Increasingly, members of the Caribbean community are responding to the question: ”How are you doing?” by saying “Man, things are tight bad.” Or, “Girl it’s so rough.” The tight and rough things being referred to are the economic hardships being meted out to many Caribbean-American households over the past few months.

This fact was underscored by recent a report by the federal government – Labor Department, which indicated South Florida experienced the highest increase in consumer prices in the entire nation. Prices in Miami-Dade and Broward counties increased by 4.4 percent over the past year, compared to an increase of 2.7 percent for the rest of the country. In other words, it took $14.40 in June 2007 to purchase what $10 could purchase the same time last year. The report has contributed the increase in cost of living to increases in rent, mortgages, property tax and property insurance, which was a combined 8.2 percent increase, the highest annual increase recorded in 25 years. The cost of food and beverages increased by more than 4.2 percent over the year.

To escalate the financial burdens on the community wages have not moved with the increases recorded. A survey conducted by CNWeekly News indicated that the average pay increase among Caribbean workers since May 2006 was 1.8 percent per annum. Add to this the fact that an increasing number of people are being laid off, particularly as small business in the community see their revenues shrink. A realtor in Pembroke Pines who opened an agency with great optimism last year February, and a had a staff of over fifteen administrative and sales representatives earlier this year, has scaled down to a staff of six.

When CNWeekly News visited a well publicized job fair hosted by a medical insurance company in Sunrise last week, the room was crowded beyond capacity with job seekers. Several of the prospective applicants with whom we spoke were of Caribbean origin, who told us heartfelt stories of job searches, over months that have been in vain. One young woman from, St. Kitts, says she had to walk three miles from the bus stop to the job fair, because she had no money to put gas in her car to make the trip from Miami Gardens.

Many factors play into how to repay your share of $135 billion mortgage debt

With homeowners owing a collective $134.8 billion in home mortgages, this sector of the financial industry draws a great deal of attention, with some of the interest focusing on specialty mortgage payment plans such as "biweekly" mortgages. Andrew Housser, co-founder and co-CEO of Bills.com, understands that paying a home loan off early has appeal -- but he advises borrowers to first understand the process.

Jamaican forges into Bank of America’s “Chairman’s Club” with $34 million in loans

In the cutthroat world of banking, especially in the area of mortgage loans, attaining any recognition is an admirable feat, but achieving the membership to the “Chairman’s Club” of Bank of America is a prestigious honor bestowed only for exceptional performance.

Michelle E. Richards-Phillips, mortgage loan officer and assistant vice president of Bank of America Mortgage, has achieved this milestone, having closed $34 million in loans in 2006. It requires at least $28 million to qualify, but with $34 million, she is not only in the club, she is also ranked first in Bank of America in North and South Broward.

Just months after migrating to the US in 1999, she was employed to Bank of America. Having already worked in two major banks in Jamaica, Bank of Jamaica and Worker’s Bank, Michelle was not new to the industry. However, she quickly learned the subtle differences in the banking here and applied herself.

The St. Kitts & Nevis Aquaculture Pilot Project & Environmental Research (SNAPPER)

I would like to share the excitement of successfully growing Tilapia in 100% seawater inland. This project began in 1999 as a challenge, after learning that a fisherman in Jamaica caught a tilapia in his seine net. My background as an administrator of government funding for community projects, led me to investigate the fisheries complex at Twickenham Farm in Jamaica, where experimental brood ponds were in operation. I learned as much as I could and fell in love with aquaculture.

The doors of The School of Health Careers swing open to a world of opportunity. Located at 3190 State Road 7 in Lauderdale Lakes, The School of Health Careers has been changing professional lives since 1993. With programs that include Medical Assistant, Dental Assistant and Medical Insurance Coding and Billing, the curriculum is structured to satisfy the needs of a South Florida job market yearning for highly trained medical and dental professionals.

In the highly competitive career school landscape, The School of Health Careers is among the top schools with similar programs. The focus is on their students, and the proof is in the graduates. The School of Health Careers’ diverse student body features many new immigrants from the Caribbean earnestly trying to snare their piece of the American Dream. Home Health Aides craving a financial boost and professional challenge choose The School of Health Careers to upgrade their credentials and open doors of opportunity. Laborers in search of a professional alternative from long hours and minimal pay seek refuge in the classrooms with hopes of a more rewarding future. These are just a few of the ways The School of Health Careers changes lives everyday.