Free Money June 2016

NBA Finals, Steph Curry, LeBron James, Memorial Day and more marked the end of quite a month. May actually ended with a howl — of relief, redemption and jubilation:

We’re talkin’ Steph Curry’s reaction to the Golden State Warriors’ 7th Game win. It capped off a very tough series against the Kansas City Thunder. Nothing was easy and none of it was luck. Attitude, grit, leadership, teamwork and mindfulness did the trick again. Great lessons for us all no matter what we’re trying to achieve! Can they prevail against the well rested Cleveland Cavaliers and a hungry, healthy team ready for revenge?

Stay tuned as Steph Curry and LeBron James go head to head! Plus two great new articles and lots of updates. One highlights new benefits available to veterans. - announced in recognition of May being Military Appreciation Month.

More on new veteran benefits, personal loans (specifically unsecured loans), a 2016 edition of free money opportunities, and other news:

Looking for and finding “free money” means avoiding bad deals and making an effort to discover what’s really available. We help you out in our latest article on the topic, Free Money 2016. Like Free Money 2015, this report highlights new options to help you earn more, save more and get all the financial aid you qualify for. Some of this year’s finds include saving money on car insurance; using your car to make money; getting cash out of your house even if it’s worth less than you owe on your mortgage; new developments and tips about finding unclaimed money (and some of the amazing property California is holding); how to find out if the government owes you a refund you didn’t know about and even some good shopping advice!

Few areas are growing as fast in numbers and variety of options to get a personal loan. We focus here on unsecured loans since people are pretty familiar with getting a loan backed by collateral — like a car or a house. But If you don’t have property to make your loan less risky for the lender, where can you turn? Especially if you don’t have a solid relationship with a bank —or maybe don’t even trust banks. There are lots of options now which we cover in Personal Loans. They even make it as easy as filling out a pretty simple application on line and waiting just a short time to hear back. Some of these are known as online lending platforms, where anyone can participate as an investor and hopefully get a better return than banks are paying. Interest rates are higher than you’d get for a secured loan but a lot lower than using credit card debt or a payday loan. Find out more about these new options, what to look for and what to avoid if you need to get your hands on some cash pretty quickly — and safely.

The government website about benefits observed National Military Appreciation Month by featuring some new benefits for veterans that it can help vets find. These include the Veterans Pension Program, a special Travel Reimbursement Program if you have to travel to and from VA facilities, and some benefits now available for those who began active duty after 9/11. Find out more in Grants for Veterans.

Are You A Millenial? The Small Business Administration is doing a great job offering information and support for young adults planning or hoping to start a business. They recently released announced some new videos which explain more, presented by a dynamic millennial who speaks your language. Check out more for ideas and inspiration in our guide to the the SBA website and what they can do for you.

Business Grants are in the news with the opening of the application period for Opportunity Knocks: a chance to win a grant of from $7500 to $25,000. Yes, there really are some grants for small business!Even if you’re too late to enter you can take a look and learn a lot to be ready next year. Get ideas and get inspired in Grants for Business.

Grow Your Business Savvy: If you feel like you need more education about business there are private, for-profit schools that feature business training. Many who attend pay with government grants. This might be right for you — or it could be a big mistake. Discover more in Grants to Start a Business.

New Microfinancing Opportunities are appearing in the U.S. with more lenders coming on the scene. They provide financing as well as training and ongoing mentoring and support. Check out some new names of these folks who specialize in loans to those with lower incomes and few or no banking relationships. A good idea and a lot of determination can take you far… see how in Microfinancing in the United States.

This is a big one. Our May update to Government Grants to Purchase a Home covers new assistance now available from HUD (the Housing & Urban Development Agency). Their website is much improved in terms of helping you understand what you’re doing when you buy a house (or try to). And they have a new tool that's easy to use and lets you see what specific home buying assistance programs are available to you in your own state. This is extremely helpful since programs vary greatly from state to state. We tell you more and show you how to find programs available in your state in Government Grants to Purchase a Home.

• Looking for ways to pay off student debt? If you’re considering credit cards, think again. It might seem easy but it can get you in deeper trouble. Check out some new advice in Grants To Pay Off Student Debt.
• Have you tried using grants.gov and left with your head spinning? We give you an update about improvements that might change your mind — and make it an interesting place to look for grants. Take a look at the latest updates in our review of grants.gov and also in grants.gov is not for you.
• Wonder about the loud guy in the question mark suit? Get our take - and even some of his own — in our review of Matthew Lesko websites. Really.
• Do you know how to pay bills strategically in order to manage your cash better? Take a look at our new tips in Grants to Pay Bills.

Happy June, stay cool and enjoy the beginning of summer. Oh, and Go Warriors! (Sorry Cavs fans…).