Moms are always looking for ways to save money and I’ll freely admit that it’s become somewhat of an obsession of mine. I’ve cancelled my cable contract, switched to a cheaper cell phone plan and even started clipping coupons. While researching unique ways to pinch pennies, I came across an idea that had never occurred to me: apps! I’ve tried dozens, kept many and deleted a few.

Here are five that I have found incredibly useful:

1. CardStar

Rewards cards, in themselves, are a great way to save money. I soon found, however, that my keychain was loaded down with those handy little tags. What the CardStar app allowed me to do was select a store and manually enter my rewards card number. My entry then magically turned into a barcode which was easily scanned by most retailers. One word of note: if the clerk is unable to scan your rewards code off of your screen, ask them to enter the numbers into their system by hand. It seems that some phone’s screens inhibit certain scanners.

2. Coupon Sherpa

Even with the best of intentions, I’ve found that I am a bit lazy when it comes to clipping coupons. With the app, I can search for a specific store to view their online and app specific coupons or even search by category. The coupons are then either scanned or manually entered at the register. The app is perfect if, like me, you find yourself forgetting to carry your paper coupons with you.

3. GasBuddy

Every mom has, from time to time, felt like a taxi driver. Hauling kids to and from activities, taking the pets to the vet and even commuting back and forth to work can drain the gas tank faster than you’d like and make frequent fill ups a necessity. With the GasBuddy app, you’re guaranteed to find the best prices in your neighborhood and beyond. Remember, though, that driving across town to save a penny per gallon isn’t necessarily a savings at all.

4. pricecheckah

Comparison shopping has never been easier! If, like me, you have several big box stores in your city, it can be time consuming hopping from one to another looking for the best price on a certain product. This app does the comparison shopping for you. Simply scan the bar code of any product and the app will compare the prices among up to five retailers of your choosing.

5. Milo

By entering a product into Milo’s search engine, you can find out which of your local stores has the product in stock. Milo will also tell you the store’s price on that particular item. No more driving to all of the stores in town to find what you are looking for.

While there are literally hundreds of apps that claim to help you save money, these are the five that I have found most useful. These apps save me money on a weekly basis. Try them! They’ll change the way you shop forever.

Coupons on Coupon Croc can save you a bundle on your everyday purchases in the UK. Tom Blanchard, a coupon addict, uses them on a regular basis to save on his family’s budget.

Multi-billionaire, Bernard Arnault is the primary shareholder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of LVMH, Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. The billionaire is number four on Forbes’ list of billionaires and is France’s richest man. LVMH has a net worth of $41 billion and got its start with Arnault’s 1983 purchase of the French textile firm, Boussac. The purchase price was more than $15 million. Boussac originally owned the Christian Dior brand that financially flourished under Arnault’s keen business sense.

Growing the Empire

The reasoning behind the purchase of Boussac was to have control of the Dior brand and firmly establish the company’s presence in the luxury market. Arnault decided to sell the divisions that did not coincide with his vision and used the earnings to purchase 24 percent of the controlling shares of LVMH. After bitterly battling with the executive staff, Arnault laid off some of the managing executives while gaining control of the company. These business decisions allowed him to rebuild the company and its brand. Arnault’s focus was on the new emerging trends of France and bringing that creativity and energy to the luxury marketplace. Throughout the 1990s, LVMH acquired brands like Givency, Sephora, Tag Heur and several wine and spirit labels. The billionaire’s sense of style and business experience gave him clear vision of the organization needed to make the business successful worldwide.

LVMH Today

Unfortunately, economically challenging times meant low sales for many LVMH brands but Arnault never lost his focus of selling quality and luxury products. Some difficult decisions made by LVMH’s chief were downsizing brands and stores to keep the company afloat. That said, 2010 was an excellent year for LVMH due, in part, to its handbag and champagne divisions. Revenue was approximately $28 billion and profits were around $23 billion in 2009. Profits for that year were more than $5 billion.

The watch and jewelry divisions of LVMH doubled their revenue growth and the company acquired a controlling stake in the Italian jewelry house, Bulgari. Dom Pérignon and Krug also saw significant profits. LVMH has a 70 percent ownership in Nude Skincare developed by Bono’s wife, Ali Hewson. Additionally, LVMH acquired a 20 percent share in Hermès, purchased in December.

Patience and Business

Recognizing his need for patience, Arnault understands its virtues as it relates to the world of business. Patience is the key to waiting for the right thing to come along, according to Arnault. He said he learned the most from practicing the art of patience.

