what it's like and that's why I am a hard-working advocate for those under and unemployed.

One of the first things that people discover, when faced with under or unemployment is how far reaching it is emotionally, mentally and even spiritually and how all this can take a serous toll on marriage and family.

Brad Remillard, co-founder of Impact Hiring Solutions works primarily with Sr. Executives. He's repeatedly seen individuals "in transition" who think they have their game-face on during an interview, when it's obvious that they are dealing with serious inner turmoil. For most, the reality of having to deal with unexpected emotions, thoughts and spiritual concerns is more overwhelming than being under or unemployed. Getting a job resolves unemployment, but how does one successfully maneuver through all the inner issues?

Well, the first thing to note is not to ignore the feelings and thoughts, with the belief that they will be resolved once you're gainfully employed. They will not. In fact, unless you deliberately work to process your feelings and thoughts to a healthy place, you will actually sabotage yourself. Think about it: What employer would jump at the chance of hiring a mentally insecure, emotionally unstable person, even with all the right qualifications and experience? And if you manage to put on the game face during the interview and get hired, these unresolved feelings and thoughts will ultimately surface and will most likely become the reason you find yourself unemployed again.

My husband wrestled with feelings of being a failure to such an extent that he wrongly concluded that I must see him that way too. Then believing that I would therefore leave him, he started treating me unkindly which was an attempt to be in control of the situation. Had I not realized the reason for his actions, we would be divorced and our children would have suffered the ravages of a broken home. Instead, recognizing the origin of this atypical behavior, I spoke to his pain, (code for I got in his face), and convinced him that I had no intentions of leaving him, and every intention of going through the storm with him. It took some serious convincing because he was so deep into his negative emotions and thoughts.

You need to deliberately and intentionally take every thought captive and cause it to line up with truth. Generally speaking, for many men, simply identifying emotions and feelings as anything other than anger, is difficult; women seem to be better at identifying their emotions. In reality there are a host of feelings and thoughts that can stir up anger-it's these underlying thoughts and feeling that must be identified, examined and caused to line up with truth.

One of the best books I ever read to help in this regard is "Telling Yourself The Truth" by William Bacus and Marie Chapian. I understand there's also a Workbook and a newer book, "Learning to Tell Myself the Truth" by Bacus. I've provided the links to Amazon under the "My Personal Recommendations" portion of this blog.

So instead of going home and kicking the dog or punching the wall, or worse taking matters out on your spouse in reaction to all that's going on inside, get out your favoriate wedding picture, remember your vows and determine to manage the very real emotions and thoughts by swiftly and thoroughly identifying them, then properly working them through to a healthy reality. Not only will your family, including your dog thank you, but you'll be able to be your best at that next interview.

We know what it is to be under and unemployed and how during those times especially, saving money is critical. When my husband was unemployed, we naturally cut back on any and all extras. Only then did we realize the amount of excess spending we'd been doing. That's when I vowed I would be financially frugal no matter how much money we earn.

I love getting a bargain. I speak of my favorite discount stores and spend-thrift ways with as much unabashed haughtiness as those who shop on Rodeo Drive have been known to display. And in these economic times, excesses spending may very well become the height of gauche.

Today, the spending power of a dollar for all Americans, wealthy or not, is 6.1% less than it was in 1982. This according to Why Are Americans Earning Less Than they Did in 1982? Add the reality that those under and unemployed represent 16.8% of the population or 24,700,000 as of August according to another study, is why retailers and service company's are radically adjusting their sales and marketing efforts. Bundling products to offer deeper discounts, enticing cash-poor buyers with membership discount programs and slashing prices as much as possible are essential for the companies and their patrons, especially with the Christmas holidays approaching.

It's almost as though a whole new industry is rising up on the very premise of saving money. I may have less money than I did in 1982, but spending it, I get a greater thrill than ever seeing how much I can save!

Greenback Street is one of my favorite on-line discount shopping malls. It's free to join and once you do you are merely clicks away from shopping at all your favorite stores with tremendous savings. Virtually all of your favorite stores are in this mall. But what really sets it apart are the available rebates on purchases. Whatever you're already buying on line can be purchased for less and you can get paid for shopping! And don't forget that shopping on line, especially when you can take advantage of free-shipping, saves you gasoline dollars too.

Needing some new duds? Check out Heavenly Couture Who wouldn't be elated to get a pair of designer jeans that normally retail for $160-$185.00 for around $17.95? Paying full price today is truly the height of insanity.

When it comes to the bed, bath, home and kitchen my first pick is Smart Bargains I loved the compliments I got on my guest bedroom, which was outfitted to pamper my guests and looked like it was professionally done. When in fact I did it for pennies on the dollar.

