FAP412: What to do if you have been robbed, Nelnet, real estate, grace periods, the NSA, Adhan from Masjid Al Haram

Student Financial Aid News
+ Student lender Nelnet Inc. has approved a bonus plan for its top two executives that will pay them $500,000 each for every $1 per share the company earns in 2007, according to SEC filings last week.
+ Investors were uneasy after news that Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, suffered a 0.1 percent drop in same-store sales, those from stores open at least a year. Same-store sales are the industry standard for assessing a retailer's strength, and while retail sales overall were strong last weekend, Wal-Mart's deficit raised concerns about the strength of consumer spending during the holiday season.
+ Rates of foreclosures on houses in Massachusetts have tripled since the spring, according to Roger Stanford, an attorney in New Bedford
+ If you've graduated recently and are contemplating purchase of real estate in any of the formerly hot markets like Phoenix, Florida, Massachusetts, California, or pretty much anywhere there's an interstate, the lesson so far is clear - wait. Wait, wait, wait. A lot of people bought houses with unsustainable mortgage plans that will +need+ to sell in the next 2 years, if not sooner. As those properties go on the market, they'll be priced affordably - but you have to be patient and wait it out. Some less ethical realtors will try any tactic to get you to impulse buy, but don't believe the hype - the market has a long way to fall, and opportunities in 2007 and 2008 will be much better and more affordable than anything on the market today
+ One realtor's ad: buy now before interest rates start going up!
+ Math quiz: what's a better deal - $300K @ 6% or $200K @ 8%
+ $1800/month vs $1500/month - the math is pretty obvious
+ Time is on your side!
+ Student loan consolidation at StudentLoanConsolidator.com
+ Grace periods save an additional 0.6%
+ $20K @ 6.54% vs. $20K at 7.14%
+ $151/month vs $158/month
+ In lighter news, Dennis West, a professor of film and Spanish at the University of Idaho, asks students to sign a memo of understanding that they may be shown offensive material in class

Scholarship Update
+ National Security Agency (NSA) Analysis Training Program
+ Full tuition scholarship
+ Year-round salary
+ Job after graduation
+ Must be a major in:
+ Computer Science
+ Computer/Electrical Engineering
+ Foreign Language (Arabic, Korean, Chinese, Farsi, and others)
+ International Relations/Affairs/Cultures/Trade/Finance/Economics
+ Geography
+ Anthropology
+ Political Science (with an international focus)
+ And be going to:
+ California State University at Long Beach
+ Clark Atlanta University
+ Morehouse College
+ Spelman College
+ University of Florida, Gainesville
+ University of Maryland at College Park
+ Deadline November 30, 2006
+ Details at our free scholarship search site

News You Can Use
+ What to do if your stuff gets stolen
+ What to do beforehand - get insurance
+ Save your documents! Take photos and video!
+ Buy a decent, locking fire safe for valuable stuff
+ Make it inconvenient for robbers to take your stuff
+ ACV vs. RCC - which insurance is better?
+ Riders for some stuff like art, jewelry, etc.
+ Deductibles matter
+ After a robbery - you don't want to stick around
+ Touch as little as possible
+ Call the police from outside your place
+ Once the police are done, start filing your insurance claims

Podsafe Music
+ Adhan from Masjid Al Haram
+ Not sure which version this is - if you're Muslim, please let me know!
+ Stop by our MySpace page!

Reminders
+ Private student loans available at any time - visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com
+ Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com
+ Student loan consolidation at StudentLoanConsolidator.com
+ FAFSA form online filing at FAFSAonline.com
+ Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com.
+ The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Email me at financialaidpodcast {at} gmail {dot} com, visit http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 877-328-1565 x529 or 206-350-1208. AIM: FinAidPodcast Add me to your iTunes by visiting http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com/subscribe/

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