Do you want to be an investor or a creditor? You may have never been asked that question but as an investor it is highly relevant and worth exploring. First, let’s figure out the difference. If you own a home, you know all too well how a creditor works. Your mortgage lender is a creditor and they expect payment regardless of your financial situation. Did you lose your job? They still want their money? Maybe you didn’t have a good past couple of months and don’t have the funds to pay your mortgage. Your creditor doesn’t care. They want their money and they’re entitled to it.

The creditor is in a good spot. Although the past couple of years have seen an unprecedented mortgage default rate of 1 out of 585 homes according to some reports, creditors who carefully examine who they make loans to find themselves in a relatively safe spot. Other than large scale market meltdowns, creditors are largely immune to daily market moves. That’s a good spot to be in.

Investors, on the other hand, don’t have the same luxuries. If their investment doesn’t do well, they don’t get paid. When the market doesn’t do well, either do they. If you are a stockholder you know how investing works.

When you’re a creditor you trade unlimited capital growth for the promise of getting paid. As an investor, you may lose money but if you pick the right stock, business, or property, your gains are unlimited. Both the creditor and the investor have a place in your investment portfolio but as an income investor you’re probably more heavily weighted towards being a creditor.

As a creditor, you may invest in stocks with a dividend, invest in bonds or bond funds, and for those of ultra high net worth, function as an angel investor. On top of that you may bring in more income by selling covered calls against your stock or futures positions. Of course it’s possible and appropriate to function as both by purchasing growth stocks that pay a dividend.

Allocation

Being a creditor is almost always safer than being an investor but being completely safe may not allow you to reach your future goals. Most financial professionals advise a combination of both. For younger people, being more weighted on the investing side is best but especially for non taxed accounts like traditional IRAs, having a 25% or more exposure to investments where you’re the creditor is well advised especially when markets are uncertain.

As an investor gets closer to retirement, they should become a creditor. For those only a few years away, being an 80% creditor is well advised in the current market environment.

Bottom Line

Creditors get paid interest for loaning their money to somebody else. Investors get paid when their investment appreciates in value. Investing is more risky than being a creditor and especially when global events aren’t making anybody feel good about the near term market prospects, investors have to be extremely careful how much investing they do. Income investors who function more as creditors know that collecting interest payments may be boring but living as a creditor is much more secure than living as an investor, at least right now.

Over the last few years we have seen many investors shift from speculative stock picking to investing in dividend stocks. The volatility in the stock market has traders looking to hide out in high yield stocks so that they can receive a dividend for putting their money in steady stocks. But what are the best dividend stocks to buy?

The best stocks that pay dividends are those that not only pay a steady dividend yield but also provide capital appreciation to the investor. To find these stocks Dividend Stocks Online recommends focusing on companies with high dividend growth, high net income growth and a low payout ratio.

Below we are highlighting five stocks on the DSO best dividend stocks list.

1. Abbott Laboratories – ABT

Sector: Healthcare

Abbot Labs has a dividend yield of 3.5%, a 5 year dividend growth rate of almost 10% and a 3 year net income growth rate of 9%. ABT has raised it’s dividend for 38 years in a row and has a payout ratio of 55%.

2. UniSource Energy Corporation – UNS

Sector: Energy

Unisource has a dividend yield of 4.4% and a 5 year dividend growth rate of 15%. Their 3 year net income growth rate is 24%.

3. CCFNB Bancorp, Inc. – CCFN

Sector: Financial

CCFNB has a dividend yield of 3.3% and a 5 year dividend growth rate of almost 10%. Their 3 year net income growth rate over 33% and a payout ratio of just 41%. CCFN has increased its dividend for 13 consecutive years.

Great investors know that the best opportunities are often found by sifting through the debris after a major event and Realytrac is the one place to go if you’re looking for an unbelievable home at prices that the market hasn’t seen in decades.

Who could argue that a major event took place in the housing market and continues today? The bubble that sent home prices soaring at a rate that made investors rich later took back what it once gave. Home prices in many areas of the economy have fallen 30% with some cities seeing even bigger drops.

But in the bad news is often hidden opportunity for those willing to take the risk. Foreclosed or pre-foreclosed homes have risen to rates unheard of in the United States. Because of rising unemployment and mortgages that are underwater, homeowners either can’t pay or have walked away from their homes. Because of this trend, an unprecedented amount of homes are available to investors and those who want a larger home at a once in a lifetime price. Those once in a lifetime deals are out there but you’re not going to find them on your own. That’s where Realtytrac can help.

