If you haven’t been following the news recently, then you’ve been missing out on quite the political battle in Washington, DC over our nation’s debt. I’d go into more detail, but the specifics and grand-standing would probably give you a headache. To make a long story short: we need to cut spending and raise revenues, but neither party can agree on a way to move forward and the President is left shaking his head at party leaders behaving more like spoiled children rather than statesmen. Our national budget may be a mess, but yours doesn’t have to be. Creditnet has an easy, 5-step process to making sure your budget is sound so you don’t end up with a crippling debt like Washington.

Credit cards can often be a double-edged sword. When used incorrectly, they can destroy the most seasoned financier. However, when used in wisdom, they can be a powerful wealth generating tool. Perhaps you own a small business and supplies need to be purchased today to ship to a customer, but you won't actually receive payment for a couple of weeks? While new businesses low on cash flow may find difficulty in funding short-term operational needs, interim cash flow shortages can often be remedied through the use of credit cards and other forms of revolving credit. In fact, using no interest credit cards can be a great way for entrepreneurs to fund small expenses while getting a business up-and-running. Access to quick cash is essential for nearly any business’ operations, and even after you've passed the zero interest grace period, the card can still be useful in the normal course of one’s business dealings.

Credit scores. . . To many of us, they seem like arbitrary numbers that can be frustratingly impossible to manipulate. To others, credit scores are quite the opposite; understanding and improving them has become a challenge from which many financial benefits can flow. When I sit down with a client who has been dealing with less-than-wonderful credit, they usually know which financial mishaps and choices got them there. And although time and the responsible use of credit cards for bad credit should help them finally regain control, understanding what makes up a credit score could have kept them out of trouble in the first place.

I was fortunate to spend more time than usual chatting on the phone with my Dad for Father's Day last month. We should definitely spend more time talking, because he’s a great man that has taught me some of the most important financial lessons in life: budgeting, leveraging 0% interest credit cards and loans, and working with my spouse to find common goals and aspirations. Like most older gentlemen, he has also spent hours upon hours telling me about how things used to be. One of his stories popped in my mind during work today, while I closed a savings account that had one cent of unposted interest. As I made a joke to my client about not spending all that new interest in one place, I remembered my dad telling me of all the things he used to be able to buy with a penny.

Money.  It's a concept that has simply captivated humanity since the beginning of its existence.  Some people love it.  Some people hate it.  And some people are simply obsessed with it.  But no matter your opinion on it, it's definitely something that's had a tremendous influence on your life. Maybe that's why people sing about it so often.  Indeed, some of the best songs in music history have been all about money. Here are the top 5 songs that either exto the joys of money and credit cards, or push listeners to transcend the ills of materialism.