And saving on groceries never was any easier than what The Treasure Box offers. By going on line and finding a member of this network near you, you can feed your family well and save hundreds of dollars.

My entire living and dining room have been furnished with excellent quality furniture - all bought on line. I don't have a favorite source to recommend for that. Instead I have a tip to help you save. Shop until you find the furniture you want. Then using the manufacturer's name and model information, continue searching until you found the very best deal. My dining room and hutch were ordered online from a state that saved me sales tax and also shipped the freight at no charge! Now that's savings!

Listen, we're all in this economic depression of a recession together. Be a good friend and share this page with others. And, if you have any good money saving sources, why not share them using the Reader Feedback portion of this blog? Who knows, maybe the state and federal governments will catch on that excessive spending really is gauche.

Just as having a car accident and then purchasing insurance to cover the repairs won't work, neither does trying to establish a professional network after loosing your job. You need both securely in place before the need arises.

The Department of Labor estimates that 63% of all jobs are secured through networking; other experts quote over 70% of executive placements are made through networking, personal introductions and referrals.

Networking is a very effective means of expanding your business-contacts and staying in touch with connected peers. Networking is not about getting instant referrals. It's about establishing relationships that enable each in the network to refer one another with confidence. And that takes time.

It also requires nurture. You may have been close to "Jim" while you worked at your last position. But if you've not stayed connected, to call him years later and ask for a referral would be awkward at best and risky for Jim. You could have been in jail, since working with him, for all he knows.

Here are some important basic steps to establish and maintain a vital network:
1. Establish a system for documenting communication. Use 3x5 cards or an Excel worksheet or whatever you chose, to record pertinent information. Update information to this record with each contact. Build relationship don't merely make an acquaintance.
2. Connect often enough that individuals easily come to the forefront of your mind and the same is true for them concerning you. The idea is to be ready to make a referral/get a referral the moment a suitable opportunity is mentioned.
3. Plan regular in-person meetings. To stay at the top of the network you need to maintain adequate name-face recognition. This is another reason why it's a good idea to have your photo on your business card.
4. Remember that networking must be mutual with each person seeking to be a resource for others, as much as seeking others to be a resource for you. If mutuality does not exist, neither will the benefits of networking.
5. Concentrate on quality connections over quantity connections. Having 1000 people you've exchanged business cards with who don't remember you is 1000% ineffective. Seek to have 100-200 connections who know your background and the value you offer.
6. Don't attend networking meetings because they are "networking meetings." If you find 2-5 people that are a good fit for your networking needs and incorporate them into your networking efforts.
7. When you find a networking group that has many great resource people for you, and visa versa, join the committees or serve on the Board so others can truly know you and you can truly know them.
8. Develop genuine relationships with those worthy of being in your network and keep them fresh whether, you're seeking a career change or not. It's not only about them being a resource for you, but you being a resource for them, whenever the need arises.

Social networking is not as effective as personal, but don't rule anything out! Here are my picks:

Richard Nelson Bolles, author of the best selling book, "What Color is Your Parachute? 2008 Edition" wrote, "Most job-hunters who fail to find their dream job, fail not because they lack information about the job-market, but because they lack information about themselves."

If your industry is in a down-turn, it's likely that you need to consider employment outside your industry. With that in mind, knowing what skills you currently possess that can be successfully transferred to a new career is very helpful.

Your Transferable Skills are your personal abilities in working with people, data/information, and things. There are base skills from which more advanced skills are developed as you progress in experience. If you are just starting a new career you will operate using simple or base skills, under the training and supervision of your employer. But as you progress with your skills, you add abilities to your base skills and generally are promoted to work requiring less supervision and greater independence. The higher your transferable skills, the less competition you'll find in the job place and that's a good place to be.

Don't confuse transferable skills with traits or work styles. Descriptions such as the ability to get along well with people, or works well under pressure, are your traits or work style that have more to do with your personality, values and ethics. Your skills are abilities you've developed. And because 95% of people at all levels and careers, don't know their own Transferable Skills the majority of people are greatly limited their career and job possibilities.

Also, knowing your Transferable Skills enables you to discuss them with a potential employer. This reveals confidence and helps the employer more quickly assess the contributions you can make to his business.

The above is an excerpt from the free, day-long intensive seminar available for presenation by Pam Christian. Included within her Workbook is a Transferable Skills Quiz, which she is making available to you for FREE. Send her an email with the words "Transferable Skills" typed in the subject line to receive your FREE Transferable Skills Quiz. Write to plchristian@integrity.com

You can lean more about the seminar and Workbook at www.wydk.org

Keep watching this Blog to learn more of "What You Don't Know About Under and Unemployment".