Finding The Property

Before realtytrac, finding foreclosed properties wasn’t easy. Either you were part of an investment firm who could afford the high dollar reports, you had the time to go to places like country courthouses and sift through public records, many of which may be outdated, or team up with real estate companies. None of these options were feasible for a family looking for a new home at a low price but Realtytrac solved that problem.

Their website brings all of that information in to one place. Anybody looking for a home can find over 2 million default, auctions and bank-owned homes, according to Realtytrac. With 90% of local housing markets covered, the chances that Realtytrac won’t be available in your area are exceedingly slim.

Membership Options

Realtytrac has two membership options. Their free trial membership allows you access to just about everything in the database including home listings, price history, bank and attorney information, owner names, and access to realtors who specialize in foreclosed and other bank owned properties.

There are a lot of websites out there that claim to be the authority on just about everything but Realtytrac has the backing to prove it. They’re quoted on every major news outlet including CNBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC as well as printed publications like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and all of their syndication partners making Realtytrac the #1 source for foreclosure information.

Once the trial membership runs out, Realtytrac costs $49.95 per month to continue the same service. There are no contracts or discounted rates for different levels of service. It’s a flat, no hassle fee that gives real estate hunters all of the information they need to find the home they’re looking for.

If you’re looking for a home, look at those that are in foreclosure first. You may find an unbelievable home at an unbelievable price but in order to do that, you have to know where to look and you find that information by subscribing to RealtyTrac.

Baines & Ernst provide effective debt solutions that can help people clear debts and regain control of their finances; through IVAs or debt management plans.

Edward DeBartolo Jr. is well known in the business community as being one of the richest men in the United States. In 2009, Forbes Magazine listed him in the top 400 Richest Americans.

Early Career

Edward DeBartolo Jr. started his career with his father’s company, the Edward DeBartolo Corporation. The Corporation had its beginnings in real estate, mainly for commercial properties and shopping malls. At one point, the Edward DeBartolo Corporation owned and leased 2 billion square feet of property to commercial vendors.

The 49ers

With much of his wealth inherited and earned through his father’s corporation, DeBartolo invested in the National Football League team the San Francisco 49ers in 1977. The 49ers became the central part to Edward DeBartolo Jr.’s fortune and legacy. He owned the team for over 23 years and his finances and purchases helped bring in top players, coaches, and staff to the team. In those 23 years, the San Francisco 49ers won 5 Superbowl titles, becoming one of the best teams in football history. Even after most of the properties owned by the Edward DeBartolo Corporation were sold off in 1996 to the Simon Property Group, DeBartolo Jr. became synonymous with the 49ers.

The Controversy

In the late 1990s, Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards was under investigation for corruption charges. The governor had ties to many financial firms and companies to try to attract businesses to Louisiana. However, Edwards used bribes and money laundering to get money to and from clients for favors. One of those favors belonged to Edward DeBartolo Jr. DeBartolo Jr. personally paid Edwards $400,000 so that Edwards could get a casino license in the state. This move tarnished the image of Edward DeBartolo Jr. and the National Football League suspended him from ownership duties for the 49ers in 2000. After this incident, he gave up his shares in the 49ers to his sister.

Post Controversy

After the scandal, however, Edward DeBartolo Jr. remained in the public limelight. He now owns about $1 billion in shares to the Simon Property Group, which owns most of the DeBartolo Corporation’s original property holdings. His latest investment is in DeBartolo Sports & Events, a marketing and consulting firm for sports entertainment clients. DeBartolo Jr. is also the owner of the Famous Famiglia pizza chains across the country. Edward DeBartolo Jr. makes annual donations to his alma mater, Notre Dame, where the school named its Performing Arts Center after him. Sadly, because of the housing crisis and the recession of the late 2000s, many of his shares in the Simon Property Group have gone down over the last three years. However, as of 2011, Edward DeBartolo Jr. still has a net worth of $1.2 billion.

Conclusion

As one can gather from his biography, Edward DeBartolo Jr. is a man with great potential and energy. His long term investment in his passion, the San Francisco 49ers, allowed his inherited wealth to sky rocket. However, bad dealings with politics to find a quick investment cost him much of his name. Still, even after such a public “downfall”, Edward DeBartolo Jr. remains one of the richest Americans.

Money is tight for everybody right now and we’re all trying to save money anywhere we can. Energysavingoffers.com can help you to save money on your monthly energy costs.

