I have interacted with Montel Williams a couple of times on his radio show, 'Montel Across America.' I didn't like the show very much, to be honest, because Montel seems to enjoy hearing himself talk more than his guests. But then again, I figured that he is just now learning the hard knocks of radio life, where you actually have to allow other people to talk. No disrespect to Montel of course, he's accomplished a lot.

But when I received an email telling me that Montel is now doing commercials for Money Mutual, a company that offers short-term loans with no credit check, I found that to be quite interesting.

♦Beyonce and Tina Knowles' House of Dereon is being Accused of RICO and Sued for Half a Milli
Beyonce and Tina Knowles' companies are being sued by a Hong Kong Manufacturer, Vier International, LTD. Vier claims that House of Dereon and other affiliated companies are in breach of contract and also accusing them of RICO. In case you're not familiar with RICO, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, it is normally affiliated with the mafia and their business tactics. [Bossip]

♦A Black Girl's Journey in the Making Towards Success
Before Oprah there was Madame CJ Walker, who proved that there is no greater force then a black girl on the grind, pushing to make her mark in a world where rules are few and many. How far would you go? [Clutch Magazine]

♦Dockers Giveaway Enter Online to Instantly Win a Free Pair of Pants
For the next seven days you can enter one time a day for a chance to win a pair of Docker pants on their website. The advertising campaign rolled out yesterday on the Super Bowl commercials where they were advertising to go to their website to get a pair of free pants. [Best Syndication]

It's 2010. Do you know the current state of your student loans? It takes the average college graduate 15 years to repay his or her student loans, according to the College Board. A lot can happen over that time. So if you ever find yourself struggling to pay your college debts – or even just needing more information about the loans you're carrying – the following five websites just might prove to be indispensable.

1. http://www.nslds.ed.gov

This is the website for the National Student Loan Data System. If you're confused about your college debt, or don't even remember how many student loans you took out and who you owe, this is the place to start. The NSLDS database gives you 24/7 access to an itemized list of all the federal loans you took out, including info about the student loan status (in deferment, default, repayment, etc.), loan amount, date, the amount cancelled (if any), as well as the outstanding principal and interest you owe.

Tip: To access the NSLDS, you must first obtain a four-digit PIN from the Department of Education (http://www.pin.ed.gov/).

2. http://www.finaid.org/calculators

This is the website for the online college student loan calculators provided by FinAid. These calculators help you figure out how much principal and interest you'll pay over time for various federal student loans, based on the four different student loan repayment programs you can select:

• The standard loan repayment plan, where you pay a minimum of $50 a month and your payments last for as long as 10 years;
• The extended repayment option, which also requires at least $50 monthly payments, but which lets you pay off your student loans over 12 to 30 years;
• The graduated repayment program, which lasts from 12 to 30 years and allows you to pay as little as $25 a month; and
• The income-contingent repayment plan, which permits you to make payments as low as $5 a month and which lasts for 25 years.

Bossip is reporting that the rapper Jay-Z owes Highland Capital Management LP $52 million dollars in loan guarantees, and that the Jigga man hasn't been paying as expected. The loan was allegedly used to purchase property in Manhattan for a hotel.

Here is the transcript for the recent appearance I did on the Tom Joyner Morning Show discussing what I called the "Five E Philosophy" for Black empowerment. If you wish to hear the audio of the interview, please click here.

What are we going to do with our kids? I'm not here to judge whether you're a mother, father, husband, wife, baby's mama, baby daddy or community parent, but we all know that it takes a village to raise our children. At the very least, I certainly don't want Lil Wayne raising my kids, or to see them turned into chubby little playstation addicts who can't spell the word "NBA."

Staying on top of one's finances can be a daunting challenge made more difficult by money-management myths we believe and little lies that we often tell ourselves. In some areas of life, a little white lie might be perceived as harmless. But when it comes to money matters, the myths and misconceptions we believe can do some serious damage. To help ditch those misconceptions that might be holding you back economically, think about whether you're guilty of subscribing to – or telling yourself – any of the following six money-management myths:

Money Management Myth #1: It's Someone Else's Fault
Be honest. Have you ever blamed someone else for one of your financial predicaments? Perhaps you rue the day you met your ex-spouse, because he or she ruined your credit. Or maybe you're convinced that your efforts to garner a promotion and raise have been sabotaged by a nasty-co-worker. Alternatively, your entire financial life may be a mess and you've been subconsciously pointing the finger at your parents. After all, you figure, they never taught you how to manage finances properly.

Financial Truth #1: Your Finances Are a Direct Result of Your Own Action

Sadly enough, the economy has hit homeowners incredibly hard. Even when the economic recovery has occurred (which I believe will happen during 2010), many American homeowners are not going to see significant recovery in the values of their homes. Some homeowners have seen the value of their houses drop as much as 75% below the original loan price.