SBDC Celebrates 35 Years!

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This month marks the 35th anniversary of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) program, the foremost small business assistance network in the United States. The SBDC program is hosted by educational institutions and state economic development agencies, and is financially supported partly by the United States Congress through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).   Continue reading

WIPP International President Participating in the Women-20

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Women Impacting Public Policy International (WIPP International) has announced that President Jennifer Bisceglie will participate in the Women-20 (W20), a recently-formed engagement group dedicated to advocating gender equality and inclusiveness.    Continue reading

Military Lending Final Rule

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Last week, the Department of Defense (DOD) issued a final rule modifying regulations set forth in the Military Lending Act (MLA). Passed by Congress in 2006, the MLA was created to protect active duty service members and their families from elevated interest rates in credit transactions, limiting the Military Annual Percentage Rate (MAPR) to 36 percent. The rule provides additional protections to military members from numerous credit products that the existing regulations do not address. Continue reading

A Win for Women-Owned Small Businesses

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The Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Program allows Federal contracting officers to limit competition for Federal contracts to qualified Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs) or Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Businesses (EDWOSBs), in select industries. Continue reading

HUD and FHA Encourage Home Inspections

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It is a good time to be an American consumer. Last decade’s housing bubble left behind a collapsed market and millions of disheartened and mistreated homebuyers. If the current effort to protect consumers suggests anything, it’s that if a phenomenon like the housing crisis occurs again, it will not be as a result of inattention or irresponsibility from the housing sector. Continue reading

China’s New Middle Class

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China’s economic Great Leap Forward stands as one of the defining moments of the closing of the 20th century. Now an economic powerhouse, China and its $3.7 trillion in foreign exchange reserves are viewed by some with fear and trepidation. Others see it as an immense opportunity to create more widely shared prosperity, bring people closer together and remove barriers in the way of understanding and peace. Continue reading

Reasons to Invest in Women Entrepreneurs

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The National Women’s Business Council (NWBC), a non-partisan federal advisory council that advises the President, Congress and the U.S. Small Business Administration on economic issues concerning women business owners, recently released their Reasons to Invest in Women Entrepreneurs fact sheet: Continue reading

Single-Family Home Rental Sector

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In its aftermath, the American housing bubble left millions of discarded single-family homes. Slowly but surely, these homes have come off the market in the past few years. Some were bought, and countless others were purchased by investors and put out to rent. Currently, the number of homes for sale in the United States is dwindling considerably, and developers have turned to creating entire neighborhoods of single-family homes not to sell, but to rent. Continue reading

Mother Nature: Droughts and Floods

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If you look back on the last decade, a lot has been written about global warming and how Earth is shifting. With flooding occurring in some parts of the country and droughts in others, it is a crucial time to remain attune to earth’s changes. Regardless of your beliefs on global warming, an increasing amount of areas, including entire states, are being affected by the wrath of Mother Nature.  Continue reading