Isn’t it frustrating that when a big economic event like a recession slashes your pay check or eliminates it altogether, the costs of utilities don’t change? It seems like your gas, electric, cable, and water bills should go down but this isn’t a perfect world and that doesn’t happen very often. You can’t lower their prices but thanks to deregulation in the utility business, companies can now compete for your energy dollars. No longer can there only be one supplier in town.

This is good news for you because although home energy audits will show you ways to save money by making your home more energy efficient, many of the actions you would take are going to cost a lot of money. Do you have an extra $20,000 for new windows? How long would it take you to recoup the cost of those windows if you only recouped it in your energy bill? Windows would add value to your home but only if you’re interested in selling.

The best way to lower your energy costs is to take some low cost steps. Recaulk leaking windows, check the threshold under your door to assure that air isn’t coming in from under your door, make sure you have adequate roof venting, and check for leaks in your ductwork.
After all of that, shop for energy just as you would shop for the best deal on a car or a television. There could be numerous energy companies who want to compete for your energy business.

This is where energysavingoffers.com can help. Energy Saving Offers is an authorized reseller of energy for both residential homes and commercial establishments. They purchase energy and resell it to you, often at a lower price. They aren’t available in all areas of the country but they’re growing fast and if they’re not already, they will probably be in your community soon.

Going to their site and exploring your options costs you nothing. A few minutes of your time might score you a lower electric bill at the end of the month and that could add up to some pretty big savings over time.
You may have never heard of energysavingoffers.com until now but once you go to the site and see the money you could save, you won’t forget the name and you’ll recommend it to your friends!

As consumers begin to slowly climb out from underneath the mound of debt they accumulated over the last few years, they’re starting to pay more attention to their credit scores again. With loan rates at historic lows, many people are once again considering home refinancing, a home purchase or an auto purchase. Realizing that their credit score could mean the difference between qualifying for the best possible loan rate and one that could cost them hundreds or thousands more, the question they are raising with greater frequency is, “What is a good credit score?”

While it’s fairly easy to look at a credit score range that might represent a good score for purposes of obtaining a loan, the actual answer is not so straight forward. One problem is the “good” score range keeps moving. What was considered a good score three years ago may not be today depending on which lender or credit scoring model is involved. A lot also depends of how the score is to be used. Is it being applied to refinancing a mortgage or obtaining an auto loan. But, for comparison purposes and for gauging relative improvements in your credit score, there are some general guidelines you can follow.

Excellent Score

Using a credit score range of 300 to 900, any score above 800 is considered “excellent”. If you score in this range, you should have no problem obtaining the best possible terms from your lender, and you are in the best position to shop your loan.

Great Score

A score of 730 to 800 is considered by some to be a “great” score, again, with little resistance from lenders in obtaining the most favorable terms. Some lenders might view this as excellent. Truth be told, most lenders stop counting the score after about 730. At that point they begin to consider other factors in determining how creditworthy you really are.

Good Score

The score range for what many lenders consider to be “good” is 680 to 729. You should still be able to qualify for favorable terms, however, you may need to shop your loan around to see who will compete for your business.

Average Score

580 to 679 is considered average today. Scores in this range will get you qualified for a loan but you shouldn’t expect the most favorable terms. 680 is considered to be the prime loan threshold below which you will probably only be offered subprime. You may pay as much as a point and half higher than the best rate available, and you may need to come up with a bigger down payment.

Bad to Worse

Any score below 580 is going to present challenges and obstacles in qualifying for loans let alone getting a decent interest rate.
If you are keeping score, and you want to work towards improving your creditworthiness in order to lower your borrowing costs, keep your eye on the score range cusps. For instance, you can lower your borrowing costs significantly by raising your score from 650 to 680, which may be easier than you think. In many cases, your lender can provide you with guidance on how to raise your score to qualify for a better rate.

How important is your credit? Lexington law thinks it should be the most important piece of your financial footprint and protecting it should be at the top of your financial priority list. You know that your credit score is the largest determining factor when you apply for a loan but it may be used for much more than you realize.

Not only is it used to determine if you will get the loan but it has a big part in the interest rate you pay, according to lexingtonlaw.com. The lower your score, the more you’re considered a risk and that increases your interest rate. It may be used to determine your insurance rate, get an apartment, and a bad credit score may result in being laid off or turned down for a job. The days of your credit score only being used to approve or decline a loan are over.

It May be Inaccurate

Credit reports are full of inaccuracies. If somebody mistypes a social security number, somebody else’s delinquent auto loan may end up in your file. Even one misreported late payment could ruin your score and you wouldn’t know until you were turned down for a loan.

The first step is to order free copies of your credit reports. If you find information that appears inaccurate, go to lexingtonlaw.com. Lexingtonlaw is a low cost legal service that cleanses your credit report of all of those inaccuracies that have lowered your credit score for far too long.

All you have to do is make a list of the inaccuracies on your credit report and send them to lexingtonlaw. Through their national network of attorneys, they will work to get the inaccurate entries removed. All you have to do is let them do all of the work. The best thing about this service is that it could cost as little as $50 per month.

According to lexingtonlaw, their service is so effective that the average customer saw an average of 8.7 removals of bad or unlawful information in the first three months of membership. Over the course of one year, that number was over 25! You may not have that many inaccurate entries but if you do, spending your valuable time dealing with these issues will cost far more than the monthly cost of lexingtonlaw.

Not all credit repair agencies are lawful. Unlike others, lexingtonlaw will not fight to remove negative entries that are true. They cannot repair damaged credit based on truthful information but they can examine your credit report and make sure all entries are reported according to applicable state and federal laws.

What to do Now

First, request free copies of all three of your credit reports. Unless you have already ordered copies within the past year, you do not have to pay for these reports. Next, carefully examine all three and look for indications of late payments, closing of the accounts and the reason they were closed, and carefully example all open accounts to make sure they belong to you.

If you see any problems on your reports, contact lexingtonlaw today. Their affordable service saves you the time and headache of dealing with creditors yourself.

Let’s state up front that you don’t need a credit monitoring service to stay on top of your credit status. For people who are diligent and deliberate in monitoring their own credit, they can do so by accessing a free credit report from each of the credit bureaus once per year. And, for the credit monitoring critics who will tell you that the service does nothing to actually prevent identity theft or credit fraud, let’s concede that they are right. But then, nothing except the precautions you take up front can protect you from determined identity thieves. But, for the millions of people each year who fall victim to identity theft, credit card fraud, or mistaken scoring on their credit reports, a systematic and automatic approach to credit monitoring may have lessened the pain, at least to the point where they may have been able to react a little more quickly to the damage.

About the only real argument that credit report monitoring critics seem to raise is why pay for something that you can do for yourself? While no one can argue with that basic premise, the fact of the matter is that very a relatively low number of people actually order their own credit reports, and those that do are not quite sure of what they are looking at. Simply put, most people need and want to be able to monitor their credit for purposes of improving their credit score range, rebuilding their credit after a bankruptcy, or to keep an eye out for identity theft. That covers the vast majority of Americans.

The problem is that most people find it difficult to give the task the time and attention it needs to be of any real benefit even if it means protecting their identity. Even if they do remember to order a credit report three times during the year, many have neither the time nor the ability to comb through them to analyze their current position in relation to their previous position. With so much at stake – future borrowing costs, identity theft alerts, employment opportunities, and insurance costs – it might make sense to hire someone to do a job that you know is important but are unable to properly do on your own. Here are five other reasons why you should consider a credit monitoring service:

Identity theft can occur at any time: You may be diligent in checking your credit reports three times a year, but an identity thief could be at work right now. A credit monitoring service can report to you on weekly or monthly credit activities which can alert you much sooner.

All credit reports are not created equally: Each credit reporting company compiles and reports data in its own way. Not only do you have to decipher one credit report for vital information you have to be able to translate between three credit reporting languages. A good monitoring service will decipher the data for you a present you with the essential information you need to determine what changes have occurred in your credit status.

You can only monitor one credit reporting agency at a time: Most credit monitoring services provide comprehensive coverage of all three credit reporting agencies at one time. This could be very important because not all agencies report activities in the same manner at the same time.

Your time is worth far more than the $10 to $20 a month they cost: The reports provided by credit monitoring services will save you hours of time. The reports are specific to changes in credit status, new activities, account openings and closings, and anything that affects your credit standing providing you with everything you need to know at a glance.

Your credit standing is priceless: Whether you are trying to improve your score, rebuild your credit, or keep a vigilance over theft and fraud, or get a good rate on a long term loan the actual out-of-pocket cost of a monitoring service is just a fraction of what your costs will be should your identity be stolen, or your credit score falls unnecessarily. Anytime it is absolutely essential that something be done right, the cost should be thought of as an investment, not as an expense.

Dwight Schar is a high powered Real Estate Entrepreneur and was featured as one of the 2009 Forbes Richest Americans. He is the founder and Executive Chairman, as well as the Chairman of Executive Committee of NVR Inc., a Real Estate business based in the U.S. His company is the seventh largest home building company in the country.

In addition to being a successful real estate mogul, Dwight is also well known for his philanthropic contributions. Dwight grew up in Ohio and started off as a junior high school teacher. He would sell homes during the weekends and while doing this, he found his true calling. Shortly thereafter, he left his teaching position to start a career in the home building industry. He founded NVHomes, a real estate business, in 1980.

How Dwight Made His Fortune

Dwight founded his own real estate business, NVHomes, in 1980. He grew his business over the years and turned it into a real estate giant. His company became one of the largest home builders in the United States, and he took it public in 1986. In 1987, he borrowed an enormous sum of money to acquire his former employer, Ryan Homes, and changed the name of the company to NVR. He filed for bankruptcy in 1992, from which he later recovered. In addition to his business dealings, Dwight has made hundreds of millions of dollars from stock sales.

What Dwight Does Today

Dwight still remains the Executive Chairman and the Chairman of Executive Committee of NVR Inc. He also serves as the managing partner alongside Dan Snyder at Red Zone Capital, which has the rights to Dick Clark Productions, Johnny Rockets Resturant and Red Zebra Radio Stations. Dwight also owns a minority share in the Washington Redskins and is a stakeholder in Six Flags amusement parks. He acquired Ronald Perelman’s property in Palm Beach in 2004 for a price of $70 million. This investment is the most expensive personal property owned by Dwight. He lives in his Palm Beach property, and also in McLean, Virginia. In addition to his impressive list of business dealings, he is also a significant charitable donor and a significant participant in Republican politics. Dwight was one of the largest fundraisers for the President Bush re-election effort, and he held and important position on the Bush inaugural committee.

Follow In Dwight’s Footsteps

Dwight did not become a real estate mogul and multimillionaire overnight. It took him many years of hard work and true dedication to get to where he is today. Along the way, Dwight faced many challenges, and he persevered and overcame them all. He used his brain, developed a clear vision for his business, and was passionate about his goals. It took him time to discover what he wanted and when he did, he was not afraid to change direction. Dwight is living proof that dreams can come true, but you have to be willing to work hard for it and you have to believe in yourself.

Who said there aren’t jobs out there? There are plenty of jobs that need quality people like you but the problem is that you have to somehow stand out. Getting your foot in the door isn’t easy when some of the larger corporations receive tens of thousands of job applications each year. That makes getting an interview about as likely as winning the lottery.

Job sites like TheLadders and Doostang want to up your chances of putting on your favorite interview outfit. They know that if you can get noticed, and land any kind of interview, all of those marketable qualities that you have will shine.

The free job sites like Monster and careerbuilder are fine if you’re looking for an entry level job but for those searching for a professional level career, jobs that often require an advanced degree and pay upwards of $100,000 per year, TheLadders and Doostang are the go-to sites.

Doostang

Doostang was developed by students at MIT with the idea that outstanding students who earned degrees in advanced fields needed a way to connect with employers looking for the best talent that these great institutions have to offer. According to Doostang, 25% of graduates from the top 30 universities use their site to find a job.

Doostang uses the power of social networking to connect employers with perspective employees by using a modern version of old fashioned networking. Doostang alerts you when somebody you know is connected to a perspective job opportunity. Major corporations like Google, JP Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, and Proctor and Gamble are only a few of the companies that are hiring on Doostang.

They have discounted rates for one year memberships or the more expensive monthly rates. Although they have a free membership option, this only allows the user to view job postings. To apply, payment is required.

Overall, Doostang is a great site for recent graduates and because it’s largely geared towards jobs in the financial industry, other job seekers may find more luck on TheLadders

TheLadders

TheLadders is a site made for professional job seekers of all ages. This professional placement service is a more comprehensive site complete with resume writing services, career counselors, and a wide array of educational articles along with its well known jobs board frequented by corporate hiring managers looking for the best talent.

By telling TheLadders your employment preferences, it will return a highly refined list of opportunities that fit your skill set. No more spending hours scrolling through thousands of jobs that don’t fit your certifications or skillset.

Their prices are similar to Doostang if all you need is access to their job board and educational materials. For an extra fee, they will rewrite your resume and place you with a career counselor who guarantees that you will receive a job offer. If you don’t, they will refund the money you paid.

Bottom Line

Job seekers who are no longer job seekers know that to join the ranks of the employed, they have to do more than watch the free sites. Hundreds of thousands of people are doing the same thing which makes getting noticed nearly impossible. Go to a premium site where you are among far less people. TheLadders and Doostang are the best two sites for that.